"Most recently, the US Army reevaluated its objectives for modernization and progressed to replacing the M777 howitzer with a wheeled self-propelled howitzer system," the request for information posted Monday read.
PAE Fires is soliciting a tracked 155mm self‑propelled howitzer
The Program Acquisition Executive (PAE) Fires office has posted a new request for information (RFI) focused on “an additional capability, namely a tracked self-propelled 155mm howitzer for employment within armored formations,” and emphasized the effort is “a new and distinctly separate effort from the MTC-W effort.” The RFI asks vendors to propose a tracked howitzer and describes the effort as distinct from the recently advanced wheeled howitzer program.
What the RFI asks vendors to provide and to answer
The solicitation requests that interested parties provide a tracked howitzer, a resupply vehicle, and ground support personnel to “support demonstrative and safety testing events” using American ammunition. The Army is also asking vendors to describe potential production lead times for both the tracked howitzer and the accompanying resupply vehicle, and to state maximum production capacity.
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End the scrambleOnshoring, technical‑data rights, deadlines, and an industry day
The RFI specifically asks firms how they would onshore U.S. production if their facilities are abroad, and it states the government is seeking “sufficient technical data rights” for the system. Responses to the RFI are due Sept. 11, and the solicitation says the Army will hold an industry day for interested vendors next week. A PAE Fires spokesperson did not respond to a question about why the service is now seeking a tracked variant in addition to the wheeled program.
How the tracked request relates to the wheeled K9 award and past solicitations
The tracked-RFI was published two weeks after the Army awarded Hanwha Defense USA a deal up to $233 million to deliver K9 wheeled howitzer prototypes. The new howitzers are intended to replace both towed M777 howitzers and the self‑propelled M109A7s, with the RFI reiterating that the tracked effort is separate from the MTC‑W (wheeled) effort. The solicitation notes that past howitzer solicitations did not explicitly require a tracked or wheeled variant; those earlier requests instead sought a howitzer as heavily armored as the currently fielded M109A7 while also providing increased “mobility & transportability,” as Breaking Defense previously reported.
What this means for PAE Fires, Hanwha Defense USA, and armored formations
- PAE Fires: the office is casting a wider net—seeking both a separate tracked capability and contractual terms (production timelines, capacity and data rights) that would support demonstrative testing and potential onshoring.
- Hanwha Defense USA: the company has been awarded up to $233 million for K9 wheeled prototypes; the tracked RFI establishes a parallel, separately scoped effort the company may choose to respond to or watch as the Army seeks additional capability.
- Armored formations and force planners: the RFI explicitly frames the tracked howitzer for employment “within armored formations,” signaling a requirement set distinct from the wheeled modernization track and reflecting the long‑standing operational tradeoff between wheeled systems (lighter, road‑oriented) and tracked systems (heavier chassis suited to muddy or rough terrain).
The Army’s RFI creates two parallel lines of inquiry: the already advancing program to prototype wheeled howitzers and a freshly defined, separate solicitation for tracked systems intended for armored formations. Industry responses are due Sept. 11 and an industry day is scheduled next week; beyond those procedural milestones the solicitation records a specific desire for onshore production options and for sufficient government technical‑data rights. A PAE Fires spokesperson declined to explain publicly why a tracked variant is being pursued in addition to the wheeled program, leaving the immediate rationale in the record but the motive unrepeated.
Original reporting: https://breakingdefense.com/2026/09/army-seeks-tracked-howitzer-candidates-following-award-for-wheeled-platforms/
