You know, I think we need to capitalize on something that can help us next design phase, so:
(Future) Design: HA1
Development of the HCx series recently grinded to a halt. With every single new idea and concept being implemented leading to failure and requests for the budget to improve things such as expense denied, the lead Mathemagician of the Hybrid Cannon project decided to turn to a new direction. He'd re-invent the Hybrid Cannon. The HC2 was an unfortunate failure, and salvaging it is frankly useless. The HC1 is reliable, but simply won't fare as the battlefield changes. The HC1-E variant has gone as far as it can. Revisions don't last forever, and sometimes you just need to consolidate your improvements into one design and include some breakthroughs.
The HA1 uses the lessons learned from the SBP1-A in fixing the problems inherent to the HC2, along with the advantages of the HCx-E variants. This is all very simple stuff and normally could be left to a revision, but that's not all.
"Cannons" are the way of the past. Using a name the lead Mathemagician heard being discussed nonchalantly in the hallway - "artillery", he has came up with a new series name - the HA. Hbrid Artillery. "Extreme range" was a name given to the capabilities of the HC1-E by awe-struck field commanders, but it doesn't give you a true insight into the capabilities of the HC1-E. Really, the project lead explained, it's best described still as "long range". But this - this new technology - will finally be deserving of the "extreme" label thrown around so carelessly in the past.
The HA1 utilizes the longest barrel we've crafted. Using simple gears, the barrel can be easily rotated like the stubby HC1-E. A larger and improved pressurization compartment combined with the aforementioned longer barrel increases the range of the projectile to true extreme ranges far beyond that of the HCx-E variants. The rate of fire and reliability improvements from the HC2 are also implemented in the design along with the lessons of the SPB1-A (and to a lesser degree, the frost towers) to actually get these improvements to reliably function. The new barrel can even field larger shells that should be able to reliably do more damage to the filthy Moskurgians!
The HA1 utilizes advanced manufacturing techniques to be able to be produced at a rate rivalling the HC1. Standardized equipment used for measures and things such as casting and pouring given to workers significantly reduce the amount of time to craft individual parts. Hiring many laborers and teaching them how to only work at one part of a time then having them work together in a line of assembly greatly reduces cost and the need for individual trained craftsmen. The Project Lead has taken to calling the places where the manufacturing would occur "factories".
In short: A consolidation of the HC1-E, HC1, and HC2, with increased range and damage, and an Expensive target. "But Chiefwaffles," some may say, "that sure sounds complicated!"
But does it?
The HC2's design elements were incorporated into the fairly-successful SPB1-A. The HC1-E is perfectly functional, and so is HC1. We have a very sound advantage in the basic consolidating of improvements. Then increased range and damage are all simple things and given our experience with this stuff and the idea of "learning through failures" like the two revisions in a row rolling 1 make those trivial things. The most questionable part is the expense, but with all the other things locked down, expense shouldn't be that big of a deal. (The factory thing is just fluff - there's no automation.) The revision can be used making the CO1-AM I posted a few pages ago to somewhat effectively counter Lucky Strike and other spells.
And I realize I'm basically writing designs now like one would write the results of a design was just rolled, but it's super fun to do.
EDIT: And regarding the range - that's not the point of the design. The main point is a cheaper functional HC2-E with miscellaneous improvements. The range is there to make life easier such that we will only need to devise a method to effectively spot at the super extreme ranges. And the extra range isn't useless (though definitely not that useful and would be a bad revision by itself) - like someone mentioned before, it could be used for thins like shelling fortified enemy positions that we know the locations of and that we know won't move for a while.
I still like my idea for Carrier Animals.