In the United States of America, a new self-propelled artillery installation was tested - the 155-mm XM1203 None-Line of Sight Cannon (NLOS-C) howitzer. In a literal sense, this can be translated as "a cannon firing out of line of sight," that is, from closed positions.
The self-propelled gun was developed within the framework of the new US Defense Ministry's "Combat Systems of the Future" program. Although skeptics claim that in the age of guided and high-precision weapons, self-propelled howitzers are a relic of the past. However, there is also a lot of evidence in favor of artillery systems. For example, shells after being fired are not susceptible to electronic interference, it is much more difficult to intercept them by air defense means than a missile. Self-propelled artillery has a significantly higher rate of fire (with the exception of multiple launch rocket systems) and a large ammunition load on board. It is worth noting that artillery ammunition is much cheaper than missiles.
The first NLOS-C fire tests were carried out in October 2006, and the first prototype self-propelled gun with a closed turret rolled off the assembly line at BAE Systems in Minneapolis in May 2008. And already in July it was shown in Washington directly in front of the White House on Capitol Hill.
The developers decided that the self-propelled gun's maneuverability is better protection than powerful armor. Therefore, the aluminum armor protects the crew only from shrapnel. The self-propelled gun has a mass of about 20 tons and is easily transported by army transport aircraft. NLOS-C is equipped with an electromechanical power unit: the engine charges the batteries that drive the electric motors, rollers, rotating. The caliber of the gun is 155 mm, the firing range is 30 km. NLOS-C is automatically charged, equipped with an effective cooling system, which, according to the developers, allows you to fire the entire ammunition load - 24 rounds in less than 4 minutes. The projectile is actually monitored by the radar along the entire trajectory, and the on-board computer, working through the data obtained, corrects the next shots. The self-propelled gun is equipped with an automatic loader, so the number of the crew is reduced to two people: the driver and the gunner-commander.
It was planned that by 2012 the US Army would receive about 20 samples of the howitzer for testing, and serial deliveries would begin in 2014. However, in 2009, the "Combat Systems of the Future" program was frozen, and the question of the future fate of the self-propelled gun remains open.
