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XM2001 Crusader
 
 
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The XM2001 Crusader was to be the United States Army
United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
's next-generation self-propelled
Self-propelled artillery

File:M109A6 Paladin UTARNG 2004 firing.jpgFile:PzH2000 houwitser.pngFile:2s19 armyrecognition russia 012.jpgSelf-propelled artillery vehicles are a way of giving mobility to artillery....
 howitzer
Howitzer

A howitzer is a type of artillery piece that is characterized by a relatively short Barrel and the use of comparatively small explosive charges to propel projectiles at trajectories with a steep angle of descent....
 (SPH), designed to improve survivability, lethality, mobility, and effectiveness and planned to be introduced by 2008. United Defense
United Defense

United Defense Industries was a United States defense contractor which is now part of BAE Systems Land and Armaments. This company produces combat vehicles, artillery, naval guns, Transporter erector launcher and munition....
 was the prime contractor; General Dynamics
General Dynamics

General Dynamics Corporation is a defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world....
 the major subcontractor. In early May 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld

Donald Henry Rumsfeld is a United States businessman, politician, the 13th United States Secretary of Defense under President of the United States Gerald Ford from 1975 to 1977, and the 21st United States Secretary of Defense under President George W....
 cancelled
List of cancelled military projects

This is a list of cancelled military projects....
 the $11 billion USD program because he considered it neither mobile nor precise enough. The prototype is on display at the cannon park at Fort Sill
Fort Sill

Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars....
, Oklahoma.

Crusader was intended to replace the M109A6 Paladin
M109 howitzer

The M109 is an United States-made Self-propelled artillery 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It has been continually upgraded and improved to today's current version, the M109A6 Paladin, currently only used by the United States Army....
 Self-Propelled Howitzer and the M992A2 Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicle
M109 howitzer

The M109 is an United States-made Self-propelled artillery 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It has been continually upgraded and improved to today's current version, the M109A6 Paladin, currently only used by the United States Army....
 (FAASV).






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The XM2001 Crusader was to be the United States Army
United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
's next-generation self-propelled
Self-propelled artillery

File:M109A6 Paladin UTARNG 2004 firing.jpgFile:PzH2000 houwitser.pngFile:2s19 armyrecognition russia 012.jpgSelf-propelled artillery vehicles are a way of giving mobility to artillery....
 howitzer
Howitzer

A howitzer is a type of artillery piece that is characterized by a relatively short Barrel and the use of comparatively small explosive charges to propel projectiles at trajectories with a steep angle of descent....
 (SPH), designed to improve survivability, lethality, mobility, and effectiveness and planned to be introduced by 2008. United Defense
United Defense

United Defense Industries was a United States defense contractor which is now part of BAE Systems Land and Armaments. This company produces combat vehicles, artillery, naval guns, Transporter erector launcher and munition....
 was the prime contractor; General Dynamics
General Dynamics

General Dynamics Corporation is a defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world....
 the major subcontractor. In early May 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld

Donald Henry Rumsfeld is a United States businessman, politician, the 13th United States Secretary of Defense under President of the United States Gerald Ford from 1975 to 1977, and the 21st United States Secretary of Defense under President George W....
 cancelled
List of cancelled military projects

This is a list of cancelled military projects....
 the $11 billion USD program because he considered it neither mobile nor precise enough. The prototype is on display at the cannon park at Fort Sill
Fort Sill

Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars....
, Oklahoma.

Background

The Crusader was intended to replace the M109A6 Paladin
M109 howitzer

The M109 is an United States-made Self-propelled artillery 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It has been continually upgraded and improved to today's current version, the M109A6 Paladin, currently only used by the United States Army....
 Self-Propelled Howitzer and the M992A2 Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicle
M109 howitzer

The M109 is an United States-made Self-propelled artillery 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It has been continually upgraded and improved to today's current version, the M109A6 Paladin, currently only used by the United States Army....
 (FAASV). It was intended to be an automated gun (as opposed to missile) artillery system to support the Interim Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT) Counterattack Corps and a basis for other vehicle developments.

Key features of the Crusader design included:

  • Two Crusaders would fit in a C-17 Globemaster.
  • A cooled XM297E2 howitzer for sustained high rates of fire
  • Automated ammunition handling and loading
  • State-of-the-art cockpit with embedded command and control
  • Composite armor
  • Survivability features to protect the vehicle and crew
  • LV100-5 gas turbine
    Gas turbine

    A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a flow of combustion gas. It has an upstream compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
     engine (common with the Abrams tank) to keep up with other fighting vehicles


Using the same chassis, the resupply vehicles (RSVs) would deliver automatic, reciprocal transfer of ammunition, data and fuel to the SPH or another RSV.

