The U.S. Army is on a mission to identify firms capable of producing the new XM1208 155mm cluster shells. This initiative is driven by the necessity to manufacture up to 30,000 rounds annually, as detailed in a market survey published on November 20.
Amidst ongoing efforts to boost howitzer munition production in response to the Ukraine conflict, the U.S. currently produces 40,000 artillery shells per month. This comes as both the U.S. and Europe strive to meet increasing demands for munitions. The market survey highlights that XM1208 production can be undertaken by multiple manufacturers, with the Army asking, “Sources shall include their minimum sustaining and maximum capacity rates.”
The XM1208 is engineered to be compatible with the M109A6/7 Paladin and M777A2 howitzers, capable of reaching targets up to 14 miles away, according to a brochure from the Joint Program Executive Office Armaments and Ammunition. The shell contains nine M99 Advanced Submunitions, which are expelled at a predetermined point during flight with an M762/A1 electronic time fuze.
These submunitions are designed to arm while descending and orient using a ribbon stabilizer, dispersing approximately 1,200 preformed tungsten fragments around 1.5 meters above the target. To counter potential fuze failures, the submunitions are equipped with four backup detonation methods. The XM1208 aims to advance the design of cluster shells by maintaining effectiveness without breaching international treaty stipulations.
Cluster munitions trace their origins to World War II, wherein they were employed to increase hit probability across a dispersed target area by deploying numerous smaller bomblets. The Army’s solution in the 1970s to potential Soviet threats was the Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition (DPICM), which included shells and rockets carrying numerous grenade-sized submunitions.
However, the DPICM bomblets presented challenges with a dud rate ranging from 2% to 14%, leaving unexploded ordnance that posed a long-term risk to civilians. In contrast, Russian cluster weapons have a dud rate of 40%. Attempting to mitigate these risks, the Department of Defense set a target dud rate of under 1% for cluster munitions in 2008, although this policy was reversed in 2017.
In light of these challenges, the Army plans to transition from DPICM to the Cannon-Delivered Area Effects Munition (C-DAEM), which includes the XM1180 shell for anti-armor bomblets and the XM1208 for personnel and light vehicles. The Army’s objectives for these munitions include enhanced lethality and effectiveness in GPS-contested environments while minimizing harm from unexploded ordnance, as demonstrated in a successful test of the XM1180 in March 2024.
Despite these developments, the Army is likely to retain DPICM for emergency scenarios. Mark Cancian from the Center for Strategic and International Studies told Defense News, “The military has consistently stated that DPICM is effective and should be retained in inventory for emergency use.” Cancian emphasized ongoing efforts to reduce the dud rate below 1% in a cost-effective manner, stating, “Previous attempts had reduced the dud rate but not below 1%, so the Army’s effort continues.”
