The Proof Gun System (PGS), designed to accelerate artillery testing, has been installed for the first time at the U.S. Army’s Yuma Test Center (YTC).
According to a report by Defence Blog, the Proof Gun System was developed by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center and acquired by YTC to support production testing of 155 mm artillery ammunition.
The Proof Gun System is a dedicated artillery test platform that can swap gun tubes in and out without ever requiring a full howitzer on the firing range.
Its deployment comes as the Army works to increase overall production capacity for 155 mm rounds.
“The idea was to build a system that allowed them to put in multiple different tubes. There are no electronics, it is hydraulic or mechanical. It was specifically designed to sit in the desert. They expect a 30- to 50-year life expectancy,” said Quentin Sorenson, the test officer from the Munitions and Weapons Division who oversaw the installation.
Designed to last half a century and operate without electronics under the extreme heat of the Yuma desert, the test platform was built to ensure reliability over decades of production evaluations. The second PGS is scheduled to arrive at YTC in May.
“[The system] minimizes setup costs and minimizes the mechanical effort of keeping the entire system running when all we really need is the tube,” Sorenson added.
Photo: U.S. Army. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
