IN Brief:
- Three 155mm XM1180 hit-to-kill prototype projectiles were fired from a 39-calibre cannon at Yuma Proving Ground.
- The Guided Test Vehicle work examines target recognition and the progression from open-loop sensing to closed-loop guidance.
- Further activity will examine GPS-denied performance and possible integration into the XM1230 Extended Range Artillery Projectile.
The US Army has tested three experimental XM1180 guided artillery projectiles at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, examining a seeker intended to identify an armoured target during flight. The firings form part of the Cannon-Delivered Area Effects Munition Armor development programme and will inform future work on precision 155mm ammunition.
Personnel from Yuma Test Center worked with Project Manager Combat Ammunition Systems, DEVCOM Armaments Center, Raytheon and other organisations during the trials. The prototypes were fired from a 39-calibre cannon, with the team evaluating three different test configurations against a tank target.
The Army’s account, published with an October 20 byline, does not identify the precise date of each firing. It also does not report that all three projectiles struck their target or provide numerical accuracy results. The confirmed development is the completion of a series of experimental firings and the collection of information about seeker performance.
The XM1180 hit-to-kill concept is intended to support engagement of armoured targets. The test programme is examining whether an onboard seeker can identify a target in the observed area and provide useful information for guiding the projectile. That technical objective is different from establishing that a complete production munition has passed operational qualification.
Conventional artillery fires a projectile along a calculated trajectory, with the firing solution dependent on available information about the intended target and operating conditions. A target that moves after the shot has been taken may no longer be at the originally calculated position when the round arrives.
An onboard seeker can provide new observations during flight. In the XM1180 programme, the Army describes a system that produces an image of the target area and seeks to locate the relevant object within it. The potential advantage is the ability to use information gathered after launch rather than relying solely on the initial target position.
Seeking and guidance must nevertheless be considered separately. A sensor may recognise an object without the projectile changing course, while a guided configuration must translate the sensor output into commands compatible with its available control equipment.
The Army distinguishes open-loop and closed-loop evaluation. An open-loop test examines the seeker and its ability to identify a target without using that information to control flight. Closed-loop testing connects seeker information to the guidance response, allowing engineers to assess how the system behaves when its observations influence the trajectory.
The government report says the sequence includes open-loop work followed by closed-loop evaluation, but it does not specify which of the three rounds used each configuration. Any claim about a successful closed-loop impact from an individual round would therefore exceed the disclosed evidence.
The 155mm calibre places demanding constraints on the equipment carried within the projectile. Sensors, processing electronics and control components have to fit inside the available space while withstanding the mechanical environment associated with gun launch.
Flight time also limits the opportunity to process data and make any correction. The sensor must collect information, the system must interpret it and the control equipment must respond quickly enough for the correction to influence the remaining flight path. The Army has not published the processing hardware or specific control mechanism used in the tested prototypes.
Such requirements create trade-offs between sensor capability, available electrical power, processing capacity and the space occupied by other components. They also make environmental and functional testing important before a design can be considered suitable for more extensive evaluation.
The test team included representatives from Operational Evaluation Command, who observed the developmental activity to assess technology maturity. Their involvement should not be confused with the completion of formal operational testing or acceptance of the seeker into service.
Engineers intend to examine how the technology may be carried forward into the XM1230 Extended Range Artillery Projectile. The newer programme is expected to use related seeker technology, although its integration would require assessment against the configuration, flight conditions and interfaces of the receiving projectile.
Transferring a seeker between programmes does not automatically qualify it for another weapon. Different projectile designs may impose distinct space, power and operating requirements, with additional verification needed to establish whether the sensor and associated control functions perform as intended.
The Army also plans GPS-denied testing. That work will investigate performance when satellite navigation information cannot be relied upon, a requirement distinct from showing that the seeker can recognise a target in imagery collected during a test.
Identifying an object and navigating towards it depend on the behaviour of the complete system. Guidance may still require information about projectile motion, the target area and the state of the control equipment, while the operational limits must be established through further assessment.
The guided test vehicle series is expected to continue through fiscal year 2027, with additional XM1230 activity planned at Yuma in the coming months. The Army has not announced production quantities, a service entry date or a completed procurement contract resulting from these specific firings.
The experiments provide technical evidence about the seeker and its prospective use in future guided ammunition. Subsequent tests will establish how the sensing functions perform in more demanding conditions and whether the technology can be integrated into a configuration suitable for further programme qualification.
