ALC M7 Priest

     Notes:  Though this vehicle was officially named the Sherman Fire Support Vehicle, the name “Priest” was given to it by British crews who looked at its pulpit-like commander’s station, and after similar commander’s stations on their Bishop and Deacon SP Artillery.  Based on the chassis of the M4 Sherman series, the M7 has no turret, an open top, and mounts a 105mm howitzer instead of more normal Sherman armament.  It is, however, a sort of a kludge, mounted on a chassis not meant to be carrying such a weapon to give it a measure of mobility in a war that was becoming more and more mobile. It was sort of a “Let’s start with a Sherman, than add a howitzer, lop off the top, leave it open…” and such.  Such a design genesis had worked with British guns and some Canadian gun, based on M3 Lee and Grant chassis.  And the Americans needed that more mobile was discovered to be needed yesterday, in the Sicilian campaign, and they didn’t need SPHs armed with and firing British ordnance, i.e., not in the US supply chain.  With no dedicated SPH design available that could be put into action almost immediately, the Priest was settled upon for US units.  While the first Priests were sent to US Army units in North Africa, they were based on M3 Lee main battle tanks, supply was soon diverted to the Lend-Lease program and to Britain.  They had their own teething problems with them, and ended up replacing their guns with British-made ordnance. Two iterations of these early Priests went through in less than three months, and then the base hull was changed to the M4 Sherman tank. Though it may seem that there was a lot of internal space (if open-topped); however, most of this space was reserved for the backstroke of the gun, which was not well-bufferred.

     The Priest was, like the Sherman, widely exported, but by 2000, remained in service only by Yugoslavia, Israel (in a reserve role), and some South American and Southeast Asian countries.

     The M7 Priest proved to be so ubiquitous that most US Army posts have one parked in front of their museums, or at their parks of main gates.  There is a similar mounting in front of most Israeli armor and former West German armor museums.

 

The M7 – the Original Priest

     The US Army needed mobile heavy artillery and it needed it yesterday, As the M3 Lee was being quickly supplanted with the M4 Sherman, this was seen as a vehicle which could be modified and altered (in and off the production line) to produce a semi-ad hoc self-propelled howitzer.  In order to maintain a low silhouette, the gun’s elevation was limited to 35 degrees, which effectively gave the gun less than 75% of the range that the howitzer was actually capable of delivering.  Some 800 of these versions were produced, though many were built for the British under the Lend-Lease program.  As construction and modification work went on, the M7 acquired more and more M4 components, starting with the suspension, to the primary fighting compartment incorporating more and more cast steel.  The British made an ad hoc FDC version of the M7, in which 24 rounds for the main gun were replaced with radio equipment and a radio operator.  An early modification to the M7 allowed the M7 to greatly-modify it’s ammunition storage, increasing main gun round carriage dramatically. The engine is the Wright R975 EC2 developing 340 horsepower and with manual transmission. The driver was on a front right sponson, looking through the face of the sponson with one vision block to his front and one to his left side.

 

Other Sherman-Based Priests

     The introduction of the M7B1 completed the move to the Sherman chassis, specifically the M4A3.  The engine was replaced with a higher-producing one of the same type, developing 400 horsepower. The turret was removed and the gun installed into this space, with the pulpit-like commander’s station next to the gun installation on the right.  Continual unsolved problems with the limited elevation (and lack of depression) of the main gun reared its head.  These Priests began delivery in Sep 1943.

     In the Korean War, the lack of elevation and deflection flexibility finally became a serious issue in North Korea’s rough terrain and deep valleys.  The poor depression (roughly +5 degrees) could not be fixed, but the maximum elevation was increased dramatically to +65 degrees.  In addition, the commander’s station was increased in height to the point that it has a 360-degree field of fire, and could fire almost straight up.  This was the M7B2.

     The M7 was also used has the basis for an FDC vehicle, which was meant to be used with units equipped with the M7.  These essentially the same as the later Defrocked Priests, and like them, received no official designation.  Instead of a large number of troops, they were equipped with two long-range, two mediuMrange, and two short-range vehicular radios.  (And that was in the days when most vehicular radios were huge.)  The FDC also carried 10 field telephones, enough to be connected to each gun in the battery plus a couple of spares.  Though it had no howitzer, it did carry more ammunition for its machinegun.  A large number of equipment to plot and aim fire and produce fire missions was also carried.  The FDC variant was equipped with bows and a tarp to cover the FDC section in the rear; this tended to make the FDC a target and was often not used.

 

The “Defrocked Priest”

     During the Allied effort to capture Caen and during the breakout from the Normandy beaches, moving troops under protection became for a short time more important than moving howitzers.  To this end, the howitzer, ammo racks, fuze storage…essentially everything that made the Priest an SPH, was removed and troops piled into the rear.  The fronts were fitted with Cullen devices and they were used as assault personnel carriers.  No additional vision blocks, firing ports, or doors were installed, just climb on the thing and go. They were later converted back to their SP howitzer configurations.  They never received an official US Army designation, but were usually called “Defrocked Priests,” “Unfrocked Priests” or “Holy Rollers”  Most of the modifications were actually produced by Canadian engineers, and most of them were in fact used by the 2nd Canadian Division and the British 51st Highland Division, as they were meant to take the brunt of the German resistance on Sword and Gold Beaches, and later in the push inland after the landings.

     The Canadians saw this modification and ran with it, producing the Kangaroo APC. (This will be found in Canadian APCs.)

 

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

M7 (Early)

$201,324

G, A

500 kg

22.67 tons

5

17

Headlights

Open

M7 (Late)

$237,845

G, A

425 kg

22.97 tons

6

19

Headlights

Open

M7 FDC

$61,760

G, A

468 kg

22.8 tons

7

21

Headlights

Open

M7B1

$231,832

G, A

425 kg

22.97 tons

6

19

Headlights

Open

M7B2

$240,376

G, A

425 kg

22.98 tons

6

16

Headlights

Open

“Defrocked Priest”

$38,793

G, A

1.76 tons

21.64 tons

2+12

14

Headlights

Open

 

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

M7 (Early)

125/88

35/24

662

149

Stnd

T4

HF8  HS5  HR4

M7 (Late)

125/88

35/24

662

152

Stnd

T4

HF8  HS5  HR4

M7 FDC

126/88

35/25

662

189

Stnd

T4

HF8  HS5  HR4

M7B1/M7B2

140/98

39/27

677

178

Stnd

T4

HF8  HS5  HR4

“Defrocked Priest”

131/91

36/25

662

152

Stnd

T4

HF8  HS5  HR4

 

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

M7 (Early)

Nil

None

105mm M1A2 L/22 Howitzer, M2HB (C)

57x105mm, 1000x .50

M7 (Late)/M7B1

Nil

None

105mm M1A2 L/22 Howitzer, M2HB (C)

69x105mm, 1000x .50

M7 FDC

Nil

None

M2HB (C)

1000x.50

M7B2

Nil

None

105mm M1A2 L/22 Howitzer, M2HB (C)

45x105mm, 1000x .50

“Defrocked Priest”

Nil

None

M2HB (C)

2000x.50

 

Cadillac M44

     Notes:  This elderly self-propelled howitzer dates from US use in the early 1950s.  It went out of US service in 1962, but as of 2000 was still being used by Greece, Jordan, Spain, and Taiwan.  Turkey also used them, but these were upgraded in the 1980s to the M44T standard (see Turkish Self-Propelled Artillery).  Many were also used by Italy, but most of these ended up as range targets after their service was complete. They were widely disseminated, and can be found in a number of museum and private collections. The chassis is that of the M41 Walker Bulldog light tank; instead of a turret, the M44 was fitted with a large open-topped superstructure which allowed the designers to simplify the design as well as lower the silhouette and reduce the costs of the vehicle. The M44 replaced the World War Two M41 155mm Howitzer Motor Carriage.

     The US Army looked at the prototypes and blueprints, and were enthusiastic about the new vehicle, and 250 were built even before type-standardization was applied; these 250 vehicles were provisionally called T99E1s.  In field-testing, however, a plethora of problems rapidly became apparent. The T99E1 attempted to use as much of the M41’s chassis as possible, to simply production and logistics.  However, the engine, originally under the crew compartment, proved to make the vehicle too high in silhouette.  The five roadwheels of the M41 chassis became six,, with the track idler being deleted and the front roadwheel doing double duty as a roadwheel/track idler.  The engine was therefore relocated to the front, which incidentally allowed for s smaller profile while still having a fully-enclosed superstructure.  This led to a new problem – exhaust fumes from the engine made it into the crew compartment, along with the more substantial fumes from firing the gun.  The problem with these fumes was essentially never solved; instead, the roof was removed from the superstructure became open-topped.  This resulted in the T149, which, after all T99E1s were rebuilt,, became the M44.

