XM2001 Crusader
Encyclopedia
The XM2001 Crusader was to be the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
's next-generation self-propelled
Self-propelled artillery
Self-propelled artillery vehicles are combat vehicles armed with artillery. Within the term are covered self-propelled guns and rocket artillery...
howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
(SPH), designed to improve survivability, lethality, mobility, and effectiveness and planned to be introduced by 2008. United Defense
United Defense
United Defense Industries was a United States defense contractor which is now part of BAE Systems Land and Armaments. This company produces combat vehicles, artillery, naval guns, missile launchers and precision munitions.-History:...
was the prime contractor; General Dynamics
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation is a U.S. defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world. Its headquarters are in West Falls Church , unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Falls Church area.The company has...
the major subcontractor. In early May 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
cancelled the $11 billion USD program because he considered it neither mobile nor precise enough. The prototype is on display at the cannon park at Fort Sill
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
.
Background
The Crusader was intended to replace the M109A6 PaladinM109 howitzer
The M109 is an American-made self-propelled 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It was upgraded a number of times to today's M109A6 Paladin...
Self-Propelled Howitzer and the M992 Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicle
M992 Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicle
The M992 Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicle is built on the chassis of the M109-series howitzer. It is also colloquially referred to as a "cat" . It replaced the M548 supply vehicle. Unlike the M548 it is armored...
(FAASV). It was intended to be an automated gun (as opposed to missile) artillery system to support the Interim Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT) Counterattack Corps and a basis for other vehicle developments.
Key features of the Crusader design included:
- Two Crusaders would fit in a C-17 Globemaster.
- A cooled XM297E2 howitzer for sustained high rates of fire
- Automated ammunition handling and loading
- State-of-the-art cockpit with embedded command and control
- Composite armor
- Survivability features to protect the vehicle and crew
- LV100-5 gas turbineGas turbineA gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
engine (common with the AbramsM1 AbramsThe M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...
tank) to keep up with other fighting vehicles
Using the same chassis, the resupply vehicles (RSVs) would deliver automatic, reciprocal transfer of ammunition, data and fuel to the SPH or another RSV.
Program Timeline
- 1QFY95 Approved to commence program definition and risk reduction (PDRR) phase.
- 2QFY98 In-process review completed and manufacture of the PDRR prototype systems begun.
- 3QFY99 Delivery of first RSV prototype.
- 2QFY00 Delivery of first prototype howitzer SPH 1.
- 1QFY02 Successful preliminary design review.
- 1QFY02 More than 4000 rounds fired from SPH 1.
- 2QFY02 Program discontinued.
General Characteristics
| SPH | RSV-T | RSV-W | |
| Curb Weight | 40 tons | 36 tons | 33.3 tons |
| Length | 7.53 m | 7.53 m | 11.03 m |
| Width | 3.31 m | 3.31 m | 2.44 m |
| Height | 3.00 m | 3.00 m | 3.59 m |
| Cross-Country Mobility | 39–48 km/h | 39–48 km/h | 64 km/h |
| Armament | Cooled 155 mm | none | none |
| Max Range | 40–50 km (assisted) | ||
| Rate of Fire/Resupply | 10-12 rounds/min | 48 rounds in 10 min | 48 rounds in 10 min |
| Crew | 3 | 3 | 3 |
- Prime Contractors: United DefenseUnited DefenseUnited Defense Industries was a United States defense contractor which is now part of BAE Systems Land and Armaments. This company produces combat vehicles, artillery, naval guns, missile launchers and precision munitions.-History:...
, L.P. (Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
) - Foreign Counterpart: PzH 2000PzH 2000The Panzerhaubitze 2000 , abbreviated PzH 2000, is a German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall for the German Army. The PzH 2000 is one of the most powerful conventional artillery systems currently deployed...
, K9, AS90 - Foreign Military Sales: None planned
Eventual Fate
The Crusader program was cancelled, partly due to the $25 million per vehicle cost (compared to the German PzH 2000PzH 2000
The Panzerhaubitze 2000 , abbreviated PzH 2000, is a German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall for the German Army. The PzH 2000 is one of the most powerful conventional artillery systems currently deployed...
cost of $4.5 million). The Pentagon preferred the Crusader design, largely due to its lighter weight. It also had a speed of around 40 mph (17.9 m/s) compared to the PzH 2000 speed of around 37 mph (16.5 m/s). However, the Pentagon refused German suggestions of producing a PzH that would have detachable armor, which could be shipped separately, or substituting titanium for steel in many parts. The PzH 2000 also required a crew of two more men, considered a disadvantage.
Another consideration was that the existing Paladin
M109 howitzer
The M109 is an American-made self-propelled 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It was upgraded a number of times to today's M109A6 Paladin...
already had advanced characteristics, making it still a very effective weapon.
Much of the technologies developed by the program have been incorporated into the now cancelled XM1203 Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon
External links
- NPR: Crusader Artillery System - All Things ConsideredAll Things ConsideredAll Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
, May 8, 2002 - Although the PentagonThe PentagonThe Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
has finally announced the death of the Crusader artillery system, NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel SchorrDaniel SchorrDaniel Louis Schorr was an American journalist who covered world news for more than 60 years. He was most recently a Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio...
says that the underlying controversy points to a serious failing in the ideal of "unified" civilian control of the military. (RealAudioRealAudioRealAudio is a proprietary audio format developed by RealNetworks and first released in April 1995. It uses a variety of audio codecs, ranging from low-bitrate formats that can be used over dialup modems, to high-fidelity formats for music. It can also be used as a streaming audio format, that is...
)