BAE Systems Fires 2,000th Round from NLOS Cannon Demonstrator

BAE Systems, MINNEAPOLIS: BAE Systems has fired the 2,000th round from the Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon Concept Technology Demonstrator (NLOS-C CTD) at Yuma Proving Ground near Yuma, Ariz. 
 
The milestone marks the transition from test-firing the NLOS-C CTD to testing and integrating new hardware for the objective NLOS-C Increment 0 prototypes. The prototypes will be delivered for testing to the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems Evaluation Brigade Combat Team in 2008. 
 
The NLOS-C is an integral part of the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) Program and one of eight Manned Ground Vehicles being developed for FCS. The first stage in NLOS-C development, the NLOS-C CTD is a fully automated, 24-ton, 155-mm self-propelled howitzer test platform, designed and built by BAE Systems. 
 
The CTD achieved numerous milestones to confirm the expectation that, with further optimization, artillery platforms in the 20-ton weight class can be designed and built in the future. The NLOS-C CTD also has laid the foundation for ensuring the NLOS-C Increment 0 prototypes are delivered to soldiers as quickly as possible. 
 
“NLOS-C will significantly enhance the indirect fire support capabilities of our soldiers, allowing two of them to do what it currently takes five to achieve,” said Jim Unterseher, director of Army Programs at BAE Systems. “We are already testing hardware on the first Increment 0 prototypes, in great part due to the lessons we learned and the milestones we achieved by firing these 2,000 rounds through the NLOS-C CTD.”  
 
BAE Systems is the premier transatlantic defense and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With more than 100,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded $28 billion in 2005.