The Ultralightweight Field Howitzer (UFH), designated M777 in the US, was selected to replace the existing inventory of M198 155mm towed howitzers by a joint US Army / Marine Corps initiative in 1997.
M777 howitzer A1 and A2 variants:
The M777 is the artillery system for the Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCT). The M777 is normally operated by a crew of eight men but can be operated with a reduced detachment of five.
The systems fitted with the digital fire control system are designated M777A1, and those with the software update that allows the firing of the Excalibur projectile, M777A2.
U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 12th Marines, 3d Marine Division, fire an M777 A2 Howitzer as part of Battalion Distributed Operations Course during Service Level Training Exercise 1-22 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, Oct. 13, 2021. 1st Battalion, 12th Marines demonstrated their ability to quickly emplace and respond, enabling 1st Battalion, 3d Marines to accomplish key objectives.
The 122-mm howitzer D-30 (GRAU index 2A18) is a Soviet howitzer that first entered service in 1960. It is a robust piece that focuses on the essential features of a towed field gun suitable for all conditions. The D-30 has a maximum range of 15.4 kilometers, or over 21 km using RAP ammunition.
With its striking three-leg mounting, the D-30 can be rapidly traversed through 360 degrees. Although no longer manufactured in the nations of the former Soviet Union, the D-30 is still manufactured internationally and is in service in more than 60 countries' armed forces.
The barrel assembly of the 2A18 gun is used by the 2S1 self-propelled howitzer. There are also Egyptian, Chinese, Serbian and Syrian self-propelled variants and conversions. The Syrian conversion utilizes the hull of a T-34 tank.
The M777 howitzer is a towed 155 mm, Ultralightweight Field Howitzer (UFH), designated M777 in the US, was selected to replace the existing inventory of M198 155mm towed howitzers by a joint US Army / Marine Corps initiative in 1997 and it is used by the ground forces of Australia, Canada, India, Saudi Arabia and the United States. It made its combat debut in the War in Afghanistan.
With a weight of 4,200 kg (9,300 lb), the M777 is 41% lighter than the 7,154 kg (15,772 lb) M198 howitzer it replaces. Much of the weight reduction is due to the extensive use of titanium. The M777 can be transported by helicopter sling-load, transporter aircraft such as the C-130, or towed by air-braked vehicles weighing over 2.5 tonnes (2.8 short tons), such as the FMTV and MTVR.
Specifications :
Mass : 4,200 kg (9,300 lb)
Length : 10.7 metres in deployed configuration or 9.5 metres in towed configuration
Barrel length : 5.08 m (16.7 ft)/L39
Travel : 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in)
Crew : 7+1
Shell : M107, M795, ERFB, M982
Caliber : 155 mm (6.1 in)
Carriage : Split trail
Elevation : 0° to +71.7°
Rate of fire :
- Normal: 2 rpm
- Maximum: 7 rpm
Muzzle velocity : Charge 8S: 827 m/s (2713.25 ft/s)
Effective firing range :
- M107: 24 km (14.9 mi)
- ERFB: 30 km (18.6 mi) base bleed
- M795: 28.7–37 km (17.8- 23 mi)
- Excalibur: 40 km (25 mi)
Battery of Finnish Army field artillery cannons model 130 K 54 fire into the target area where the cameras are waiting. Filmed during Army firing exercise in Rovajärvi, Lapland.
Panter is a 155mm towed artillery system developed by Turkey and introduced in 2003.
It fires NATO standard 155mm ammunition to a maximum range of 18km, extending to 30km with rocket assisted projectiles, and 40km with base bleed. Panter can fire a burst rate of 3 rounds in 15 seconds, a maximum rate of fire of 6 rpm, and a sustained rate of 3 rpm.
The gun detachment is six men. The carriage carries an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) which can move the gun as a dedicated mover up to 20km depending upon the surface.
T-155 Firtina
The Turkish T-155 Firtina is a 155mm self propelled howitzer based upon the South Korean K9 Thunderer.
It fires NATO standard 155mm ammunition to a maximum range of 30km, extending to 40km with rocket assisted projectiles. The T-155 Firtina is capable of multiple-round simultaneous-impact firing, delivering 3 rounds in 15 seconds. It has a maximum rate of fire of 6 rpm, with a sustained rate of 2 rpm.
The turret of the T-155 Firtina holds 48 rounds. It has a dedicated Ammunition Resupply Vehicle (ARV), Poyraz (based upon the South Korean K10 ARV.) The Poyraz ARV can carry up to 96 155 mm shells and is able to transfer 48 shells in 20 minutes.
Artillerymen from B Battery, 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery, 25th Infantry Division Artillery conduct Operation Bull Wings Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise (EDRE) at Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii, Jan. 21, 2021.
The EDRE is a no-notice, rapid-deployment exercise designed to test a unit's ability to alert, marshal, and deploy forces and equipment to an emergency disaster or for contingency operations.
The M777 howitzer is a towed 155 mm artillery piece. It succeeded the M198 howitzer in the United States Marine Corps and United States Army. The M777 is also used by the ground forces of Australia, Canada, India and Saudi Arabia. It made its combat debut in the War in Afghanistan.
With unparalleled tactical and strategic mobility, the battle-proven 39 caliber M777 sets the standard for modern, reliable fire support in the most hostile environments.
Mobile forces require quality systems that are quick and easy to transport. Initially developed for the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army as their next generation Medium Force weapon, the M777 has become the benchmark for 155mm Lightweight Towed Artillery Systems.
Highly portable by land, sea and air, the system features a minimal logistical footprint alongside maximum reliability. This means that it can be frequently moved and re-deployed, maximizing survivability, without encountering the IED risks faced by self-propelled systems. The M777 can strike over extended distances, regardless of terrain and obstacles.
To date, the M777 howitzer has been selected by U.S., Canadian, Australian, and Indian forces, with total orders currently exceeding 1,200.
The LG1 is a 105 mm towed howitzer designed and produced by GIAT Industries of France. The light towed weapon system was designed to be used by rapid deployment units, including the French rapid deployment forces (FAR). The prototype was developed in 1987, going into production in 1991.
Firing a unitary high-explosive fragmentation projectile it has a range of 11,680 metres with extended range ammunition reaching 17, 500 metres. The gun can be towed by lightweight all-terrain vehicles, moved by light helicopters, and four guns can be transported in a C-130 military transport aircraft.
The LG1 has been used with the Belgian Army, Canadian Army, Colombian National Army, Indonesian Marine Corps, Singapore Army, and the Royal Thai Army.
The FH70 was a towed 155mm calibre howitzer designed for the 1970s. It is also capable of being fitted with a VW engine and can also operate as a self-propelled gun over short distances. Now phased out with the UK in continues in use around the world. In 1963, NATO agreed a NATO Basic Military Requirement 39 for close support artillery, either towed or tracked. Subsequently, Germany and UK started discussions and design studies and in 1968 established agreed operational characteristics for a towed 155 mm close support gun. Italy became a party to the agreement in 1970.
Key requirements were:
- a detachable auxiliary power unit (APU)
- an unassisted range of 24 km and 30 km assisted
- a burst capability of 3 rounds in 15–20 seconds, 6 rounds per minute for a short period and 2 rounds per minute sustained
-be able to fire all 155 mm munitions in NATO service, plus a new range of ammunition.
The two national authorities had overall responsibility for R&D, and Vickers Ltd was the co-ordinating design authority. They were also the design authority for the carriage and Rheinmetall GmbH was the authority for the elevating mass, including the sights, and for the APU. There was a further breakdown at a more detailed level and production worksharing. The UK Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment (RARDE) was responsible for designing the HE projectile and the charge system. Germany was responsible for Smoke, Illuminating, Minelet and extended range HE, although development of the last two was not completed in the program.
