BAE Systems has successfully fired its Long-Range Precision Guidance Kit (LR-PGK) for 155mm artillery projectiles from the U.S. Army’s Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) at Yuma Proving Ground, demonstrating airframe structural survivability under extreme firing conditions.

The LR-PGK improves the accuracy of unguided artillery projectiles with low-cost navigation and guidance technology. The guidance kit combines anti-jam GPS sensors with control planes that enable projectile maneuverability throughout flight, and is compatible with existing and future artillery projectiles.

“The LR-PGK has demonstrated its ability to help the U.S. Army deliver accurate fires up to 70 kilometers and meet mission objectives with fewer shots. Adding precision guidance to standard munitions enables our customers to engage targets with greater efficiency and reduce collateral damage,” said James McDonough, LR-PGK program director.

Long-Range Precision Guidance Kit (LR-PGK)

The ERCA survivability tests are a critical milestone for LR-PGK. The propellant blast, gun barrel pressure, and muzzle velocity truly tested the system’s resiliency. The evolving LR-PGK is helping the U.S. Army address its need for long range precision fires. BAE Systems continues to advance the system design to improve capabilities, manufacturing readiness, and affordability. Following the tests, the company is focusing on long-range guidance, navigation, and projectile flight control. The kits must demonstrate their ability to operate at high spin rates, in challenging atmospheric conditions, and in the presence of enemy signal-jamming.

The kit’s modular architecture was purposefully designed for low-cost production and upgradeability. The fuze combines enhanced GPS-based navigation with an innovative, roll-stabilized guidance unit and antenna array. This integrated technology, paired with a proven, variable-deflection canard control method, allows for advanced in-flight correction capabilities. Projectiles fitted with LR-PGK provide artillery units in battle with accurate fire support capabilities that friendly forces can rely on in areas where collateral damage is a concern, resulting in improved accuracy against modern threat.

LR-PGK is compatible with existing and future artillery shells and
firing platforms, including:
• M795, M1128, XM1113, and M549A1 projectiles
• M109A7 Self-Propelled Howitzers
• M1299 Extended Range Cannon Artillery
• M777 Lightweight Towed 155mm Howitzers

BAE Systems is a leader in artillery technology, precision guidance systems, and small form electronics. The company designs and manufactures the M109 family of Self-Propelled Howitzers and the M777 Lightweight Towed Howitzer, is a major supplier of artillery explosives and propellants, and has decades of experience developing and delivering precision guidance systems. BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues.

U.S. Army’s Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA)