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US Army sets sights on matching the range of Russian howitzers

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The Koalitsiya-SV—Russia’s latest self-propelled howitzer—boasts a maximum firing range of 43 miles, more than double that of America’s M777 howitzer, but the U.S. Army has its sights set on evening the odds. The M777 howitzer is a current staple of U.S. Army light- and medium-weight combat brigades, and has been in use in its latest iteration since 2005. It has seen service in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and has proven to be a capable artillery platform. The weapon system is on a towed trailer that can be moved into position via a number of different military vehicles.

Although the M777 has proven reliable and accurate, the United States has shifted its sights away from combat operations against insurgent minority groups and back toward peer-level combat operations. As tensions with nations like China and Russia continue to surge, the U.S. is faced with the prospect of warfare against nations with similar or even superior equipment in some theaters—equipment like the Koalitsiya-SV.

The Koalitsiya-SV boasts a 152-millimeter howitzer mounted on a tank-like chassis. Its mobility and range could pose a significant threat to American forces in a potential future battlefield where current American howitzers would find themselves outmatched. As a result, the U.S. Army is nearing completion of the M777ER, with the ER standing for “extended range.”

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Comments

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  • Alex Hollings

    the latest M109s (some were paladins) weigh pretty close to 80,000 pounds, if memory serves. I'm pretty sure they can fire something like 4 rounds per minute - but not at a sustained rate. They can, however, plant and fire fairly quickly. They also require a larger crew than the Hawkeye system (by two soldiers). I think it's unlikely a system like this would replace the M109s - but there are situations where an 80,000 pound monster isn't the right gun for the fight.

  • Alex Hollings

    I don't see any way around that - if they're using rocket assist, the round must arrive with less mustard on its sandwich. I'd be interested to see if there was a way to incorporate the new M777ER howitzers into the recoil absorption system shown here. The result could be extended range and improved maneuverability... assuming the two would work together.

  • Jorda H

    So are we sacrificing power for range? Because those experimental rounds look like they have less explosive due to the rocket assist and they are filled with insensitive explosive.

  • Leaders Recon

    Heard Gen Wesley Clark refer to our military modernization as a program on 'warm idle.'... "We've done some research, we’ve looked at what we need. But we have not bought the stuff that is cutting-edge."

  • Jerry Sullivan

    Where does the Palladin mobile gun fit into this equation? Or does it? I'm not an arty guy, but I think the Palladin is a 175MM cannon with much more range... any clarification would be appreciated.