The intention was for FH70 to replace the M114 155 mm howitzer and equip general support battalions in German divisional artillery regiments and to equip three (two Territorial Army (TA) British general support medium regiments replacing the 5.5-inch gun. In the event, it actually equipped UK regular regiments in direct support of infantry brigades until after the end of the Cold War, and only replaced the L118 light gun in two TA regiments, 100th (Yeomanry) Regiment Royal Artillery and 101st (Northumbrian) Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers) from 1992 to 1999.
The L118 Light Gun is a 105 mm towed howitzer. It was originally produced for the British Army in the 1970s and has been widely exported since, including to the United States, where a modified version is known as the "M119 howitzer".
The versatile 105mm light gun is used by the parachute and commando field artillery regiments of the British Army.
The light gun can be towed by a medium-weight vehicle or carried around the battlefield underslung by a Chinook helicopter.
Royal Artillery L118 light guns are fitted with an automatic pointing system (APS), which enables the gun to be unlimbered and in action in 30 seconds. APS is based on an inertial navigation system, operated via a touch screen, it replaces the traditional dial sight.
The light gun entered service with the British Army in 1976. The new weapon was heavier than its predecessor, but new and more capable helicopters such as the Puma and Westland Sea King, which could carry the new weapon, were entering service at the same time.
A new vehicle, the Land Rover 101 Forward Control ("Land Rover, one-ton"), was designed as the prime mover in the field for the light gun (and the Rapier air-defence missile launcher). Since the end of the 1990s, the British Army has used Pinzgauer ATVs as their gun tractors.
In Arctic service, and elsewhere, the gun is towed by the Hägglunds Bv 206 and is fitted with skis when over snow.
In 1982, the light gun saw use in the Falklands War. Five batteries (30 guns) were deployed to the Falkland Islands. During the final phases of the battles around Port Stanley, these guns were firing up to 400 rounds per gun a day, mostly at "charge super", the most powerful propellant charge for which they were designed. They were a significant factor in the British victory.
Since then, British forces have used the light gun in combat in the Balkans, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Artillery of the NATO "Spearhead Force" demonstrates firepower
Source: Bundeswehr
Missiles, mines, precision ammunition. Artillerists from Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway practise their combat capabilities by sharpshooting.
Four nations in one battalion. Under the aegis of the 325th artillery demonstration battalion, all soldiers belong to NATO’s spearhead VJTF (Very High Readiness Joint Task Force).
Their mission: to destroy the enemy as quickly as possible.
Every year since 1961, Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) gunners from all over Canada come together during Operation PALACI in Rogers Pass, British Columbia. Their job is to trigger avalanches using C3 105mm Howitzers in this vital choke-point in Canada’s transportation corridor.
These carefully planned artillery strikes are conducted to support the Parks Canada’s avalanche control program, which keeps the Trans-Canada Highway and the Canadian Pacific Railway safe from large, natural avalanches.
The C3 Howitzers have been modified and are positioned on one of the 16 specialized rings that line the narrow highway. Space is at a premium, with gun positions just large enough for the howitzers and their transport, surrounded by deep ravines and tall cedar and hemlock trees.
The tight space is why the C3 Howitzer is the weapon of choice in Rogers Pass. With two highly mobile detachments, the guns can be deployed at a moment’s notice, traffic halted, the guns put in place, rounds fired at any of the 300 predetermined avalanche trigger points, the roads cleared of snow and the pass re-opened in mere hours.
While safety is always paramount, speed and efficiency also rule this operation. With over 4,000 vehicles and up to 40 trains using Rogers Pass daily in the winter, traffic quickly builds up on either side of the pass in the designated holding areas that keep vehicles out of the 134 known slide areas. Such a complex dance of vehicles, weapons, ammunition and military and civilian personnel would not be possible without great communication and coordination.
