GALLERY: A year in review for the US Army

The Army’s Extended Range Cannon Artillery system under development hit a target 43 miles away on the nose at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, on Dec. 19. The ERCA used an Excalibur extended-range guided artillery shell, according to Brig. Gen. John Rafferty, who is overseeing the service’s Long-Range Precision Fires modernization effort. The system takes an M109A7 Paladin Integrated Management howitzer chassis and replaces the 39-caliber gun tube with a 58-caliber, 30-foot one. Combined with Raytheon-made Excalibur munitions and an XM1113 using supercharged propellant, the Army has been able to dramatically boost artillery ranges. (Ana Henderson/Army)