Army Armored Systems: Meeting Crusader Requirements Will Be A Technical Challenge.

The Army is developing its next generation field artillery system, called the Crusader, to support its fast moving maneuver forces. The Crusader system consists of a self propelled 155-millimeter howitzer and a resupply vehicle. We reviewed selected aspects of the Crusader program to determine 1 what the status of the program was and 2 whether there are any alternative howitzer systems that could meet the Crusader requirements. The Crusader was to be developed with an advanced technology, liquid propellant cannon however, in March 1996, the Army decided to develop the system with an advanced technology solid propellant cannon because of escalating developmental costs and chronic technical problems associated with the liquid propellant cannon. The Army plans to replace its current self propelled artillery system-the M109A6 Paladin and the M992 Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicle FAASV-with the Crusader system in the rapidly deployable and forward deployed forces. The Army estimates it will cost over 12 billion in fiscal year 1995 constant dollars to design and procure 824 Crusader howitzers and 824 Crusader resupply vehicles. The Crusader system unit cost is estimated to be 14.7 million in fiscal year 1995 constant dollars-7.5 million for the howitzer, 5.8 million for the resupply vehicle, and 1.4 million that the Army could not divide between the two vehicles. The system is being designed under its program definition and risk reduction phase, with the first prototype scheduled for delivery in October 1999.