The conflicts of High intensity and long durationsuch as the Ukraine War, they are promoting the arms development of the great military powers. As part of the effort you are making USA to modernize the artillery of their land forces, BAE Systems has announced Scorpio-XRa long -range guided ammunition designed for provide an indirect fire capacity superior to that of current systems.
This term refers A When the goal is not visible from the shot positionso a projectile is triggered in a Curved and parabolic trajectoryeither based on ballistic calculations or using guided systems, to achieve objectives beyond natural or artificial obstacles. Its main advantage is that it allows to attack without exposing itself directly to the enemy fire.
British manufacturer Bae Systems, which has military products such as hunting Eurofighter Typhoon (along with Airbus and Leonardo) and the tanks Challenger 2 and Challenger 3is developing the scorpio-xr under a contract with the US Army.
This is the scorpio-xr
The new BAE Systems projectile takes advantage of program technologies Hypervelocity Projectile (HVP). HVP develops advanced ammunition capable of achieving Hypersonic speeds (higher than Mach 5 or 6,174 km/h) and that can be launched from conventional artillery systems.
Scorpio-XR is a guided projectile of 155 mm Able to attack fixed and mobile targets at a double distance than that of conventional guided ammissions in service, according to the company. Its scope is 70 kmallowing artillery to make fire from a safer distance.
It stands out for its High maneuverabilitya Reduced flight time and the integration of Surproofing subsystems of the Scorpio-XR from a cannon, protecting electronic and guidance functionality.
One of the great advantages of the scorpio-xr is that it is designed to be compatible with 155 mm artillery systems already in serviceincluding the towed man M777 and self -propelled M109A7 Paladinwhich facilitates the modernization of current platforms without incurring the costs of new systems. Bae Systems has already done more than 100 shooting tests to validate the performance of the ammunition in various operational scenarios. The company has not specified when it provides that Scorpio-XR will be able to enter service.
The scorpio-xr is part of the United States response to Antiaccess systems/area denial (A2/AD) deployed by powers such as China and Russiaaccording to Army Collection. These A2/AD systems include strategies and technologies that include ballistic and cruise missile create highly defended areas in which it is very difficult to penetrate. By improving both the scope and precision of its artillery, the army seeks to increase its dominance on the battlefield without having to depend on aerial media.
The rivals of the Scorpio-XR
Scorpio-XR has several direct rivals. RTX (previously Raytheon) has the Excalibur sa GPS guided ammunition that in some versions incorporates semi -active laser guidance, but which does not have as much reach as the Bae Systems projectile: 40 km When shooting from a m777 or towed how 50 If it is from a self -propelled howguard like the M109A7.
Northrop Grumman Work on the program Erca (Extended -reach cannon artillery), which seeks to improve the scope of artillery systems with ammunition such as XM1113that exceeds 70 km of reach.
Lockheed Martin It is developing actively guided ammissions with missile technologies, although this is a more expensive and more complex solution to integrate than the previous ones.