Editing XM2001 Crusader (section)

==Inception==
The Crusader was conceived as the Advanced Field Artillery System (AFAS), part of a family of vehicles built around a common chassis in the [[Armored Systems Modernization]] program. In October 1992, the Army canceled Armored Systems Modernization due to changing budgetary priorities caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union.<ref name="629 mil">{{cite news |last1=Schafer |first1=Susanne M. |title=Army drops contracts for armored vehicles |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/366666360/?terms=%22Armored%20Systems%20Modernization%22&match=1 |access-date=18 November 2021 |work=Austin American-Statesman |agency=Associated Press|date=9 October 1992}}</ref>

In 1994 AFAS was renamed "Crusader."<ref name="110 tons" />

In 1996, the Crusader's experimental liquid propellant system was replaced by more traditional solid propellant bags. In 1997 the [[Government Accountability Office]] advised the Army to consider either upgrading the Paladin or to purchase the German [[Panzerhaubitze 2000]] instead.<ref name="110 tons" />

The Crusader was intended to replace the [[M109 howitzer|M109A6 Paladin]] self-propelled howitzer and the [[M992 Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicle]] (FAASV). It was intended to be an automated gun artillery system to support the Interim Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT) Counterattack Corps and a basis for other vehicle developments.

Key features of the Crusader design included:

<!-- removed that two would fit in a Globemaster. In Donald Rumsfeld's biography (Known and Unknown), it says it would require "two large cargo aircraft to deploy just one system with its ammunition and equipment," meaning the opposite of what that line of information suggested -->
* A cooled XM297E2 cannon for sustained high rates of fire
* Automated ammunition handling and loading
* Cockpit with embedded command and control
* [[Composite armor]]
* Survivability features to protect the vehicle and crew
* GE/Honeywell LV100-5 [[gas turbine]] engine to keep up with other fighting vehicles

The Army required that the Crusader was to share a common engine with the [[M1 Abrams]]. The principal driver for this change was to shed weight off the Crusader.<ref name="engine reason">{{cite news |last1=Burger |first1=Kim |title=Three Contractors Deliver Proposals for Abrams-Crusader Engine |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43983808 |access-date=7 February 2022 |work=Inside the Army |issue=23 |publisher=Inside Washington Publishers |date=12 June 2000 |volume=12 |pages=12–13|jstor=43983808 }}</ref> [[Caterpillar Inc.]] proposed a diesel engine, as did a joint venture of [[General Dynamics]] and [[DaimlerChrysler]]. In September 2000, the Army selected [[Honeywell]]'s LV 100 turbine engine. The Army was to procure as many as 3600 of these, including 2845 for the Abrams and 846 for the Crusader.<ref name="Honeywell selected">{{cite news |last1=Dupont |first1=Daniel G. |title=Tanks Won't Be Converted to Diesel: Honeywell Turbine Engine Picked for Abrams Fleet, Crusader System |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43985032 |access-date=7 February 2022 |work=Inside the Army |issue=38 |publisher=Inside Washington Publishers |date=25 September 2000 |volume=12 |pages=1, 11|jstor=43985032 }}</ref>

Using the same chassis, the resupply vehicles (RSVs) would deliver automatic, reciprocal transfer of ammunition, data and fuel to the SPH or another RSV.

===Program timeline===
* 1QFY95 Approved to commence program definition and risk reduction (PDRR) phase.
* 2QFY98 In-process review completed and manufacture of the PDRR prototype systems begun.
* 3QFY99 Delivery of first RSV prototype.
* 2QFY00 Delivery of first prototype howitzer SPH 1.
* 1QFY02 Successful preliminary design review.
* 1QFY02 More than 4000 rounds fired from SPH 1.
* 2QFY02 Program discontinued.