Big Guns: The Army Is Developing a ‘Cannon’ To Kill Targets 1,000 Miles Away

Warrior Maven Video Above: General Dynamics Land Systems Weapons Developers Discuss Griffin III & Army NGCV

By Sebastien Roblin,The National Interest

Recent statements by the U.S. Army indicate that it is enthusiastically seeking to resurrect a type of weapon long thought to have been consigned to the cobwebs of history—the long-range “super gun.” The Pentagon is talking up a project to develop a Strategic Long-Range Cannon with a mind-boggling range of 1,150 miles—far enough for cannons based in Europe to bombard targets in western Russia.

During the first half of the twentieth century, armies grew enamored with the concept of “super guns”—huge artillery systems able to bombard cities up dozens of miles behind the frontline. During World War I, Imperial Germany deployed the infamous Paris Gun, which could launch huge 211-millimeter shells to bombard the French capital from up to eighty miles away, terrorizing its populous.

Later during World War II, Hitler devoted considerable resources to building V-3 “Super Cannons” in Normandy, intended to lob shells over the English Channel to sustain a round-the-clock bombardment of the city of London. Fortunately, Allied bombers and ground troops prevented the V-3 from ever being used against its intended target.

During the Cold War, heavy artillery units were prepared to deliver tactical nuclear warheads, so the United States fielded long-range M107 and M110 self-propelled guns. However, the army retired its last M110s in the early 2000s. The artillery branch’s mainstay M109A5 Paladin howitzers 155-millimeter shells currently can strike targets up to 19 miles using rocket-assisted projectiles.

Other countries still maintain very long-range artillery, though not super guns. North Korea maintains 170-millimeter Koksan guns specifically intended to serve as a strategic threat to the South Korean capital of Seoul. Russia’s 2S19 Msta self-propelled artillery systems have range of up to 40 miles.