FReeper Canteen~Military Vehicles~May 11, 2006

Various Internet Sites

[AZamericonnie]

MILITARY VEHICLES

M109A6 Paladin Self Propelled Howitzer

The M109 is an American self-propelled 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. Continually upgraded and improved, to today's current version the M109A6 "Paladin", it is still the primary indirect-fire support weapon of maneuver brigades of armored and mechanized infantry divisions of the US Army, Israel Defense Forces, the Italian Army, and many other militaries, including the Norwegian, Swiss, Danish, Pakistani,Dutch and Austrian armies. ****

Army Spc. Frank Guerra prepares to fire rounds from a M109A6 Paladin artillery vehicle as part of a counter fire mission against insurgents near the town of Falluja, Iraq, on Nov. 5, 2004. Guerra is assigned to Alpha 382nd, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry. DoD photo by Senior Airman Christopher A. Marasky, U.S. Air Force. (Released)



Paladin M109A6 is a cannon artillery system developed by the Ground System Division of United Defense LP (now BAE Systems Land and Armaments) and manufactured at the Paladin Production Operation centre at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Paladin was first fielded in 1994 and is operational with the United States Army and the Israeli Army, and has been selected by the Kuwait and Taiwan. In June 1999, the US Army received the last of 950 Paladin M109A6 ordered. Seven systems were ordered in July 2000 for the US Army National Guard and a further 18 systems in January 2002.

Paladin was used in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March / April 2003 and in continuing operations in Iraq, including Operation Al Fajr in Fallujah in November 2004.

BAE Systems Land and Armaments is supplying 219 modification kits for US Army Paladins which will enable the use of the Modular Artillery Charge System (MACS) and the 155mm precision-guided extended-range XM92 Excalibur projectile being developed by Raytheon and Bofors Defense of Sweden (a United Defense subsidiary). Deliveries began in 2005.




(Exerpt) The eardrum shattering report of the Paladin rings out as the battery runs through one such registration fire mission. Spc. Ellery Villalobos, the ammunition team chief, stands a distance away from the vehicle, a red propellant bag slung over his shoulder. He waits. The look of excitement and shear joy mix on his face with the dirt and grime that flies back with each round expelled. BOOOOOM fires the gun and Villalobos is sprinting towards it with a new round to load up.

“HOOOOOAH!,” he shouts as he sprints back throwing another propellant charge over his shoulder in anticipation. “This is what being artillery is all about! COME ON GUYS! LET’S GO! GET THAT ROUND DOWN RANGE!”


The M284 cannon which is fitted with an M182 gun mount, has a range of 24 km using unassisted rounds or 30 km using assisted rounds.




Big gun go boom!

Model Type: GAW M109A6 "Paladin"
Vehicle Type: Self Propelled Howitzer
Crew: Four (Driver, Gunner, Loader, and Commander).

M.D.C. by Location: [1] Tractor Treads (2): 45 each
Howitzer Turret: 140
Howitzer Barrel: 70
12.7 mm Machine Gun (right side of turret): 20
[2] Main Body: 280

Notes:
[1] Depleting the M.D.C. of a tread will immobilize the Howitzer until it is replaced. Replacing a tread will take 1D6x10 minutes by a trained crew (2 replacements are carried on board) or three times as long by the inexperienced. Changing the tread is only advisable when the vehicle is not under attack. [2] If all the M.D.C. of the main body is depleted, the vehicle is completely shut down and is unsalvageable.

Speed:
Ground: Cruising speed on land is 35 mph (56.3 kph) on roads and 30 mph (48.3 kph) off road maximum. The vehicle is designed to traverse virtually all terrain and can climb at up to a 60% grade although at a much slower speed (About 10% of maximum road speed). It can also climb barriers and ford trenches. The vehicle can also handle side slopes of up to 30%. Maximum Range: 213.7 miles (344 km)

Statistical Data:
Height: 9.2 feet (2.8 meters) without machine mount and 10.6
feet (3.236 meters) including machine gun mount
Width: 10.3 feet (3.15 meters)
Length: 20.3 feet (6.19 meters) for main body and 32.2 feet (9.8 meters) with gun forward:
Weight: 26 tons (23.6 metric tons) empty and 31.7 tons (28.74 metric tons) combat loaded
Power Source: Diesel Engine (Detroit Diesel Model 8V-71T developing 440 horsepower).
Cargo Capacity: Minimal, enough for equipment with crew Black Market Cost: 175,000 Credits. If fitted, any extra weapons systems will add to the cost of the Howitzer.






~Tribute To Our Troops~

[EsmeraldaA]

Nothing that special. I have to work all day and it will be a very busy day.
I will have to wait till Sunday.....;o)

[luvie]

Good evening Mayor! Hope you are having a great week. I met your "neighbor", NYTexan, and traveled all over the heart of Texas with him, and he is soooooo nice!

Thanks for our beautiful lesson from God's Word!

[EsmeraldaA]

Thank you, I will try! ;o)

[luvie]

Well, sometimes waiting makes it even better. Sorry you have to work. With my schedule, I was able to take off for mine, and I was thankful.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Emergency shutdown of all computers at work....A/C went down, net slow all day, crawling to just about stopped. Temps, with multiple fans, 90 and rising in the equipment room. Couldn't print checks.

Come home, NO INTERNET!!! Call.....the "voice" says, "If you are experiencing internet difficulties, unplug the modem, count to 20, and plug it back in". Voila!! Back online.

Off to learn how to make jukeboxes. Back in a bit.

[luvie]

Great thread, Connie! The howitzer is some awesome fire-power. Thanks for your hard work.

[luvie]

Have fun learning jukeboxes. I guess I'm in line for that, too. I hope my brain doesn't explode! LOL!

[luvie]

Evening Acad! Great music. How was the weather in your area last night when the tornadoes were swirling around Oklahoma and north Texas?

[luvie]

Evenin' MY! Everything back to normal now? Did ya get any of that bad weather? Hope not. Missing you..and all the others.

Talked to NYT. He was in Indy and had lousy weather most day. I thank God that he got there safely. He had just ordered a burger for dinner! LOL! Bet Chancie gets a bite of it.

[ConorMacNessa]

Great thread!

[mylife]

That tornadoe was weird.
jus t one red dot on the radar screen, the rest of the radar was completely clear!

It was prolly 45 mi north of me.
Dead calm here though

[mylife]

I bet Chancie misses us with all the leftovers L0L

[Radix]

"I'll just be a sec, Lt......I left my license in my other pair of pants."

OMG,,I don't even want to tell you how many times I took an Army truck home to my German apartment just because I needed a "few things."

I realize now the true meaning of a "Field Grade Article 15." I must have been out of my mind.

Funnier still, cuz that house looks similar to the one I lived in back in those days. I sheite you not. I'll upload a picture to prove it when I get the time.

[luvie]

Hmmmmm...that was strange. I am very thankful that it wasn't in your area...and very thankful that NYT got out of that area early in the day and didn't have to try to drive through it. Sheesh!

[NYTexan]

Not so sure, The other night I offered him some of that chicken fried steak and he puked right in front of me! LOL, what a mess!

[luvie]

You KNOW he does! LOL! He was gonna get fat from all the stuff he was getting fed.

[mylife]

Narf!

[BIGLOOK]

Gotcha!

[EsmeraldaA]

Apparently (I was just told) I only have to decide what kind of food I want.
Decisions.......hehehe

[EsmeraldaA]

99..again?