Key Points
- The U.S. Army is in search of home producers able to producing the XM1208 155mm superior submunitions projectile to interchange DPICM shares.
- The XM1208 is designed for space‑impact missions utilizing time‑fuzed submunitions fired from M109 and M777 howitzers.
The United States Army is in search of potential U.S.-based producers for a next-generation 155mm artillery projectile designed to interchange ageing stockpiles of Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM).
A sources sought discover, launched by the Army Contracting Command-New Jersey on December 5, outlines the service’s effort to establish certified producers for the XM1208 Advanced Submunitions projectile.
According to the Army’s market survey, the XM1208 “will present U.S. floor forces with a functionality to successfully interact imprecisely positioned enemies inside an space, emphasizing personnel and lightweight materiel missions.” The program is aimed toward delivering a cluster-munition policy-compliant substitute that may “broaden the goal set, improve lethality, and prolong the attain of the present cannon platforms past the present DPICM functionality.”
– ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW –
The XM1208 is a 155mm, 39-caliber-compatible space results projectile loaded with submunitions. It might be fired from normal M109A6/A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzers and M777A2 towed howitzers utilizing the M762A1 digital time fuze. The submunitions are dispersed mid-flight at a preset time.
The Army mentioned that main subcomponents of the spherical embody the projectile physique, base, steel cup, adapters, piston plate, sliders, housing, thermal battery, and tungsten cubes. The XM1208 projectile is predicated on a contractor-owned Technical Data Package (TDP), which is not going to be launched publicly. However, the Army said, “If extra technical knowledge is required, a degree of contact might be supplied upon request.” Interested companies are nonetheless required to answer the survey even when requesting additional technical info.
Companies responding to the request should display their capability to satisfy a manufacturing purpose of 30,000 XM1208 projectiles per 12 months. The Army famous that this determine “could also be achieved with a number of sources” and requested respondents to establish each their minimal sustaining charge and their most annual manufacturing capability.
As said within the discover, “This market survey is for informational and planning functions solely and shall not be construed as a Request for Proposal or as an obligation on the a part of the Government.” All responses have to be submitted electronically by 0900 EST on December 22, 2025. The Army emphasised that phone inquiries is not going to be accepted and that questions have to be submitted in writing.
The request is a part of a broader shift to modernize the U.S. army’s artillery capabilities whereas adhering to up to date coverage requirements on submunition use. The XM1208 is not going to solely exchange outdated cluster rounds but additionally broaden operational flexibility for area artillery models by concentrating on a wider array of threats throughout dispersed areas.