Program Timeline

  • 1QFY95 Approved to commence program definition and risk reduction (PDRR) phase.
  • 2QFY98 In-process review completed and manufacture of the PDRR prototype systems begun.
  • 3QFY99 Delivery of first RSV prototype.
  • 2QFY00 Delivery of first prototype howitzer SPH 1.
  • 1QFY02 Successful preliminary design review.
  • 1QFY02 More than 4000 rounds fired from SPH 1.
  • 2QFY02 Program discontinued.


General Characteristics


SPH RSV-T RSV-W
Curb Weight 40 tons 36 tons 33.3 tons
Length 7.53 m 7.53 m 11.03 m
Width 3.31 m 3.31 m 2.44 m
Height 3.00 m 3.00 m 3.59 m
Cross-Country Mobility 39-48 km/h 39-48 km/h 64 km/h
Armament Cooled 155 mm none none
Max Range 40-50 km (assisted)
Rate of Fire/Resupply 10-12 rounds/min 48 rounds in 10 min 48 rounds in 10 min
Crew 3 3 3


  • Prime Contractors: United Defense
    United Defense

    United Defense Industries was a United States defense contractor which is now part of BAE Systems Land and Armaments. This company produces combat vehicles, artillery, naval guns, Transporter erector launcher and munition....
    , L.P. (Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Minneapolis, Minnesota

    Minneapolis is the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Hennepin County, Minnesota. The city lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Saint Paul, Minnesota, the state's Capital ....
    )
  • Foreign Counterpart: PzH 2000
    PzH 2000

    The Panzerhaubitze 2000 , abbreviated PzH 2000, is a Germany 155mm Self-propelled artillery developed by Krauss-Maffei and Rheinmetall for the German Army....
    , K9, AS90
  • Foreign Military Sales: None planned


Eventual Fate


The Crusader program was cancelled, partly due to the $25 million per copy cost (compared to the German PzH 2000
PzH 2000

The Panzerhaubitze 2000 , abbreviated PzH 2000, is a Germany 155mm Self-propelled artillery developed by Krauss-Maffei and Rheinmetall for the German Army....
 cost of $4.5 million.) The Pentagon preferred the Crusader design, largely due to its lighter weight. It also had a speed of around 40 mph compared to the PzH 2000 speed of around 37 mph. However, the Pentagon refused German suggestions of producing a PzH that would have detachable armor, which could be shipped separately, or substituting titanium for steel in many parts. The PzH 2000 also required a crew of two more men, considered a disadvantage, but which could also be an advantage. That is, if the crew is cross-trained, and a driver is killed, he could be substituted by another crewman, and vice versa.

Another consideration was that the existing Paladin
M109 howitzer

The M109 is an United States-made Self-propelled artillery 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It has been continually upgraded and improved to today's current version, the M109A6 Paladin, currently only used by the United States Army....
 already had advanced characteristics, making it still a very effective weapon.

The British have adopted a new vehicle, the AS-90
AS-90

The AS-90 is a lightly-armoured self-propelled artillery used by the British Army. It was first delivered in 1993.The AS90 is used by five regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Artillery: 1 RHA, 3 RHA, 4 Regt RA, 19 Regt RA and 26 Regt RA, replacing the 105 mm FV433 Abbot SPG, the M109 howitzer 155 mm SPG or the FH-70 155 mm tow...
 costing around $8 million. The AS-90 weighs around 45 tons and has a speed of around 50km/h (roughly 31 mph).

External links

  • - All Things Considered
    All Things Considered

    All Things Considered is a news radio program in the United States, broadcast on the National Public Radio network. It was the first news program on the network, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets....
    , May 8, 2002 - Although the Pentagon
    The Pentagon

    The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia, Virginia. As a symbol of the Military of the United States, "the Pentagon" is often used Metonymy to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself....
     has finally announced the death of the Crusader artillery system, NPR
    National Public Radio

    National Public Radio is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national Radio syndication to 797 public radio List of NPR stations in the United States....
     Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr
    Daniel Schorr

    Daniel Louis Schorr is an American journalist who has covered the world for more than 60 years. He is now a Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio ....
     says that the underlying controversy points to a serious failing in the ideal of "unified" civilian control of the military. (RealAudio
    RealAudio

    RealAudio is a Proprietary format audio format developed by RealNetworks. It uses a variety of audio codecs, ranging from low-bitrate formats that can be used over dialup modems, to high-fidelity formats for music....
    )