The artillery systems the US Army uses today fall into four broad families: mortars carried by infantry, towed and self-propelled howitzers that fire cannon rounds, and rocket and missile launchers that reach deep behind enemy lines. Together they give commanders indirect fire options from a few hundred meters out to more than 400 kilometers, and several next-generation weapons are entering the force alongside the legacy platforms.
Mortars
Mortars are the infantry’s own artillery. They fire at steep angles, so rounds arc over buildings, ridgelines, and tree canopies that would block a flat-trajectory weapon, and small-unit leaders control them directly instead of routing requests up the chain.
The Army fields three calibers, each at a different echelon:1Capability Program Executive Ammunition and Energetics. Mortar Ammo
- 60mm mortars go to infantry squads and platoons for immediate close-in support. The tube is light enough for one soldier to carry.
- 81mm mortars serve at the company and battalion level. Heavier and longer-ranged than the 60mm, they are often the primary indirect fire asset for dismounted infantry battalions.
- 120mm mortars are the heaviest in the inventory, typically vehicle-mounted on platforms like the M1064 (an M113 variant) or the Stryker. Vehicle mounting raises the rate of fire and pushes effective range beyond 7 kilometers.
Mortars were historically area-fire weapons, dropped into a general zone rather than onto a pinpoint. The XM395 precision-guided 120mm round changed that. Developed under the Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative and first fielded in Afghanistan in 2011, it uses GPS guidance to achieve accuracy within roughly 10 meters, comparable to much larger guided artillery rounds.2Capability Program Executive Ammunition and Energetics. XM395 Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative (APMI)
Towed Howitzers
Towed howitzers travel behind a truck or slung under a helicopter and get set up on the ground before firing. The trade-off in convenience buys lighter weight, which lets them go places self-propelled guns cannot, especially by air. The Army fields two: the 155mm M777 and the 105mm M119.
M777 Lightweight Howitzer
The M777 is the Army’s primary towed howitzer and the first ground-combat system built extensively with titanium structures to cut weight. At roughly 9,300 pounds, it is about 41 percent lighter than the M198 it replaced while delivering the same 155mm punch.3ODIN – OE Data Integration Network. M777 British 155mm Towed Howitzer That weight savings is what makes it practical to sling-load under a CH-47 Chinook or roll onto a C-130, giving airborne and expeditionary units organic heavy firepower.
With standard unassisted rounds, the M777 reaches about 24.7 kilometers. Rocket-assisted projectiles push that to 30 kilometers. Firing the GPS-guided M982 Excalibur, the effective range extends to roughly 40 kilometers with a stated accuracy within 10 meters. A digital fire-control system handles navigation and self-location, and the minimum crew is five soldiers, nearly half the nine required by the older M198.3ODIN – OE Data Integration Network. M777 British 155mm Towed Howitzer
M119 Light Howitzer
The 105mm M119 serves with the Army’s light and airborne forces, including units in the 82nd Airborne, 101st Airborne, and 10th Mountain Divisions, along with some National Guard field artillery battalions. It is lighter and faster to set up than the M777, which suits rapid-deployment forces that need to be firing minutes after landing. 105mm shells carry less explosive and travel a shorter distance than 155mm rounds, so the trade is range and lethality for speed and airportability.4The United States Army. Army Fields Its First Light-Weight Howitzer
Self-Propelled Howitzers
A self-propelled howitzer mounts the gun on an armored, tracked chassis so the crew can drive into position, fire, and displace without leaving the vehicle. That cycle, often called “shoot and scoot,” is critical against an enemy with counter-battery radar: staying still after firing invites return fire. The M109 Paladin family has filled this role for decades.
M109A6 and M109A7 Paladin
The M109 is a 155mm howitzer that fires standard projectiles to about 24 kilometers and rocket-assisted rounds to 30 kilometers, and it supports precision munitions like the Excalibur.5ODIN – OE Data Integration Network. M109A6 Paladin American 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH) The armored hull protects the crew from small-arms fire and shell fragments, and an automated fire-control system lets the vehicle halt, fire a mission, and move again in under a minute.
The newer M109A7 shares its chassis and suspension with the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, simplifying the spare-parts supply chain. It can reportedly move and shoot at twice the speed of the A6. Onboard digital systems handle position navigation, fire control, and diagnostics. Armored brigade combat teams are progressively receiving the A7, though the transition is ongoing.
Rocket and Missile Launchers
Where cannon artillery tops out around 40 kilometers with specialty munitions, rocket and missile systems pick up the deeper fight. The Army fields two launchers that share the same family of munitions but differ in size, mobility, and payload.
