General Atomics awarded contract to develop long-range 155-mm artillery projectile for U.S. Army

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems was awarded a contract to develop a 155-mm projectile for the Army’s Extended Range Artillery Projectile program. The award places the company alongside General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems and BAE Systems, which received earlier contracts under the same program. The ERAP program, also called the XM1155 program, began in 2024.

It seeks a projectile that can strike moving targets beyond 65 km, including self-propelled howitzers, infantry fighting vehicles, multiple rocket launchers, tanks, and maritime targets. The XM1155 effort continues work previously pursued under the now-scrapped Extended Range Cannon Artillery program.

The Army requires solutions that reach Initial Operational Capability fielding by fiscal year 2030 and begin low-rate production by the second quarter of fiscal year 2029.

Any selected projectile must also be compatible with existing and future howitzers. General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems announced the award in a company release on Friday. Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS, said the contract confirms the company’s readiness to deliver extended-range, precision capabilities that give the warfighter unmatched standoff range and lethality.

He added that the firm has expanded production capacity, advanced scaling innovations, and reinforced its readiness to design, qualify, produce, and deliver next-generation munitions. General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems announced its own developmental contract one week earlier, on June 5, for the Vulcano 155 Guided Long Range system.

The system, developed by Italian firm Leonardo Electronics and German firm Diehl Defence, can reach up to 70 kilometers with high precision using advanced aerodynamics, GPS guidance, and a Semi-Active Laser terminal seeker.