Munitions

M712 Copperhead

Also known as
  • Copperhead
  • CLGP
  • XM712
  • 155 mm Projectile M712

The M712 Copperhead is a U.S. 155 mm cannon-launched guided projectile that gave standard howitzers a semi-active-laser precision round for tanks, fortifications, radar sites, and other point targets. Developed through Martin Marietta from early 1970s Army work, it saw documented combat use from Desert Storm to Ukraine, but its employment depends on laser designation, visibility, trajectory geometry, and compatible 155 mm firing weapons.

M712 Copperhead, 155 mm laser-guided projectile, Munitions
Image source: File: M712 Copperhead is fired

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Type
155 mm laser-guided projectile
Service note
Cold War precision artillery round
Designed
1970-1972
Unit cost
Over $22,000 per round (1981 GAO estimate)
Produced
Late 1970s to 1990s
Number built
More than 20,000 rounds

Specifications

Caliber
155 mm
Length
137 cm (54 in)
Wingspan
51 cm (20 in)
Weight
62.4 kg (137.6 lb)
Range
3-16 km (1.9-10 miles)
Guidance
Semi-active laser
Warhead
6.69 kg Composition-B anti-armor
Trajectory modes
Ballistic and shaped trajectory settings
Designator requirement
Target illuminated by a compatible laser designator using the projectile's coded PRF setting
Mission constraints
Line of sight, visibility, target cloud height, response time, and angle-T limits affect whether a Copperhead mission can be fired
Laser Designation And Mission Limits

Copperhead is not a fire-and-forget artillery round. Army gunnery doctrine ties the projectile setting to a compatible laser pulse-repetition-frequency code, while White Sands describes a forward observer keeping a laser target designator trained on the target as the round homes on reflected energy.

Designator link

G/VLLD and MULE are documented Copperhead mission designator contexts, with airborne designators also appearing in Army reference material.

Weather and geometry

Army gunnery procedures treat insufficient target cloud height and angle-T above 800 mils as reasons to reject or shift a Copperhead mission.

Observed limitations

GAO highlighted degraded performance under obstructive conditions, line-of-sight dependence, response-time pressure against moving targets, and unresolved reliability concerns during early procurement.

Variants

Copperhead-related designations include the XM712 development designation, the standardized M712 service projectile, and the M823 inert training projectile used to train crews in handling the CLGP.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
XM712Development designation

Used for the Copperhead cannon-launched guided projectile before standardization as M712.

Sources: Martin Marietta Copperhead (155 mm Projectile M712)

M823Inert crew-training projectile

Training projectile for 155 mm howitzer crews handling the M712 Copperhead; not a fired operational munition.

Sources: Projectile, 155mm Training, M823

Firing Howitzers

Copperhead is a 155 mm cannon-launched guided projectile for compatible howitzers; the entries below are limited to existing catalog weapons with direct source support.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
FH70 155 mm howitzer, 155 mm towed howitzer, ArtilleryFH70 155 mm howitzer155 mm towed howitzer

Royal Armouries states that the FH70 can also fire the US Army's laser-guided M712 Copperhead cannon-launched guided projectile.

Sources: Royal Armouries FH70 object 85309

M198 155 mm howitzer, 155 mm towed howitzer, ArtilleryM198 155 mm howitzer155 mm towed howitzer

White Sands Missile Range Museum describes M198 crews loading Copperhead rounds, and the existing Copperhead image source identifies an M712 fired from a modified 155 mm M198 howitzer.

Sources: White Sands Missile Range Museum M712 Copperhead, File: M712 Copperhead is fired

M109, 155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer family, ArtilleryM109155 mm self-propelled howitzer family

Designation-Systems and White Sands Missile Range Museum identify the M109 as one of the 155 mm howitzers from which M712 Copperhead could be fired.

Sources: Martin Marietta Copperhead (155 mm Projectile M712), White Sands Missile Range Museum M712 Copperhead

M109A6 Paladin, 155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer, ArtilleryM109A6 Paladin155 mm self-propelled howitzer

Defense Express reported a Ukrainian M712 Copperhead strike in which the shot was fired from an M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer.

