Crusader is the US Army's next-generation cannon artillery system. It comprises two new, state-of-the-art ground combat vehicles; a self- propelled 155-mm howitzer (SPH) and an automated ammunition resupply vehicle (RSV). Crusader will provide high rates of responsive, long-range and accurate fires, allowing manoeuvre commanders to extend and dominate a battle-space and set a high tempo for land operations. Crusader's capability to fire the first rounds of a mission in 15 to 30 seconds will ensure respon-sive fires at all times. Automated rates of fire will enable Crusader's multiple round simulta-neous impact (MRSI) capability to mass the effects of combat power from a smaller, more lethal and more mobile cannon artillery force.
Crusader's mobility will be comparable to that of the manoeuvre force. State-of-the-art mobility subsystems will include an advanced diesel powertrain, improved track, external hydropneumatic suspension and drive-by-wire con-trol. System survivability will be enhanced by Crusader's outstanding mobility characteristics and additional features such as designed-in signature management, integrated defence sys-tems and a macro NBC system.
| Crusader armourment system test rig mounting a 54-calibre version of the XM297E2 155mm cannon |
With the same self-propelled howitzer and resupply vehicle footprint as Paladin/FAASV, Crusader will be deployable with current air and sealift assets. Also Crusader's enhanced capabilities will provide twice the effectiveness for the same space claim and deliver double the lethality for the same amount of ammunition.
| The Crusader 155mm modular artillery charge system (MACS) is a modular, increment-based propelling charge system consisting of the XM231 and XM232 configurations |
The Crusader system is designed for superior sustainability in peacetime and conflict. The vehicles contain 60-per-cent common compo-nentry and embedded diagnostics/prognostics contribute to the ease in maintenance and repair operations. Ammunition upload, transfer and resupply operations will be fully automated.
Crusader is a fully automated system for transfer, inventory, selection and loading of ammunition, fuse setting, fire control and secondary armour-ment. It will rearm under armour and incorpo-rate decision aids and digital mapping, macro NBC protection and advanced survivability technologies and design. Crusader will have the capability to fire multiple rounds to achieve MRSI of at least four rounds in a range band from five to 30km.
United Defense, Armament Systems Division, Minneapolis, Minnesota is the prime contractor and system integrator for Crusader and General Dynamics Land Systems is a principal teammate, responsible for mobility subsystem integration. Subcontractors include Varity/Perkins, Lockheed Martin, EDS, Vector Research Inc, Dynamics Research Corporation, Simpex, Teledyne-Brown and Upper Mohawk.
Fielding the Crusader is a top priority for the US Army. The programme is in the second year of its demonstration/validation phase and it is funded throughout the army's planning cycle. The first prototypes will be delivered in 1999 and the first unit will be fielded in 2005. Crusader low-rate production will begin in 2003 and full-rate production is scheduled for 2005. The army plans to purchase 824 of each vehicle.
| The Crusader advanced solid propellant 155mm armourment system consists of the XM297E2 cannon, a laser ignition system and the XM200 gun mount. This armourment will provide Crusader with the capability to deliver projectiles accurately from 5km to more than 40km at rates of fire up to 10 rounds per minute |
The Crusader main armourment is an advanced solid propellant armourment system currently under development as the XM297E2 cannon. This armourment will provide the capability to deliver projectiles accurately from five to 40km at rates of fire up to 10 rounds per minute. The system features a number of innovations to enhance system firepower: the multi-lug, slide-block breech assembly is light, compact and pro-vides fast, automated actuation to support high rates of fire; the laser ignition system is integrated for compatibility with breech automation to support crew safely when firing at high rates for long durations; and the gun mount utilises a Schneider-type recoil mechanism that consists of two modular recoil cylinders with a built-in internal re-plenisher and recoil buffer and two modular recuperator cylinders.
| Exploded view Crusader 155mm armoured resupply vehicle |
The cannon tube is integral midwall cooled (IMC) and employs external cooling jackets to reduce thermal signature and maintain tube temperatures in a range that is safe for firing. The cannon chamber and tube are chrome-plated to minimise wear and erosion and an integral perforated pepper-pot muzzle brake is incor-porated to reduce firing impulse while minimising muzzle end weight.
The Crusader CV12 1500 engine design is derived from a family of Varity/Perkins V8, V12 and V16 engines using a universal two-litre cylinder with common vertical components. It incorporates advanced diesel engine technology such as the harmony fuel injection system (elec-tro/hydraulic uni-injectors), composite materials and turbomachinery. The Crusader CV12 1500 engine is capable of producing up to 2,000 horsepower and, when matched with the Lock-heed Martin HMPT 1250-EC transmission, will enable superior performance and fuel economy for the two-vehicle system.
| The Crusader 155mm self-propelled howitzer will feature fully automated ammunition handling and firing, providing the capability to fire multiple rounds to achieve simultaneous impact on target |
The HMPT 1250-EC transmission is a high-power density and low-profile configuration that will provide Crusader with the manoeuvrability and agility to meet a wide range of field artillery requirements including rapid acceleration of the shoot-and-scoot mission and precision low-speed docking for resupply. The advanced electronic controller in the HMPT 1250-EC allows precise automatic scheduling of engine speed and transmission ratio for optimal fuel economy. With the lowest weight and volume in its class, the HMPT 1250-EC design facilitates faster vehicle acceleration, improved mobility, better steerability and easier maintenance.
| The Crusader 155mm armoured resupply vehicle will be equipped with a fully automated ammunition handling subsystem |
Crusader will use the US Army's modular artillery charge systems (MACS) solid propellant currently under development. MACS is a modular, incre-ment-based propelling charge system consisting of XM231 and XM232 charges. MACS replaces all current 155-mm bag charges and is com-patible with all 155-mm cannon designs. MACS eliminates the need to dispose of unused pro-pelling charges and contains no lead compounds.
Crusader will take advantage of the pending fielding of the multi-option fuse for artillery (MOFA). The fuse is compatible with all current 105mm and 155mm cannon artillery systems. It integrates four function settings for bursting projectiles: proximity, time, point detonating and delay. MOFA has manual and inductive (man-out-of-loop) setting capability for high rates of fire. Advanced MOFA technologies include monolithic microwave-integrated circuit (MMIC) chip, patch antenna, harmonic signal processing and liquid reserve batteries. MOFA also supports pre-fusing of projectiles.
| The Crusader armoured resupply vehicle will automatically transfer under armour up to 60 rounds of ammunition, propellant, fuel, lubricants and water to the self-propelled howitzer in just 12 minutes |
| Exploded view Crusader 155mm self-propelled howitzer |
This automated system will increase the perfor-mance of a combat force by more than half. The resultant decrease in friendly casualties and length of combat will show that the contribu-tions of such a system are unprecedented and fit in an environment where direct fire engagements grow more lethal. Crusader will reshape the way modern forces fight.
| Crusader Capabilities | |
| Rate of Fire: | 10 rounds/minute |
| Range: | 40+ kilometres |
| Rearm (60 rounds): | 12 minutes |
| Payload: | SPH; 60 rounds |
| RSV; 130 rounds | |
| Cross-country speed: | 48km/hour |
| Highway speed: | 67km/hour |
| Dash speed: | 750 metres/90 seconds |
