Army News Service (Oct. 31, 2006): Army fields its first lightweight howitzer.PICATINNY ARSENAL The Picatinny Arsenal (IPA: /ˈpɪkətɪni/ or /ˌpɪkəˈtɪni/ , N.J. -- With the recent delivery of 18 new M777 lightweight 155mm howitzers to the Army's 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery, at Schofield Barracks bar·rack 1 tr.v. bar·racked, bar·rack·ing, bar·racks To house (soldiers, for example) in quarters. n. 1. A building or group of buildings used to house military personnel. , Hawaii, the King of Battle--the field artillery's nickname--took a giant step forward. The M777 is the military's newest field artillery weapon, a lightweight 155mm towed howitzer howitzer: see artillery. developed jointly by the Army and Marine Corps. It will be the artillery system for the Army'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 BAE Systems British manufacturer of aircraft, missiles, avionics, naval vessels, and other aerospace and defense products. BAE Systems was formed (1999) from the merger of British Aerospace (BAe) with Marconi Electronic Systems. with final integration and assembly occurring at the firm'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 Army'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 M119 A1 Howitzer is a lightweight howitzer used by the United States Army. It can be easily airlifted, even by helicopter, or dropped by parachute. It does not need a recoil pit. . The M777 has the deployability advantages of a 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 DFCS Division of Finance and Corporate Securities (Oregon, USA) DFCS Digital Flight Control System DFCS Drug-Free Communities Support DFCS Division of Family and Child Services DFCS Distinguished Flying Cross Society ) 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. Murray and Kane are on the staff of The Picatinny Voice. |
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