Posted on 08/25/2004 4:12:13 AM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4
The U.S. Army is going to buy a bunch of new M119A1 towed 105mm howitzers. The armys reorganization into light brigade combat teams has created a need for more cannons to spread around, another 111 for active duty units and 164 for reserve units. Previously, the army had planned to remanufacture its existing stock of older M102 towed howitzers, originally fielded in the 60s and 70s. But the new M119 will be close to the same price as the refurbished M102s, and will have much greater capability. Fielding the newer cannon will allow the army to consolidate howitzer types; currently, the army has seven types of 105 and 155mm cannons, including the M119A1.
The M102 was first fielded in 1964, requires a crew of 8, and has a range of 11,500 meters using standard ammunition, 15,100 meters with rocket-assisted ammunition. It fires all standard NATO 105mm ammunition but not newer extended range ammo. Built by a partnership between the United Kingdom and the United States, the M119A1 was first fielded by the U.S. Army in 1989, has a crew of 7, a range of 14,000 meters with standard ammunition and 19,500 meters with rocket-assisted rounds. It fires all standard NATO ammunition plus the M760 and M913 extended range rounds. The U.S. Army first became interested in the M119A1 based upon the effective use of the cannon in the Falkland Islands.
Ultimately, the Army is thinking about going down to three cannons: the M119A1 105mm towed howitzer, the M777 155mm towed howitzer, and the Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon (NLOS-C), a tracked self-propelled 155mm howitzer. The M777 is in low-rate production while the army would like to field the NLOS-C in 2008 to replace the M109A6 Paladin 155mm self-propelled howitzer. Doug Mohney

Howitzer, Lightweight, Towed, 105mm M102

Howitzer, Lightweight, Towed, 105mm, M119A1

M777 155MM ULTRALIGHTWEIGHT FIELD HOWITZER


Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon (NLOS-C) and M109A6 Paladin SP 155mm

ping
I like that NLOS-C. If you wait until after the AWB sunset, you can get one with a bayonet lug.
It's amazing in this day and age to see artillery, but considering how much missiles cost to produce and maintain, with some careful thought it makes good sense. Artillery is accurate, cheap, air mobile, and flexible.
Great way to deliver a message of love 13 miles away!
My old unit was a light towed artillery unit using teh M119A1.
When I left, they were in the middle of the charlie foxtrot of the on paper at least switch to SP howitzers.
Some braniac higher up decided that light towed was dead.
Haven't heard much more about that, it seems currently that the switch is either in hiatus, halted, or canceled.
At either rate, the M119A1's are still at the armory.
(They had these neat lift handles added and a shield plate added for the hand brakes and fluid reservoir, and had been called 'A2' revision for some reason. ??? I dunno, didn't make sense to me to call that an A2 worthy revision change.)
I'm sure Kerry will cancel it.
I remember at the last Joint Fires Conference, Lock-Mart was pushing a 105mm solution with an enhanced HE round, claiming it was just as effective as the 155mm conventional round. The determination was that the 155mm round is 58% more effective against personnel and 82% more effective against materiel targets than the 105mm.
I'm wondering what happened to the 120mm mortar integration into the FA.
What?!
They said that a 105 could be just as effective as a 155?!
I gotta get whatever it was they were on.
It may help my short story fiction side hobby..
Kerry won't cancel it. He will never get that opportunity.
King of Battle Bump.
Check out the poster in #2.
Does not look like it is going to happen, keep them with the IN and AR anyway.
Yup go that and a few other older Arty Posters at the house.
Business Development at its finest!
Yikes.
Marketing gimmick at best..
*snort*
Looks like a potato gun.
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