Canada Takes Delivery of First M777 Howitzers.

SHILO, Manitoba -- The 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery conducted an inaugural firing today of the first 155mm, M777 towed howitzers delivered to the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND). The four guns of six to be delivered were supplied by the United States Marine Corps under a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract between the U.S. and Canada. The howitzers will be deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Archer, following training and integration with a digitized gun management system, in Canada.

The M777 howitzer is manufactured by BAE Systems at facilities located at Barrow in Furness in the UK and Hattiesburg, Miss. in the U.S. The howitzer is the first ground combat system to make extensive use of titanium and titanium castings. At approximately half the weight of comparable systems, the M777 howitzer offers improved transportability and mobility for rapid deployment.

The M777 was designed and developed by BAE Systems, and is a joint program between the U.S. Army and Marine Corps to replace the M198 towed howitzer.

BAE Systems is an international company engaged in the development, delivery, and support of advanced defense and aerospace systems in the air, on land, at sea, and in space. The company designs, manufactures, and supports military aircraft, combat vehicles, surface ships, submarines, radar, avionics, communications, electronics, and guided weapon systems.