Sources: Defense Express M712 Copperhead Paladin strike

M777, 155 mm towed howitzer, ArtilleryM777155 mm towed howitzer

Designation-Systems and White Sands Missile Range Museum identify M777 as one of the 155 mm howitzers capable of firing M712 Copperhead.

Sources: Martin Marietta Copperhead (155 mm Projectile M712), White Sands Missile Range Museum M712 Copperhead

M114 155 mm Howitzer, 155 mm towed field howitzer, ArtilleryM114 155 mm Howitzer155 mm towed howitzer

White Sands Missile Range Museum identifies the M114 among the standard 155 mm howitzers from which M712 Copperhead was fired.

Sources: White Sands Missile Range Museum M712 Copperhead

Timeline

M712 Copperhead Key Events

  1. Concept work and first firing

    Copperhead concept work began around 1970-1971, development contracts followed in 1972, and White Sands Missile Range Museum dates the first firing to 1972.

    Sources: Martin Marietta Copperhead (155 mm Projectile M712), White Sands Missile Range Museum M712 Copperhead

  2. Limited production and reliability controls

    GAO reported that Copperhead had entered limited production, with initial procurement constrained while reliability concerns were addressed.

    Sources: GAO Copperhead procurement report

  3. Operational use in Desert Storm

    FAS and White Sands Missile Range Museum document Copperhead employment during Operation Desert Storm against Iraqi observation, border, artillery, radar, and other positions.

    Sources: FAS M712 Copperhead, White Sands Missile Range Museum M712 Copperhead

  4. Inventory shortfall without current procurement

    GAO reported the Army inventory for 155 mm M712 projectiles was below objective, while Army officials had no current procurement plans because of funding constraints and broader artillery-round inventories.

    Sources: GAO Artillery Projectile Inventory Report

  5. Reported Ukrainian use near Sudzha

    Defense Express reported Ukrainian M712 Copperhead employment near Sudzha in Kursk region, including a three-projectile M777-fired strike on a communications tower.

    Sources: Defense Express M712 Copperhead Kursk strike

  6. Paladin-fired Ukrainian strike reported

    Defense Express reported a Ukrainian Copperhead strike fired from an M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer and guided by drone laser designation.

    Sources: Defense Express M712 Copperhead Paladin strike

Media

M712 Copperhead Images

M712 Copperhead, 155 mm laser-guided projectile, Munitions - view 1
Source: File: M712 Copperhead nears the target tank
M712 Copperhead, 155 mm laser-guided projectile, Munitions - view 2
Source: File: Copperhead and tank (explosion)
Related Weapon Systems
9K25 Krasnopol laser-guided projectile, 152/155 mm laser-guided artillery projectile, MunitionsMunitions9K25 Krasnopol laser-guided projectile152/155 mm laser-guided artillery projectileThe 9K25 Krasnopol family is a Russian laser-guided artillery projectile line built around semi-active laser homing for precision tube-artillery fire. KBP-origin projectiles in the family include Soviet-era 152 mm rounds, shorter Krasnopol-M designs compatible with the 2S19 Msta-S autoloader, and Krasnopol-M2 rounds documented in Russian use in Ukraine. The projectile depends on a target being illuminated by ground or airborne laser designators, making Orlan-30 and similar target-acquisition systems part of the weapon's practical employment chain.
155 mm artillery round, 155 mm artillery ammunition family, MunitionsMunitions155 mm artillery round155 mm artillery ammunition familyThe 155 mm artillery round is a family-level label for complete 155 mm howitzer shots rather than one projectile model. U.S. Army sources define a complete shot as fuze, primer, projectile, and propelling charge, while manufacturer and conflict records show high-explosive, extended-range, inert, precision-guided, smoke, illumination, cluster, white-phosphorus, and charge-system variants across NATO and NATO-compatible artillery use.
AGM-114 Hellfire missile family, Air-to-surface missile family, MunitionsMunitionsAGM-114 Hellfire missile familyAir-to-surface missile familyThe AGM-114 Hellfire is a U.S. precision missile family developed for helicopter anti-armor missions and later adapted across UAVs, gunships, ships, and special-purpose strike roles. Cataloged combat use spans Desert Storm Apache strikes, Operation Iraqi Freedom aviation engagements, counter-ISIS and counterterrorism drone operations, Israeli helicopter fire in 2023, Ukrainian counter-drone Tempest vehicles assessed with AGM-114L Longbow missiles, and the secretive AGM-114R9X kinetic variant reported in low-collateral targeted strikes.
M107 155 mm high-explosive projectile, 155 mm high-explosive projectile, ArtilleryArtilleryM107 155 mm high-explosive projectile155 mm high-explosive projectileThe M107 is a conventional 155 mm high-explosive projectile with a forged-steel body, TNT or Composition B fill, and deep- or normal-cavity variants for different fuze fits. U.S. Army ammunition records list it as an operations-and-sustainment item, Modern War Institute reporting places the M107 family in Ukraine's 155 mm ammunition mix, and U.S. emergency-sale notices document M107 deliveries to Israel during the 2023 Israel-Hamas War.

