US Army 155mm Cluster Shell Production: The US Army has started searching for companies that can make large numbers of the new XM1208 155mm cluster shell. A market survey posted on November 20 says the Army wants to find contractors that can produce as many as 30,000 XM1208 rounds every year. This search comes as the United States and Europe try to increase their output of artillery shells because of the war in Ukraine. Right now, the US is building about 40,000 howitzer shells each month, but the military still needs more.
The market survey also explains that more than one manufacturer can help make the XM1208. According to Yahoo, the document says, “Sources shall include their minimum sustaining and maximum capacity rates,” which means companies must share how much they can produce at the lowest level and the highest level.
How the XM1208 Works
The XM1208 shell carries nine M99 Advanced Submunitions and can fire from the M109A6/7 Paladin and the M777A2 howitzers. According to a 2025 Joint Program Executive Office Armaments and Ammunition brochure, the shell can travel about 14 miles. The brochure also says, “The ASMs are expelled at a predetermined time in flight using M762/A1 [electronic time] fuze. They are armed while falling, oriented via a ribbon stabilizer, and deliver around 1,200 preformed tungsten fragments approximately 1.5 meters above the target area.”
If one of these submunitions does not explode when it should, it has several backup systems. The shell includes point detonation on impact, pyrotechnic fuses and two electronic fuses. These backup steps matter because older cluster weapons left behind many dud bomblets that later harmed civilians.
The Army wants the XM1208 and similar new shells to fix this long-standing problem. The goal is to create cluster rounds that work well but do not break international rules about unexploded ordnance.
Why the Army Wants New Cluster Shells?
Cluster weapons have existed since World War II. They spread many small bomblets over a wide area, which increases the chance of hitting hard-to-find targets. During the Cold War, the US Army used DPICM shells to stop large groups of enemy vehicles. Some DPICM shells held 72 bomblets, while rockets like the M26 carried up to 644 submunitions.
But these older bomblets often failed to explode. Their dud rate ranged from 2% to 14%. Some Russian cluster weapons have dud rates near 40%. Because of this danger, the US Department of Defense in 2008 said cluster weapons must not have a dud rate above 1%. That rule changed in 2017, but the safety concerns did not go away.
The Army now plans to switch from DPICM to a new family called Cannon-Delivered Area Effects Munition, or C-DAEM. This includes the XM1180 for anti-armor work and the XM1208 for use against soldiers and light vehicles.
After a successful test of the XM1180 in March 2024, the Army said the goals “include delivering enhanced lethality against a broad range of uncertain targets, extending the range and effectiveness against counter-artillery fire, and providing a reliable solution that can operate in GPS-contested environments while mitigating the risk of harm from [unexploded ordnance].”
Even with new technology coming, experts think the Army will keep some older DPICM shells in storage. Mark Cancian from the Center for Strategic and International Studies told Defense News, “The military has consistently stated that DPICM is effective and should be retained in inventory for emergency use.” He added that this view is “unlikely to change because it is a judgment based on testing data and operational experience.”
