Navy artillery: no new weapons on the horizon.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Date: 01 March 2006
• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.

A decade-long effort to develop advanced munitions for 5-inch guns remains in limbo, and the technology is not likely to be ready for operational use in the foreseeable future.

Under a program called "extended range munition," which began in 1996, the Navy has been pursuing a satellite-guided projectile that could be launched from ships and hit targets ashore more than 40 miles away.

By unofficial estimates, the Navy has spent nearly $2 billion on the project but has yet to deploy a single round. The original schedule called for the weapon to be deployed in 2001.

"We're working to figure out the way ahead for this program," says Rear Adm. Barry McCullough, director of Navy surface warfare.

The extended range munition, or ERM, has been plagued by delays and technical glitches, but the Navy is not giving up on the program, McCullough says. The weapon was designed to provide fire support to Marines landing in hostile territory.

The Navy also is developing a 6-inch guided round that will be fired from its next-generation DDX destroyer. That weapon has seen smoother sailing than the 5-inch, McCullough notes. The 6-inch projectile, made by Lockheed Martin Corporation, has a proven range of 65 miles, says...