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The Army's Mind-Bending 1,000-Mile Cannon Is Coming. Could It Bring Back Battleships?
The U.S. Army is working on a new, long-range cannon it claims can reach out and strike targets at up to 1,150 miles. If the technology works, the Strategic Long Range Cannon (SLRC) promises the ability to fire 50 times farther than existing guns. But the new gun also has the potential to bring back a dormant class of big-gun warships once thought gone for good: the mighty battleship.
Earlier this year, Popular Mechanics published leaked photos showing the capabilities of the SLRC. With an effective range of 1,000 nautical miles—at 1,150 miles, that's about 1,130 miles farther than existing guns—the SLRC could be a truly revolutionary breakthrough in artillery warfare.
The Army hasn’t explained how it will reach such a mind-bending range, but it seems confident the gun will work as planned. A committee formed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is currently taking a look at the technology to determine its feasibility, and the service plans to test a prototype in 2023. The Army envisions the SLRC as a towed gun pulled by a heavy truck, using its range to blast a hole in enemy air and sea defenses big enough for U.S. forces to squeeze through.
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SLRC faces limitations as a wholly land-based system. The Army would need to gather permission from countries such as the Philippines, Germany, Norway, or Japan to locate the weapon on their soil, and as a truck-based weapon, it would be restricted to paved roads. Just getting the gun to the battlefield would require nearby airfields, secure airspace, and enough Air Force transports to lug the big guns around.
The U.S. Army’s largest existing gun, the self-propelled M109A7 Paladin, has a maximum range of about 19 miles.
U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SGT. JEREMIAH WOODS
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The solution, then, is to base at least some of the cannons on ships.
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A single ship could carry the entire four-gun battery the Army envisioned deploying SLRC abroad, plus shells to keep the guns firing. A warship could relocate the guns at sea without asking anyone for permission, and would be more difficult for enemy forces to target. It would also have greater flexibility, deploying into areas where local allies might not be willing to host big guns.
All of this might sound very familiar. In 1940, most of the major world powers maintained large fleets of battleships—those large, heavily armored warships carrying between eight and 12 guns, all between 12 and 18 inches in diameter. Battleships were envisioned as the decisive arm of naval warfare, engaging the enemy fleet in a series of battles that would decide the war at sea.
The mighty German battleship Bismarck was damaged by aircraft torpedo attack, allowing other surface warships to close in and destroy her.
www.popularmechanics.com
The U.S. Army is working on a new, long-range cannon it claims can reach out and strike targets at up to 1,150 miles. If the technology works, the Strategic Long Range Cannon (SLRC) promises the ability to fire 50 times farther than existing guns. But the new gun also has the potential to bring back a dormant class of big-gun warships once thought gone for good: the mighty battleship.
Earlier this year, Popular Mechanics published leaked photos showing the capabilities of the SLRC. With an effective range of 1,000 nautical miles—at 1,150 miles, that's about 1,130 miles farther than existing guns—the SLRC could be a truly revolutionary breakthrough in artillery warfare.
The Army hasn’t explained how it will reach such a mind-bending range, but it seems confident the gun will work as planned. A committee formed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is currently taking a look at the technology to determine its feasibility, and the service plans to test a prototype in 2023. The Army envisions the SLRC as a towed gun pulled by a heavy truck, using its range to blast a hole in enemy air and sea defenses big enough for U.S. forces to squeeze through.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
SLRC faces limitations as a wholly land-based system. The Army would need to gather permission from countries such as the Philippines, Germany, Norway, or Japan to locate the weapon on their soil, and as a truck-based weapon, it would be restricted to paved roads. Just getting the gun to the battlefield would require nearby airfields, secure airspace, and enough Air Force transports to lug the big guns around.
The U.S. Army’s largest existing gun, the self-propelled M109A7 Paladin, has a maximum range of about 19 miles.
U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SGT. JEREMIAH WOODS
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
The solution, then, is to base at least some of the cannons on ships.
YOU'LL LOVE THIS
Why Is the Navy Arming Nuclear Subs With Lasers?
A single ship could carry the entire four-gun battery the Army envisioned deploying SLRC abroad, plus shells to keep the guns firing. A warship could relocate the guns at sea without asking anyone for permission, and would be more difficult for enemy forces to target. It would also have greater flexibility, deploying into areas where local allies might not be willing to host big guns.
All of this might sound very familiar. In 1940, most of the major world powers maintained large fleets of battleships—those large, heavily armored warships carrying between eight and 12 guns, all between 12 and 18 inches in diameter. Battleships were envisioned as the decisive arm of naval warfare, engaging the enemy fleet in a series of battles that would decide the war at sea.
The mighty German battleship Bismarck was damaged by aircraft torpedo attack, allowing other surface warships to close in and destroy her.
The Army's 1,000-Mile Cannon Is Coming, and It Could Bring Back Battleships
Big guns made battleships obsolete decades ago. But what if the very same weapon that killed them ultimately ushers in their return?
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