The United States is looking for contractors to develop a hypersonic anti-aircraft artillery system under the Multi-Domain Artillery Cannon (MDAC) program.

The request was published on July 8 on the US government website.

The US Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technology Office (RCCTO) has announced a tender for the purchase of prototypes of MDAC multi-domain artillery systems designed to shoot down aircraft and missiles.

The agency plans to sign a contract for the production of eight prototypes in the third quarter of fiscal year 2025. The vehicles are to be handed over to the army in the fall of 2027, after which they will undergo field testing.

The MDAC project is expected to enhance the existing anti-aircraft artillery and offer an effective and low-cost alternative to traditional anti-aircraft missile systems.

Multi-Domain Artillery Cannon

According to the published requirements, the MDAC is a 155mm highly mobile airborne self-propelled wheeled artillery system.

Customers expect the future system to have a high level of automation. In addition, it should have a large ammunition capacity and high rate of fire, without specifying distinct parameters.

For effective operation, the combat vehicle will receive external targeting, for which it will be integrated into the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) and the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) network.

Hypersonic interceptor

A hypersonic anti-aircraft munition should be the main advantage of the promising system. The specific type of projectile is not mentioned, but given the requirements to use off-the-shelf technologies, it could be the HVP munition developed by the BAE Systems.

The experimental rocket-assisted sub-caliber projectile has been created since 2013 as part of the railgun development program. However, it was later adapted for 127-mm naval guns and 155-mm land artillery guns.

The HVP in all three calibers has the same conical shape and differs only in the trays. It can be purely kinetic or carry up to 900 grams of explosives.

To achieve ultra-high speeds, it is equipped with a jet engine, which, according to some reports, allows it to reach a hypersonic speed of Mach 5. The maximum range is 80 kilometers.

During a demonstration test in September 2020, the US Army’s M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer hit a BQM-167 Skeeter subscale aerial target with an experimental projectile.

According to published data, the cost of the HVP projectile in 2018 reached 86 thousand dollars. It is at least ten times higher than traditional 155-mm artillery rounds, but at the same time lower than the price of a missile for man-portable air defense systems.