U.S. Army Now Armed with Powerful XM913 50mm Cannon

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byPeter Suciu

U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman is continuing to deliver the XM913 50mm cannon to the U.S. Army, even as the service continues to consider its cannon caliber requirements for the vehicle that will eventually replace the aging M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

Janes reported that the contractor remains under contract with the Army to mature the cannon, and as of late August four of the XM913 cannons had been delivered while plans are for an additional seven to be delivered by the end of October. The company was also reportedly expecting an additional order for 10 cannons that would provided for qualification, testing and integration activities.

“The 50 mm cannon combines Bushmaster chain gun reliability with (a) next-generation effective range that will provide the warfighter with increased stand-off against near peer adversaries,” Northrop Grumman spokesman Jarrod Krull told Janes last week.

Tests and More Tests

Last year the Army began testing the new 50mm cannon that would be used for its Next-Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) and a live-fire demonstration was held at Northrop Grumman’s 2019 Bushmaster User Conference in Kingman, Ariz., to highlight how the weapon could be integrated onto the military’s armored platforms.