Sources

Martin Marietta Copperhead (155 mm Projectile M712)Publisher: Designation-Systems.net | Note: Supports M712 Copperhead specifications, guidance method, manufacturing background, production history, and munition role. | Accessed: 2026-07-04GAO Copperhead procurement reportPublisher: U.S. Government Accountability Office | Note: Supports the 1980 limited-production procurement context, reported 1981 average procurement cost of over $22,000 per round, and early reliability and employment-limit concerns. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Royal Armouries FH70 object 85309Publisher: Royal Armouries | Note: Supports FH70 compatibility by noting that the FH-70 can also fire the US Army's laser-guided M712 Copperhead cannon-launched guided projectile. | Accessed: 2026-07-04White Sands Missile Range Museum M712 CopperheadPublisher: White Sands Missile Range Museum | Note: Supports Copperhead specifications, 1972 first firing, firing-platform relationships for M114, M109, M198, and M777 155 mm howitzers, laser-designator workflow, operating limits, and direct use in the 1990 Gulf War and 2003 Iraq War. | Accessed: 2026-07-04FAS M712 CopperheadPublisher: Federation of American Scientists | Note: Supports Copperhead technical background and documents M712 Copperhead used by U.S. forces in the 1990 Gulf War against observation posts, border-guard posts, and forward radar installations. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Defense Express M712 Copperhead Kursk strikePublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use by reporting Ukrainian M712 Copperhead employment near Sudzha in Kursk region, including three projectiles fired from an M777 howitzer at a communications tower. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Defense Express M712 Copperhead Paladin strikePublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use and the M109A6 Paladin firing-platform relationship by reporting a Ukrainian M712 Copperhead strike fired from an M109A6 Paladin with drone laser designation. | Accessed: 2026-07-04United24 M712 Copperhead Kherson bunker strikePublisher: UNITED24 Media | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use by reporting a Ukrainian strike on a Russian bunker in occupied Kherson region using a U.S.-supplied M712 Copperhead guided artillery shell. | Accessed: 2026-07-04GAO Artillery Projectile Inventory ReportPublisher: U.S. Government Publishing Office | Note: Supports 1995 M712 inventory/procurement context and the Army no-current-procurement statement. | Accessed: 2026-07-04FM 6-40 Copperhead Special MunitionsPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Specialist mirror of Army gunnery manual text supporting Copperhead configuration, PRF/designator setting, trajectory modes, and mission constraints. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Projectile, 155mm Training, M823Publisher: Bulletpicker | Note: Supports M823 as an inert training projectile for M712 Copperhead crew handling. | Accessed: 2026-07-04File: M712 Copperhead is firedPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain status for the primary Copperhead image. | Accessed: 2026-07-04File: M712 Copperhead nears the target tankPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain status for the gallery Copperhead target-approach image. | Accessed: 2026-07-04File: Copperhead and tank (explosion)Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain status for the gallery Copperhead impact image. | Accessed: 2026-07-04