New American Brutus 155mm 6x6 self-propelled howitzer shown at Northern Strike 2019.

During the U.S. military exercise Northern Strike 2019, a Joint National Training Center accredited exercise, sponsored by the National Guard Bureau, the experimental Brutus 155mm self-propelled mobile gun was presented on July 25, 2019, on Camp Grayling, Michigan, United States.

A static display of the experimental Brutus 155mm Self-propelled gun at Northern Strike 19 on Camp Grayling, Mich. 25 July. (Picture source U.S. DoD)

The Brutus 155mm self-propelled mobile gun is jointly developed by the companies AM General and The Mandus Group. The Brutus mounts the same cannon as the M777 to a hydro-pneumatic, soft Recoil system for mounting on FMTV (Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles truck).

In February 2018, the U.S. Army announced it was again interested in exploring available options for a new mobile howitzer to replace its existing 105mm and 155mm towed types. The need soon appeared to develop a new 155mm system that would be available in both short- and long-barrel variants and come in a package better suit the demands of different types of Army artillery units.

In November 2018, the U.S. Army has tested the truck-mounted artillery system, low-recoil 155mm howitzer Brutus at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, as reported by Joseph Trevithick on The Drive. The new somehow self-propelled howitzer would meet the service’s requirements for a lighter weight mobile option to replace existing howitzers in its Stryker armored vehicle-equipped, light infantry, and airborne units.

The 155mm Brutus uses the same technology as the Hawkeye, a soft-recoil howitzer developed by the American Companies Mandus Group and AM General, which allows a cannon to fire from a lighter platform.

The Brutus 155mm mobile self-propelled howitzer is mounted on a 6x6 modified chassis of M1083 five-ton FMTV type with outriggers to help stabilize it when firing. The FMTV truck series is the standard tactical truck throughout the U.S. Army.

In December 2018, the U.S. Army has released video footage showed a test firing with the Brutus.