The United States possesses one of the world’s most advanced military forces on earth. Among its assets are a number of artillery systems, including mortars carried by soldiers and massive shells fired by tracked and armored vehicles. The maximum effective range of these weapons spans from 2 miles to the distance between New York and Boston, or Dallas and Houston.
To determine the longest range artillery weapons used by the U.S. military, 24/7 Wall St. referenced GlobalSecurity.org’s online database of weapons systems. GlobalSecurity.org is a source of information in the fields of defense, space, intelligence, WMD, and homeland security. We focused on mobile and towed artillery used in the battlefield. This list, which includes all ground artillery weapons in use by the U.S. military, is ranked by their range, from shortest to longest range. All other information came from GlobalSecurity.org or, when unavailable, from third party military sites.
One standout among the U.S. military’s modern artillery assets is the M777, a highly mobile 155mm howitzer. The weapon was used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it boasts an operational reach of close to 25 miles. The M777 is used in situations requiring swift deployment and establishment of firing positions. (These are the prototype guns rejected by the US military.)
The M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System is another piece of American artillery used extensively in modern conflicts. This system, capable of launching a spectrum of missile types, can strike at distances of up to 185 miles. It has been used in recent US operations in the Middle East, and is used to hit enemy positions from vast distances. (These are all the sniper rifles used by the U.S. Military.)
Some allies of Ukraine during the Russian invasion have sent the besieged nation MLRS systems. Notably, the U.S. supplied Ukraine with multiple M124 HIMARs rocket systems, another major system on this list.
Click here to see the US military’s longest-range artillery.
24. M224 60-mm
> Max range 3.5 kilometers
> Fastest rate of fire: 30 rounds per minute for 4 minutes
> Sustained rate of fire: 20 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 3
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23. M29 81-mm
> Max range 4.79 kilometers
> Fastest rate of fire: 25 rounds per minute for 2 minutes
> Sustained rate of fire: 8 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 5
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22. M252 81-mm
> Max range 5.8 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 30 rounds per minute for 2 minutes
> Sustained rate of fire: 15 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 5
21. LAV-M
> Max range 5.8 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 30 rounds per minute for 2 minutes
> Sustained rate of fire: 15 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 5
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20. M30 107-mm
> Max range 7.2 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 18 rounds per minute for 1 minute
> Sustained rate of fire: 3 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 5
19. M125
> Max range 7.2 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 16 rounds per minute for 1 minute
> Sustained rate of fire: 4 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 6
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18. M1064
> Max range 7.2 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 16 rounds per minute for 1 minute
> Sustained rate of fire: 4 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 6
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17. M120 120-mm
> Max range 7.2 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 16 rounds per minute for 1 minute
> Sustained rate of fire: 4 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 5
16. EFSS
> Max range 7.2 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 16 rounds per minute for 1 minute
> Sustained rate of fire: 4 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 5
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15. LAV-EFSS
> Max range 7.2 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 16 rounds per minute for 1 minute
> Sustained rate of fire: 4 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 5
14. EFOGM
> Max range 15 kilometers
> Fastest rate of fire: 9 minute reload (8-24 rockets)
> Sustained rate of fire: Not applicable
> Crew size: 2
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13. Hawkeye MWS
> Max range 19.5 kilometers
> Fastest rate of fire: 8 rounds per minute for 3 minutes
> Sustained rate of fire: 3 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 4
12. M109
> Max range 23 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 4 rounds per minute for 3 minutes
> Sustained rate of fire: 1 round per minute
> Crew size: 6
11. M992 FAASV
> Max range 23 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 4 rounds per minute for 3 minutes
> Sustained rate of fire: 1 round per minute
> Crew size: 0
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10. M109A6 Paladin
> Max range 30 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 4 rounds per minute for 3 minutes
> Sustained rate of fire: 1 round per minute
> Crew size: 4
9. M109A7 Paladin
> Max range 30 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 4 rounds per minute for 3 minutes
> Sustained rate of fire: 1 round per minute
> Crew size: 4
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8. M198
> Max range 30 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 4 rounds per minute for 3 minutes
> Sustained rate of fire: 2 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 9
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7. FCS NLOS
> Max range 30 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 10 rounds per minute
> Sustained rate of fire: 10 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 2
6. M2001 Crusader
> Max range 40 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 10-12 rounds per minute for 3-5 minutes
> Sustained rate of fire: 6 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 3
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5. M777 LW155
> Max range 40 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 5-8 rounds per minute for 2 minutes
> Sustained rate of fire: 2 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 5
4. M1299 ERCA
> Max range 70 kilometers
> Fastest rate of fire: 3 rounds per minute
> Sustained rate of fire: 3 rounds per minute
> Crew size: 4
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3. M270 MLRS
> Max range 300 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 9 minute reload (12 rockets)
> Sustained rate of fire: Not applicable
> Crew size: 3
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2. M993 MLRS
> Max range 300 kilometers (tied)
> Fastest rate of fire: 9 minute reload (12 rockets)
> Sustained rate of fire: Not applicable
> Crew size: 3
1. M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
> Max range 499 kilometers
> Fastest rate of fire: 5 minute reload (2-6 rockets)
> Sustained rate of fire: Not applicable
> Crew size: 3
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