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U.S. Army Explores Glide-Fired Artillery from General Atomics for Future Combat Edge.
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems reported successful validation of flight-critical functions for its Long Range Maneuvering Projectile, fired from an M777 at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground on Oct. 13. The winged, guided round shifts 155 mm artillery from pure ballistics to glide profiles that can extend range and improve target engagement in GPS-degraded, contested environments.
On 13 October, the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground hosted a milestone for tube artillery as General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems validated flight-critical functions of its Long Range Maneuvering Projectile fired from an M777 howitzer. The test underscores a shift from purely ballistic trajectories to guided, wing-borne glide profiles that expand reach and options for land forces, as reported by General Atomics. For operators facing GPS degradation, mobile targets, and layered air defenses, the development signals a new way to generate effects at ranges traditionally reserved for missiles, using existing 155 mm guns.
The latest test demonstrates that gliding, seeker-guided 155 mm projectiles are ready to move from promising theory to operational reality (Picture source: General Atomics)
General Atomics’ LRMP is a next-generation 155 mm round designed to deliver two to three times the reach of standard ammunition while preserving precision against both static and moving targets. In recent firings with M231 charges, the projectile executed sabot separation, de-spin stabilization, wing deployment and controlled descent, matching predictive models. The deployable, high-aspect-ratio lifting surfaces transition the round from a ballistic path to a guided glide, while onboard navigation and an optical seeker enable mid-course updates and terminal corrections even in GPS-denied or degraded environments. The effect is akin to launching a compact, smart glide bomb from a field howitzer, without re-architecting the gun or its crew drills.
The LRMP’s development track ties back to U.S. Navy work on extended-range gun ammunition concepts and has matured through GA-EMS’ broader portfolio in electromagnetic systems, hypersonics and precision-guided munitions. The August campaign at Yuma provided high-fidelity data for longer-range demonstrations and validated the sequence of aerodynamic events needed for repeatable performance from in-service howitzers. Although the latest test shots used the towed M777 with its relatively short L/39 barrel, the projectile is intended to be compatible with NATO-standard self-propelled howitzers such as the M109 family and other 155 mm platforms, where higher launch energies should translate to even greater standoff.
Compared with other “extreme-range” artillery solutions, LRMP’s value proposition is its glide-assist architecture rather than a propulsive second stage. Past concepts such as the two-stage LRLAP for the AGS or current ramjet-assisted rounds reserve significant internal volume for propulsion hardware and fuel, trading off warhead space and driving cost and complexity. By relying on lift and careful energy management after muzzle exit, LRMP frees more internal volume for payload relative to propulsive designs, while still accepting some packaging penalties for wing mechanisms. The guidance suite, combining INS, GPS when available, and optical terrain/reference tracking, also widens the target set to include movers, something many legacy GNSS-only, quasi-ballistic rounds struggle to service reliably at long range.
Strategically, a gliding, seeker-equipped 155 mm round alters the cost-exchange calculus in contested theaters. Land forces can prosecute relocatable air defense components, counter-battery radars, logistics nodes and fast-establishing command posts at depths closer to 100+ km using organic artillery, complicating adversary A2/AD layering without expending scarce theater missiles. For U.S. and allied armies in Europe, this compresses timelines for deep fires and strengthens counter-battery overmatch against peer systems. In the Indo-Pacific, where dispersion and mobility are prerequisites, LRMP enables ship-to-shore or island-to-island interdiction of high-value ground targets with lower signature and higher shot density than missile salvos. Militarily, it expands the magazine depth of existing howitzer fleets; geopolitically, it offers partners a path to long-range precision fires that is exportable within artillery regimes rather than missile control frameworks, an attractive option for nations seeking standoff without the political and budgetary weight of new missile programs.
The latest test demonstrates that gliding, seeker-guided 155 mm projectiles are ready to move from promising theory to operational reality. By pairing long-reach maneuvering flight with guidance resilient to GPS disruption, LRMP turns widely fielded howitzers into precision standoff launchers against mobile targets and critical nodes. If forthcoming trials confirm range claims and production-cost goals, this capability will give commanders a larger, cheaper magazine for deep effects and force adversaries to rethink how, and where, they hide.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.