The US Congress has instructed the military to stop funding a promising long-range weapon development project. According to Defense News, the US military will abandon the Strategic Long Range Artillery (SLRC) project.

Congress has instructed the military to suspend funding for the SLRC under the Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2022. Based on a resolution passed by Congress, the US Secretary of the Army has decided to close the SLRC project this year.

US Army spokesperson Ellen Lovett said the decision would allow for efficient use of funds. “Even if scientific and technological efforts are successful, continued efforts could cost billions of dollars because the military will need to participate in the development program, buy the system and create entirely new units to run it,” he said.

According to Lovett, the unused funds will be used to finance long-range artillery, hypersonic missiles and medium-range anti-ship missiles.

As part of the Strategic Long-Range Cannon project, a new weapon was developed that can hit targets at a distance of approximately 1,800 kilometers.