M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System
The M270 MLRS rides on a stretched Bradley chassis and carries two six-rocket pods for a total of 12 rockets, or two Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles instead.6Redstone Arsenal Historical Information. MLRS It can ripple all 12 rockets in under a minute, saturating a target area. The tracked chassis provides solid off-road performance, pairing it naturally with armored formations on rough terrain.
M142 HIMARS
HIMARS puts the same firepower concept on a lighter, wheeled five-ton truck. It carries one pod of six rockets or a single ATACMS missile. The real advantage is strategic mobility: HIMARS fits inside a C-130, letting it deploy to austere airstrips where heavier systems cannot go.7Lockheed Martin. Wings and Rockets: C-130J and HIMARS Redefine Rapid Strike Capability Its performance in Ukraine starting in 2022 turned it into arguably the most publicly recognized piece of American artillery in a generation.
What They Fire
Both launchers draw from the same menu of rockets and missiles, which is a large logistical convenience. The most commonly used round is the Guided MLRS (GMLRS), a GPS-guided rocket with a range exceeding 70 kilometers. A newer Extended Range variant doubles that to about 150 kilometers.8The United States Army. U.S. Army Completes Launch of Extended Range GMLRS The ATACMS ballistic missile reaches roughly 300 kilometers and is being phased out in favor of the Precision Strike Missile.9The United States Army. Then and Now ATACMS to PrSM: Out With the Old, In With the New
Targeting and Counter-Battery Radar
Artillery is only as useful as the targeting information feeding it. Forward observers use the Joint Effects Targeting System (JETS), a handheld unit that combines a laser rangefinder, a target location module, and a precision azimuth system to generate accurate coordinates day or night, even in GPS-degraded environments. Those coordinates feed into the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS), a software suite that matches targets to the best available weapon, routes the fire mission to the right battery, and deconflicts airspace in seconds.
On the defensive side, the AN/TPQ-53 counter-battery radar detects incoming mortar, artillery, and rocket fire and calculates the point of origin so friendly batteries can shoot back. In its 90-degree sector mode, it tracks rockets out to 60 kilometers and artillery to 34 kilometers. A 360-degree mode sacrifices some range for all-around coverage, detecting threats up to 20 kilometers in every direction.10Executive Services Directorate. AN/TPQ-53 Counterfire Radar IOTE Report This radar-to-gun loop is why shoot-and-scoot tactics matter so much.
What’s Entering the Force
The Army’s artillery modernization centers on extending range, improving precision, and fielding weapons that can threaten targets currently reachable only by aircraft or naval assets.
Precision Strike Missile
The Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is the direct replacement for ATACMS. Where ATACMS carries one missile per pod and reaches around 300 kilometers, PrSM fits two missiles in the same pod and reaches beyond 400 kilometers, effectively doubling the ready ammunition on each launcher while adding range.9The United States Army. Then and Now ATACMS to PrSM: Out With the Old, In With the New Increment 1 completed its Initial Operational Test and Evaluation at White Sands Missile Range in September 2025, putting it on track for full-rate production.11The United States Army. Soldiers Complete Successful Flight Test Series of the U.S. Army’s Precision Strike Missile
Increment 2 adds the ability to engage moving targets and maritime threats. Its first flight test in March 2026 covered 350 kilometers from a HIMARS launcher and met all test objectives.12Lockheed Martin. PrSM Increment 2 Takes Flight and Advances Army’s Moving-Target and Maritime Capability If fielded on schedule, PrSM will let ground-based launchers strike ships at sea, a mission that has historically belonged to aircraft and coastal defense missiles.
Long Range Hypersonic Weapon
At the far end of the range spectrum sits the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon, nicknamed Dark Eagle. This ground-launched missile travels above Mach 5 and is designed to strike strategic targets at distances publicly reported as exceeding 1,700 miles. Each battery fields four transporter-erector-launchers carrying two missiles apiece, and the Army plans to complete its initial fielding of multiple batteries by fiscal year 2027.13DOT&E. Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) – Dark Eagle Dark Eagle is a category of weapon the Army has never possessed: a conventional surface-to-surface system that can hold targets at risk across an entire theater.
Self-Propelled Howitzer Modernization
The Extended Range Cannon Artillery prototype, a 58-caliber gun tube intended to reach well beyond 40 kilometers, was scrapped after testing revealed excessive barrel wear after a relatively low number of rounds. A follow-on study completed in early 2024 concluded the service should pursue a more autonomous system with greater range and improved mobility, drawing from existing industry designs. That replacement effort is now called the Self-Propelled Howitzer Modernization program, and the extended-range munitions developed for ERCA will carry over regardless of which chassis is selected.14Congress.gov. The Army’s Self-Propelled Howitzer Modernization (SPH-M) Program