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Science & Technology
Army fields its first light-weight howitzer
2006-11-01
By Edward Murray and Martin Kane
The Picatinny Voice
October 31, 2006

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. (Army News Service, Oct. 31, 2006) – With the recent delivery of eighteen new M777 lightweight 155mm howitzers to the Army’s 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery, at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, the King of Battle — the field artillery’s nickname — took a giant step forward.

The M777 is the militaryÂ’s newest field artillery weapon, a lightweight 155mm towed howitzer developed jointly by the Army and Marine Corps. It will be the artillery system for the ArmyÂ’s Stryker Brigade Combat Teams.

The program is managed by a joint-service program office here. The weapon systems themselves are manufactured by BAE Systems with final integration and assembly occurring at the firmÂ’s Hattiesburg, Miss., facility.

The M777 is the first ground-combat system to make extensive use of titanium in its major structures to trim weight; the howitzer is 7,000 pounds lighter than the M198 weapon it replaces.

“The weight reduction improves transportability and mobility without impacting range or accuracy,” said Joint Program Manager James Shields.

Shields said the system will be compatible with the entire family of 155mm ammunition, including the Excalibur precision munition when it is eventually fielded.

The 2-11 FA is part of the ArmyÂ’s fifth Stryker Brigade Combat Team. It recently completed new-equipment training and a live-fire battalion exercise using the basic M777 system at Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Prior to receiving the M777, the 2-11 FA was an exclusively 105mm battalion that was equipped with the M119 howitzer.

The M777 has the deployability advantages of lightweight system like the M119, but the firepower of a 155mm weapon like the larger M198. Two systems can be transported on a C-130 at the same time.

The new howitzers have returned to Schofield Barracks, where they will be retrofitted with a digital fire control system (DFCS) in January to become M777A1s. The DFCS will provide the howitzer with the capability to communicate, navigate and aim, an upgrade that will increase accuracy and responsiveness.

Soldiers from 2-11 FA said they were pleased with the new weapons and look forward to the added capabilities provided by the DFCS upgrade.

Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC

#14  Um, no, it's towed artillery. No modern army has used towed artillery in a direct-fire role since they phased out the anti-tank gun for recoilless rifles around the time of Korea.

Indian Pakistani wars 1965-2002 [and before of course]
Kargil War 155 direct fire...Tiger Hill. Thousands of of direct fire rounds


M198 155MM


M777 155mm


US M198 Howitzer current direct fire video
Posted by: RD   2006-11-01 21:04  

#13  The US Army used 105mm and 155mm towed (and air lifted) artillery as direct fire weapons in Vietnam. The beehive round was used when the NVA and Viet Cong assaulted remote Fire Support Bases, in the boonies, at night. This was the the mother of all shotguns. I delivered them and their crews to these locations, with ammo, resupplied them with ammo and food, and took them out when the mission was complete.
Posted by: Unose Pholuck3495   2006-11-01 21:01  

#12  There are several C-17's at Hickam AFB in HI, a total of 8 due to be in place there this year (might be there now, I don't have the current count).

Lots of major hauling capability from the islands over to Asia with 8 of those, although it's obviously not a full wing.
Posted by: lotp   2006-11-01 18:59  

#11  Hmmmp...new artillery to Hawaii, and a Stryker fresh from training!

Ready to deploy to Korea, Philipines, Indonesia or Australia...is there a wing of C130s nearby?
Posted by: Skidmark   2006-11-01 18:49  

#10  Every major Russian/Soviet artillery system is designed with a secondary direct fire/anti-capability, and all have specialised ammo for the same. It seems that the Bulgarians anyway have designed thermobaric warheads for 122mm guns, and the Russians have a HESH round for the 130mm and 152mm guns.
Posted by: Shieldwolf   2006-11-01 17:15  

#9  From scanning information on various security sites, you will find Russian still issues HEAT rounds for both 122mm and 152mm field guns, as well as for the 120mm automortar.

As for a citation, "Soviet AirLand Battle Tactics" Col. William Baxter, Presidio Press, 1986.

As well as other sources...

So apparently your contention that the modern battlefield is too dangerous for direct artillery fire is false. The Russians don't believe the modern battlefield is so dangerous artillerists can't get their licks in.
Posted by: badanov   2006-11-01 16:54  

#8  badanov: do you have a cite? The only thing I can find is a reference to direct-fire usage during the Russian destruction of Grozny, but that was in reference to the use of self-propelled artillery. There was a hobbyist site that made reference to Russian gunshields, but that was in the course of a rant about the absence of gunshields on modern American towed artillery.

I would regard the direct-fire usage of towed artillery as preposterous assuming the availability of tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, armored cars, or other armored vehicles with a big gun, but that's a big assumption in the case of third-world or stretched militaries, and the only books I've read on Russian/Soviet doctrine were both armor-centric and thirty years old. Maybe there's a strong suicidal streak in the Russian/Soviet artillery arm. The modern battlefield is just too dangerous for exposed artillery. Asking them to perform direct-fire seems unreasonable given modern heavy infantry weaponry, and its ability to perform everything up to full-scale demolition work.
Posted by: Mitch H.   2006-11-01 16:45  

#7  Russian artillery doctrine counts on their artillery in a direct fire and antitank role.
Posted by: badanov   2006-11-01 16:02  

#6  Great! Now I want to see a 220mm titanium mortar. Give the INFANTRY some heavy hitting power.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2006-11-01 13:17  

#5  This technique for light cavalry and arty goes all the way back to Kit Carson.

OT: Great new book out on Kit Carson by Hampton Sides (Ghost Soldiers) - Blood and Thunder. Good read.
Posted by: Jack is Back!   2006-11-01 13:14  

#4  good link, thx Mitch
Posted by: Frank G   2006-11-01 13:02  

#3  Um, no, it's towed artillery. No modern army has used towed artillery in a direct-fire role since they phased out the anti-tank gun for recoilless rifles around the time of Korea.

I don't think anyone even uses direct-fire artillery any more - not since tank main cannon got heavy enough to do their own direct-fire work.

Maybe in Bosnia, but that would be because of the arms embargo that left all sides using whatever WWII-surplus rubbish they could find at the back of the local arsenals.

The light towed artillery is just a recognition that it would be far too expensive, and goofy, to use the Stryker chassis to hack together a self-propelled artillery platform that could "keep up" with the rest of the brigade. A much lighter towed 155mm can bounce along behind a stripped-down Stryker acting as a prime mover, without all of the special engineering & heartache in trying to mount the gun directly on the vehicle proper. It would probably be a lot safer for the artillery/Stryker crew this way, anyways. Not having to add all of that structural metal & extra hull space probably lets them save weight that would otherwise come out of armor protection.

The Stryker brigades were supposed to get an upgunned armored car based on the Stryker... ah, here it is: Mobile Gun System. With a 105mm main cannon for the sort of direct-fire work you were asking about. They don't seem to be in any hurry - they'll start rolling out production in July of next year.
Posted by: Mitch H.   2006-11-01 13:00  

#2  Question: are they planning to use this more as a direct-fire weapon?

It has to do with how an arty unit moves when doing indirect fire, that is, halt-fire-move-halt. This seems to be different from how a Stryker unit would maneuver, which is more like light cavalry.

If, however, the guns are to be used as a direct fire weapon, the Strykers and the arty maneuver as "traveling overwatch", with one moving while the other provides fire support. This technique for light cavalry and arty goes all the way back to Kit Carson.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2006-11-01 12:42  

#1  This is long over due. Now the light guys can have the reach and punch of a 155 and keep the mobility. Great news!
Posted by: 49 Pan   2006-11-01 11:45  

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