M549A1 rocket-assisted projectile

The M549A1 is a U.S. 155 mm high-explosive rocket-assisted projectile and the TNT-filled follow-on to the earlier M549 round. Army references describe it as a two-piece projectile with a high-fragmentation steel warhead and integral rocket motor, built to extend range for standard and developmental howitzers and later treated as a legacy round in Army modernization plans.

M549A1 rocket-assisted projectile, 155 mm high-explosive rocket-assisted projectile, Munitions

Image source: File:Sweeping without a broom 131029-M-Zs544-486.jpg

Profile

Origin: United States
Built by: American OrdnanceIowa Army Ammunition Plant
Type: 155 mm high-explosive rocket-assisted projectile
Service note: Type-classified in 1977; legacy 1970s-1980s U.S. ammunition
Produced: Late 1970s-1980s

NATO artillery rocket-assisted he 155 mm

Specifications

Caliber: 155 mm
Type: High-explosive rocket-assisted projectile
Weight: 96 pounds
Payload: 15 pounds of TNT
Maximum range: 30 km from M198 and similar 155 mm systems
Propelling charges: M203A1, M119A2, MACS M232/M232A1, and/or M4A2
Rocket motor: About 6.5 pounds of solid rocket propellant

Service And Conflict Use

Service History

In service: Legacy ammunition for standard and developmental 155 mm howitzers, later targeted for replacement by XM1113.

Firing Weapons

Army reporting ties this legacy 155 mm projectile to compatible NATO-standard howitzers, including Bohdana.

Firing weapon

Weapon type

Firing evidence

155 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer

Army Recognition lists the M549A1 RAP among the NATO-standard rounds compatible with Bohdana's 155 mm L52 barrel.

Sources: Bohdana M549A1 compatibility

M549A1 rocket-assisted projectile Images

M549A1 rocket-assisted projectile, 155 mm high-explosive rocket-assisted projectile, Munitions - view 1 — Source: File:Sweeping without a broom 131029-M-Zs544-486.jpg

M549A1 rocket-assisted projectile, 155 mm high-explosive rocket-assisted projectile, Munitions - view 2 — Source: File:221st EOD Disposes UXO DVIDS50412.jpg

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Sources

M549A1 Rocket Assisted ProjectilePublisher: Federation of American Scientists | Note: Supports the projectile's basic construction, TNT fill, and extended-range role for standard and developmental howitzers. | Accessed: 2026-06-23 PEO Ammunition 2017Publisher: U.S. Army | Note: Supports the M549A1's two-part construction, TNT fill, rocket-motor details, propelling-charge compatibility, maximum range, and field-artillery compatibility. | Accessed: 2026-06-23 Army developing safer, extended range rocket-assisted artillery roundPublisher: U.S. Army | Note: Supports the legacy-service context by identifying M549A1 rounds as 1970s-1980s ammunition slated for replacement by XM1113. | Accessed: 2026-06-23 Rethinking Governance of the Army's Arsenals and Ammunition PlantsPublisher: RAND | Note: Supports U.S. ammunition-production context by listing an M549A1 production line at Iowa Army Ammunition Plant and identifying American Ordnance as the facility-use contractor tied to artillery shell manufacture there. | Accessed: 2026-06-23 Bohdana M549A1 compatibilityPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports the Bohdana compatibility relationship by naming the M549A1 RAP among the NATO-standard rounds compatible with Bohdana's 155 mm L52 barrel. | Accessed: 2026-06-23 File:Sweeping without a broom 131029-M-Zs544-486.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain status for the primary M549A1 image. | Accessed: 2026-06-23 File:221st EOD Disposes UXO DVIDS50412.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain status for the gallery image showing palletized M549A1 rounds. | Accessed: 2026-06-23