This post is also available in:
עברית (Hebrew)
Precision artillery has become increasingly dependent on satellite navigation, creating an obvious vulnerability on battlefields saturated with electronic warfare. If an adversary jams or degrades GPS signals, guided shells can lose part of the positioning information they rely on to reach their intended targets accurately.
A new version of the Precision Guidance Kit (PGK) is designed to make existing 155mm artillery more resilient to that problem. Northrop Grumman is beginning production of the PGK E5, which adds anti-jamming technology while remaining compatible with artillery ammunition and howitzers already in service.
Rather than replacing the entire projectile, it is installed on the front of a compatible 155mm high-explosive shell. The kit effectively upgrades conventional ammunition with GPS-based guidance, correcting the projectile’s flight so it lands closer to the intended coordinates than an unguided round.
According to Interesting Engineering, the new version adds protection intended to preserve that guidance when hostile electronic-warfare systems interfere with GPS reception.
According to the company, testing under GPS-degraded conditions showed it exceeding both the Army’s threshold and objective accuracy requirements. Detailed accuracy figures were not disclosed.
One important aspect of the upgrade is what does not change. It retains the existing kit’s fit and form factor, meaning it can be integrated with fielded 155mm projectiles and artillery systems without requiring a new gun or extensive modifications.
The company also says the user experience remains largely unchanged, reducing the need for significant additional training. For military forces with large inventories of existing artillery ammunition and howitzers, that provides a relatively direct way to introduce improved electronic-warfare resilience without replacing the wider weapon system.
Maintaining precision under jamming can have consequences beyond simply hitting the target. More accurate fire can reduce the number of rounds required for an engagement, limiting ammunition consumption and potentially reducing unintended damage.
It can also affect artillery survivability. Every additional round fired can extend the time a battery remains active in one position, increasing the opportunity for enemy sensors to locate it and conduct counter-battery fire. Achieving the required effect with fewer shots can therefore help crews relocate sooner.
It builds on the fielded M1156 Precision Guidance Kit and is intended for both U.S. and allied forces.
The development reflects a wider change in precision weapons. Accuracy alone is no longer sufficient if the guidance system works only when GPS is available. As navigation jamming becomes routine in contested environments, the next generation of upgrades must keep existing weapons useful when the satellite signal they normally depend on starts disappearing.
