LIGHTWEIGHT 155MM HOWITZER - Section 7.10 - Defense Innovation Marketplace

Section 7.10

                                  LIGHTWEIGHT 155MM
                                          HOWITZER

Lightweight 155mm Howitzer (LW155)

Program Background                                    alloys, the lightweight M777A2 can be air-lifted
                                                      into remote high-altitude locations inaccessible
A cornerstone of the PM Towed Artillery               by ground transportation and is capable of
Systems (PM TAS) portfolio is the “Triple Seven,”     being transported by the Marine Corps’ V-22
or the M777A2 Lightweight 155mm Howitzer.             Osprey, as well as medium and heavy-lift
Assembled by BAE Systems in Hattiesburg, MS,          helicopters.
the Lightweight 155 is a Marine Corps led joint
program with the Army. The M777A2 replaced            Program Status
the Marine Corps’ outdated M198 155mm
weapon.                                               The M777 Program has commenced activities
                                                      to “refresh” the system’s digitized fire control
The M777A2 is capable of firing standard              system. Described as a leap-ahead, towed
(unassisted) projectiles to a range of 15 miles (24   artillery technology, the digital fire control has
kilometers), assisted projectiles to 19 miles (30.5   transformed how Marines employ artillery.
kilometers), and the Excalibur munitions to           As part of the refresh effort, a new Gunners
ranges in excess of 25 miles (40 kilometers).         and Assistant Gunners Display (GD/AGD) has
                                                      been fielded. Using recent advances in display
The world’s first artillery weapon to make            technology, the display has greater reliability
widespread use of titanium and aluminum               along with greatly improved sunlight readability

                                                       2018 PEO LS Advanced Technology Investment Plan | 165

at a lower overall cost. Other ongoing refresh          with onboard (rechargeable) batteries. The
initiatives include a new Mission System                current platforms have power requirements
Computer, Chief of Section Display, and power           in excess of 2 KWH. Due to the current
supply which commenced fielding in 2017.                limitations of high capacity batteries, the PM
                                                        requests alternative innovative technologies
LW 155’s Top Technical Issues                           that would provide power to the electronics
                                                        on the howitzer and extend runtime over the
1. Navigation in a GPS Denied                           existing configuration. Alternatively, the PM
Environment                                             requests investment by industry in displays,
The navigation systems for the digitized                computers, and other electronic components
howitzers are dependent on GPS assistance to            with a decreased power consumption. Either
maintain full operational capability. GPS denial        solution, or a combination of both, would be
would degrade howitzer operational tempo                used to increase operational capability.
and adversely impact delivery of timely fire in
support of maneuver. Innovative approaches              4. Secure Wireless: Ruggedized/Low
to counter or mitigate GPS denial at minimum            Energy
SWaP are required. The technologies could be            Communications between interfacing
items such as anti-jam antennas, sensor fusion          components of the M777A2 digital fire-control
schemes to leverage other available sensors,            systems is accomplished over physical wires.
or other technologies to establish howitzer             The required cabling constrains the solution
location to better than 4m accuracy in a GPS-           space and introduces points of failure,
denied environment.                                     particularly for cables that need to flex or be
                                                        moved as part of normal operations. A short-
2. Safe and Transportable Battery High                  haul, low-energy wireless data transmission
Capacity Technology                                     can eliminate use of physical wires. Although
The M777A2 howitzer powers its electronics              commercial standards exist, a ruggedized
with onboard (rechargeable) batteries. The              solution using a dongle-like device is
current platforms have power requirements               required. The solution should be adaptable
in excess of 2 KWH. Current High Capacity               to enable either serial or Ethernet wireless
Battery technologies are mainly Lithium Ion             communications between components. This
based, which requires extensive regulatory              technology may be incorporated into future
qualification testing when the power pack               devices such as wearable devices and onboard
exceeds 1 KWH. As a result, towed artillery             sensors.
Program Managers seeking improved battery
performance are required to execute significant         5. Weight Management
development efforts (at significant expense)            As a result of various product improvements
to design and qualify “system specific” power           and corrections to field issues, the M777A2
packs. To mitigate this, PMs request that               weight has increased closer to the Joint
industry invest in safe and transportable               Operational Requirements Document (JORD)
battery technology that could be implemented            threshold weight of 10,000 lbs. In addition, a
into weapons systems in a modular fashion,              developmental M777 Extended Range (M777ER)
without the need for “system specific” power            project may add an additional 800 lbs to the
packs and the extensive regulatory qualification        howitzer. PM-TAS has begun to investigate
requirements that come with them.                       alternative weight reduction measures and feels
                                                        there is potential for insertion of lightweight
3. On System Power Generation and                       materials into the M777ER adapter kit, which
Conservation                                            could also be applied to the baseline M777A2
The M777A2 howitzer powers its electronics              howitzer.

166 | 2018 PEO LS Advanced Technology Investment Plan

2018 PEO LS Advanced Technology Investment Plan | 167

168 | 2018 PEO LS Advanced Technology Investment Plan

2018 PEO LS Advanced Technology Investment Plan | 169

170 | 2018 PEO LS Advanced Technology Investment Plan