Rheinmetall and Northrop Grumman: Improved artillery ammunition

Rheinmetall and Northrop Grumman have entered into an agreement to cooperate in the field of precision-guided extended-range artillery munitions. Rheinmetall's South African subsidiary Rheinmetall Denel Munition and Northrop Grumman signed a ten-year strategic partnership in February 2021. During this period, both companies aim to work together to offer this promising munitions technology to the international and US markets, thus supporting future artillery operations.

The focus of the partnership is primarily to create a long-range 155mm artillery ammunition with an integrated M1156 Precision Guidance Kit (PGK) and to develop a new 155mm projectile with an improved integrated propulsion system.

Northrop Grumman's M1156 PGK precision guidance kit is in use in several armed forces and provides a cost-effective, readily available way to increase the accuracy of existing types of ammunition. When combined with Rheinmetall's VLAP projectile, which currently offers the longest range in conventional artillery ammunition, it creates a readily available, battle-proven solution for precision-guided, long-range munitions. The maximum firing range with conventional shells is currently 76 kilometers – achieved in 2019 at the Alkantpan test site from a gun not conforming to the requirements of the NATO Joint Ballistics Memorandum of Understanding (JBMOU) with 52 calibers. Compared to conventional fuses, those with PGK have a slightly shorter range due to higher air resistance. Nevertheless, these shells are expected to reach 70 kilometers and more.

More than twelve nations' armed forces currently use Rheinmetall's extended-range artillery ammunition from South Africa. By integrating proven technologies, capabilities and combat power can be rapidly increased. Furthermore, other NATO nations and non-JBMOU users can adopt this solution based on Rheinmetall's existing artillery portfolio.

In early 2021, Rheinmetall and Northrop Grumman unveiled a prototype of the new projectile in South Africa and plan to demonstrate the integration at a later date at the US test site in Yuma, Arizona.

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