Diehl Defence, Leonardo and General Dynamics celebrate extended range artillery projectile award with VULCANO 155mm GLR

On the occasion of Eurosatory 2026 in Paris, Diehl Defence, Leonardo and General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) celebrate the Extended Range Artillery Projectile (ERAP) contract which was won by General Dynamics this year. The guided ammunition VULCANO 155mm Guided Long Range (GLR) was selected by the U.S. Army organization PM CAS (Project Manager Combat Ammunition Systems) for the U.S. Army.

The ERAP initiative represents an important step in advancing long-range precision fire capabilities and underlines the growing demand for highly accurate artillery solutions capable of operating in increasingly complex operational environments. The selected solution builds up on the qualified and combat-proven VULCANO 155 Guided Long Range ammunition family, which has successfully demonstrated its capabilities through the last years of deployment.

VULCANO is a guided artillery ammunition developed by Diehl Defence together with its industrial partner Leonardo owner of the design authority. The ammunition enables international armed forces to engage stationary single as well as moving targets at long distances with pin-point accuracy. The combination of satellite-based navigation with laser- or infrared-sensor terminal guidance, makes VULCANO one of the most accurate artillery ammunitions worldwide.

As a key development and production partner within the VULCANO program, Diehl Defence has contributed extensive expertise in advanced ammunition technologies including terminal seeker and industrial manufacturing, while Leonardo, as the design authority for Vulcano ammunition, has developed key and unrivalled features related to precision guidance, fuze and warhead technologies and system integration, ensuring high accuracy, operational reliability and robust performance across a wide range of mission scenarios. The ERAP milestone therefore highlights not only the technological excellence of both companies but also the value of transatlantic industrial cooperation.

Gunnar Pappert, Executive Vice President of Diehl Defence stated: “Diehl Defence is proud to support this important program together with our partners General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems and Leonardo. The selection of a VULCANO-based solution demonstrates the maturity and performance of a system that has already proven its capabilities with several allied nations.”

“This achievement confirms VULCANO’s position as one of the reference systems in the field of guided artillery, further consolidating its leading role in the evolution of long-range precision fire capabilities” said Luca Perazzo, Deputy Managing Director Defense Systems Business at Leonardo.

photo courtesy Leonardo