Concept Technology Demonstrator

To ensure the U.S. Army maintains its superiority and dominance against future adversaries, in 2002, Congress mandated that a self-propelled Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon (NLOS-C) be developed for the Army by 2008. As part of that mandate, BAE Systems was awarded a year-long Concept, Technology and Demonstration (CTD) contract to demonstrate the feasibility of a 155-mm cannon on a 20-ton system.

In only six months, BAE Systems responded by taking a 20-ton, 155mm, tracked cannon platform from the virtual drawing board to a fully operational system. Today, the CTD is a fully automated, 24-ton, 38-caliber, 155-mm self-propelled howitzer test platform that has fired more than 2,000 rounds at Yuma Proving Ground. The CTD features a fully automated ammunition handling system, with a magazine capable of holding 24 projectiles.

In November 2003, BAE Systems incorporated tactical software onto the CTD to integrate its robotic ammunition handling and auto-loading systems to create a fully automated 155-mm cannon system that enables a two-person crew to achieve what it currently takes five soldiers to accomplish on the battlefield. Within a month following integration, BAE Systems used the tactical software to successfully complete an eight-round fire mission at a rate of six rounds per minute, marking the first time a fully automated cannon had been fired using tactical software. The CTD's chassis uses band track propelled by a drive system with a diesel engine and hybrid-electric propulsion system designed to improve mobility and reduce fuel consumption.

The CTD provided an early demonstration of the capabilities, performance and technologies that will be incorporated into the NLOS-C prototype and production vehicles. Throughout 2006, BAE Systems will transition from test-firing the CTD to testing and integrating new hardware for the objective NLOS-C Increment 0 prototypes scheduled for delivery in 2008. The NLOS-C firing platform, an early test asset for the common mission equipment will be delivered to Yuma Proving Ground in late 2006 to begin testing and qualification of the ultra-lightweight cannon and breech.