Carter revealed the Pentagon was experimenting with hypervelocity projectiles developed for electromagnetic railguns—currently under development—and adapting them to conventional artillery to shoot down ballistic missiles. The secretary mentioned the Army's 155-millimeter Paladin howitzers as one platform for the artillery projectile, and the Navy's 5-inch guns (or 127-mm) as the other.
The novel project will turn U.S. Army field artillery into ballistic missile defenders. Each U.S. Army Armored Brigade Combat Team has a battalion of 18 Paladin howitzers, meaning the platform is already integrated into the structure of heavier Army brigades. There's no mention of whether or not the lighter M777 towed howitzer used by light infantry, airborne, air assault and Stryker brigades is capable of using the new projectile.
If the projectile technology can work on the smaller Navy gun, it will surely work with another type of 155mm gun even if it isn't self-propelled like the M-109 Paladin.
In the Hammer's Slammers' universe, this was a capability of the big guns.
I'm so old I remember when hitting a missile with a missile was impossible. Now we plan to hit a missile with a shell.
Tip to Instapundit.
