The U.S. Army is searching for new manufacturers capable of building barrels for 155mm howitzers as the Pentagon worries that the government’s only current plant cannot satisfy rising artillery demand. The effort puts a hard industrial problem front and center.

Through a Sources Sought notice, the Army asked companies to explain how they could produce as many as 10 barrels each month within three years. The deadline for responses is Nov. 23.

Contractors were directed to provide detailed information about their own manufacturing abilities or the capacity available through subcontractors. The Army is seeking companies that can handle several demanding stages of cannon barrel production.

The requested information includes whether contractors can add “chrome bore coatings on a steel tube up to 30 [feet] long and up to 7,500 pounds in weight,” the notice said. Companies must also identify the maximum tube length and weight they can coat.

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The Army wants additional details about boring, milling and rifling capabilities. Those processes are central areas of the manufacturing capacity being examined through the notice.

Image Credit: DoW

Raw material capabilities are also part of the Army’s inquiry. Contractors were asked to describe their ability to manage “steel preform production, forging, guide bore, and heat treatment.”

The production schedule establishes two major benchmarks for potential suppliers. Companies must estimate how many 155mm barrels they could manufacture within 18 months and whether they could reach 10 barrels per month within 36 months.

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Price is another part of the request. The Army asked companies to provide a cost estimate for an “initial production quantity of 40 cannon tubes (broken down by caliber or indicating pricing for a combined/flexible mix),” according to the notice.

At present, the Army manufactures large caliber barrels for both howitzers and tanks at Watervliet Arsenal in New York. The aging facility is the government’s only plant currently performing that work.

The search comes as the United States and Europe work to expand howitzer ammunition production in response to demand from the Ukraine war. Those efforts are also intended to replenish domestic stockpiles.

Image Credit: DoW

Ammunition output, however, is not the only production concern described in the source material. Manufacturing capacity is also limited for replacing cannon barrels after they become worn through use.

A 2024 Pentagon budget document pointed directly to the strain created by Ukraine’s heavy use of M777 howitzers. According to The War Zone, the document said that use had generated demand for more than 30 M776 tubes each month.

The budget document acknowledged that Watervliet Arsenal could not meet that level of demand. It requested the transfer of emergency funding to make it possible to establish a second barrel manufacturer.

The new Army notice does not specify how many additional manufacturers may ultimately be required. Instead, it seeks information about available industrial capabilities, possible production rates, technical processes and expected costs.

Image Credit: DoW

The Army is also examining whether the M777 should be replaced with a weapon based on Korea’s popular K9 howitzer. The notice itself remains focused on finding manufacturing capacity for 155mm barrels and determining how quickly contractors could begin producing them.

The response from industry could show whether manufacturers or their subcontractors can meet the Army’s technical and scheduling requirements. For now, the service is asking companies to demonstrate what they can build, how soon they can build it and what an initial batch of 40 cannon tubes could cost.

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