BAE to develop Long Range Precision Guidance Kit for ERCA

BAE Systems has won a $33 million contract to further develop the Army's Long Range Precision Guidance Kit for 155 mm artillery shells, the company announced today.

"LR-PGK is a critical program in the Army's 155 mm Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) munitions suite, designed to deliver accurate, lethal fires at greater ranges than near-peer adversaries," BAE said in a press release. "The BAE Systems solution builds on proven, mature technology, offering greater performance than current guidance kits through increased maneuverability and an incorporated anti-jam capability."

Under the new contract, BAE will produce a series of LR-PGK fuzes for live-fire testing to demonstrate accuracy and reliability in battlefield conditions.

The kit is compatible with current Army howitzers as well as the M1299 Extended Range Cannon Artillery platform.

The company in September successfully demonstrated the LR-PGK capability at Yuma Proving Ground, AZ.

Meanwhile, the Army is seeking to move $5 million into a 12-month LR-PGK development and testing effort as part of a reprogramming request for fiscal year 2020 programs the Pentagon sent to Congress in June.

"This testing will verify survivability at higher pressures in the 58-caliber [cannon tube] Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) system," the request states.