# Artillery Systems - EMD — Program Element 0604854A

**Program element:** 0604854A  
**Component:** U.S. Army  
**Appropriation:** 2040 — RDT&E, Army  
**Budget Activity:** 5 — System Development & Demonstration  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604854A

## Summary

U.S. Army funding ramps 824% to a $709.2M request in FY2027 — the program's peak, before stepping down 84% across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House cut 8.1% (to $651.7M); the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators cut 16% (to $593.8M).

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 40.9 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 76.8 |
| FY2027 | Request | 709.2 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 161.9 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 82.6 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 110.5 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 111.7 |

> Estimate types are not summed — the profile mixes actuals, enacted law, the request, and outyear projections.

## Congressional marks (FY2027)

| Stage | Marked ($M) | Change ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| Request | 709.2 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 651.7 | −57.5 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 709.2 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 593.8 | −115.4 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (4)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DP3 | Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC) | — | — | 696.6 | new start |
| 516 | Paladin/FAASV | 40.9 | 16.5 | 12.6 | −24% |
| DH7 | Next Generation Howitzer | — | 51.3 | — | −100% |
| HB6 | Mobile 155MM Howitzer | — | 9.0 | — | −100% |

> Projects are the summable leaves: the program element total is their sum, never added to it.

### Project DP3 — Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC)

The mission of the Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC) program is to acquire an improved, mature, and available self-propelled artillery system and associated Resupply Vehicle (RSV) to replace legacy artillery systems. These systems will enable artillery formations to shape the deep fight and dominate the close fight during Multi-Domain Operations. Collectively, the MTC and RSV will provide a decisive advantage by delivering massed lethal effects at extended ranges with increased rates of fire, enhanced mobility, reduced mission cycle and resupply times, and provide a high level of survivability on the modern battlefield. To respond to current and emerging threats, these systems will have margin for growth and be able to integrate current and future technologies, such as, but not limited to counter-small unmanned arial system capabilities, armament and mobility enhancements, human-machine and human-factors modifications, partial-to-fully automated ammunition handling, and partial-to-full autonomy for the MTC and RSV.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Program Management | — | — | 15.3 |
| Product Development | — | — | 646.4 |
| Test and Evaluation | — | — | 34.9 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

### Project 516 — Paladin/FAASV

Project 516 is to modernize the field artillery to address obsolescence, improve performance and address emerging threats. The Self-Propelled Howitzer is an indirect fire weapon system with the ability of delivering accurate, long range, lethal and non-lethal cannon fires in support of both Combined Arms Maneuver (CAM) and Wide Area Security (WAS) operations. The Self-Propelled Howitzer and Ammunition Resupply Vehicle can be employed within any Brigade Combat Team formation to neutralize, suppress, or destroy enemy forces, while providing protected transport of a field artillery howitzer section on the modern battlefield. This effort will include system usage and optimization studies, simulations, development engineering, Line Replacement Unit (LRU) prototype development and procurement and validation for incremental upgrades of field artillery.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Program Management | 1.5 | — | 1.1 |
| Product Development | 39.5 | 12.5 | 11.4 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

### Project DH7 — Next Generation Howitzer

This project supports howitzer efforts required to achieve highly mobile, survivable, versatile, transportable, long range, lethal fires in support of the Army's Field Artillery modernization objectives. These critical development efforts provide an enhanced capability reducing emplacement and displacement times, increasing crew survivability and protection, providing greater mobility, and affords improved fire support capability for Field Artillery formations well beyond the capability of the current howitzer systems.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howitzer Modernization | — | 51.3 | — |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

### Project HB6 — Mobile 155MM Howitzer

Project HB6 supports the mobile howitzer program. The Mobile Howitzer is a Self-Propelled, Wheeled Howitzer that provides lethal, proactive counter-fire essential for the survivability of the maneuver formations and other close support fires as required. The Mobile Howitzer improves the Field Artillery Battalion's ability to maintain pace with its supporting maneuver formations and survive against responsive, counter-fire from near-peer threats with rapid displacement and emplacement times. The mobile howitzer will improve tactical mobility and system survivability compared to existing towed howitzer systems. Development efforts, prototyping, system evaluations, and technology evaluations will focus on attributes such as improved emplacement and displacement times, driving speed, and crew protection capabilities, all without sacrificing lethality versus existing and future towed howitzer systems. Technology evaluations will leverage both 105mm and 155mm howitzers to understand benefits and limitations of potential enabling technologies.

## Where the FY2027 request goes

| Category | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Other / unspecified | 100% | 709.2 |

> R-3 exhibit contract funding, not USAspending obligations.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

This program element encompasses engineering and manufacturing development for artillery weapons systems. Project 516 is to modernize the field artillery to address obsolesce, improve performance and address emerging threats. The Self-Propelled Howitzer is an indirect fire weapon system with the ability of delivering accurate, long range, lethal and non-lethal cannon fires in support of both Combined Arms Maneuver (CAM) and Wide Area Security (WAS) operations.

The MTC program will enter a Middle Tier Acquisition - Rapid Prototyping (MTA-RP) acquisition pathway using mature and available, self-propelled artillery system to characterize and refine MTC requirements. Integration and development activities will include U.S. fires network integration, U.S. ammunition and autoloader compatibility assessments, and the development of an RSV. A competitive Other Transaction Authority (OTA) will be used for the MTC effort, with planned follow-on production activities. The RSV effort will use a Commercial Solution Offering (CSO) for developmental and prototyping activities, with a planned production follow-on.

## Related program elements

- [0203743A — 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzer Improvements](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0203743A) (Army)
- [0603639A — Tank and Medium Caliber Ammunition](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603639A) (Army)
- [1203940SF — Space Situation Awareness Operations](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1203940SF) (Space Force)
- [0205219F — MQ-9 UAV](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0205219F) (Air Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0604854A (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0604854A")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*