     The M45 L/23 gun has much shorter range than normal NATO standard 155mm howitzers but can fire most 155mm rounds.  Again, the short gun was used to lighten the vehicle and simplify the design. The driver was in the front of the superstructure; indeed, all crewmembers were in the superstructure. The M45 was a variant of the M114 used on the M41 HMC, modified to dramatically reduce recoil forces of the gun. To aid in reloading, the rear had a round lifter, which took the round from the ground to the reloading door in the rear.  The commander’s position was on the front right superstructure corner, and he has a pintle-mounted weapon mounted on a manually-rotating cupola.  The rest of the crew was deeper in the superstructure with vision blocks and sights for both direct and indirect fire; the gunner is on the front right, while the loaders are in the left rear.  Traverse within the superstructure was very narrow; and 30 degrees to the left or right.  Elevation, on the other hand, was from -5 to +65 degrees.

     The M44’s binary powerpack was in the front of the vehicle.  The engine was a gasoline-fueled AOSI-895-3 engine, developing 450 horsepower, and hooked to a manual transmission.  The engine and transmission were also capable of exceptional torque, improving off-road performance.  Steering is by a simple T-bar, with a gas, brake, and clutch pedal. The M44A1 used a variant of this engine, the AOSI-895-5, which used fuel injection and increased fuel efficiency, and developed 500 horsepower.

     The British Army called the M44 the Cardinal.

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

T99E1

$272,791

 

710 kg

29 tons

5

23

Headlights

Enclosed

M44

$267,591

G, A

750 kg

28.35 tons

5

23

Headlights

Open

M44A1

$262,722

G, A

780 kg

28.05 tons

5

23

Headlights

Open

 

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

T99E1

129/91

36/25

568

202

Stnd

T4

HF9  HS4  HR2*

M44

131/92

36/26

568

200

Stnd

T4

HF9  HS4  HR2*

M44A1

142/100

40/28

568

222

Stnd

T4

HF9  HS4  HR2*

 

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

M44 (Both)/T99E1

None

Basic

155mm M45 L/23 Howitzer, M2HB (C)

24x155mm, 900x.50

 

Cadillac M52

     Notes:  These ancient self-propelled howitzers were still being used by Greece, South Korea, and Spain at the turn of the century.  Turkey upgraded their M52s to the M52T standard in the late 1980s and early 1990s (see Turkish Self-Propelled Artillery).  Their original purpose in the US Army was to replace the M7 Priest and M37 105mm HMC.  The M52 saw extensive use by the US and ARVN during the American involvement in the Vietnam War. Though development began in 1951, there were repeated developmental problems and delays and first issue did not take place until 1955. The vehicle is in a large part similar to the M44, but it has a partially-rotating turret instead of a fixed, open superstructure.  The M52 was a contemporary of the M44; in fact, though design work began on the M52 almost a year earlier than the M44.  However, the turret was difficult to get right and field testing did not take place until 1955, two years later than the M44.

     The M52 was based on components of the M41 Walker Bulldog light tank, though it does not use the full chassis. The M52 has a large turret at the rear of the chassis, with a non-rotating cupola at the front left of the turret for the driver.  He has all-around vision blocks and a hatch with an adjustable-height seat.  He also has a two-piece hatch to his left. The gunner is on the right side of the turret and has a hatch to his right with a vision block in it.  The hatchway is small and the hatch is more to receive instructions than for anything else.  The gunner’s primary sights are indirect fire sights and a x4 telescopic sight with a 10-degree field of view. At the rear of the turret to the right is the commander’s cupola.  The cupola has all-around vision blocks and a sight allowing him to look for air threats while the vehicle is buttoned up.  He has a pintle-mounted machinegun. The cupola is found at the right rear of the turret, unlike most turreted armored vehicles. In Vietnam, a machinegun mount was often mounted by the loader’s hatch, and machinegun ammunition load increased to whatever could be shoehorned in. At the rear of the turret are a two-piece circular hatchway and a rectangular two-piece hatch below it; these are for crew entry and ammunition resupply.  The gun can be depressed to -10 degrees or elevated to +65 degrees.  The turret faces forward and may be turned up to 60 degrees to the right or left. The ammo is positioned in the vehicle with a set of 21 ready-use rounds; the rest is usually kept in the packing crates on the floor of the turret and in the area behind the turret ring. Resupply is done via a large door on either side of the turret. The gun is a 105mm gun designated M49 and has slightly better optics for aiming. than the M44’s gun.

     The M52 was originally supposed to have an “ultimate” fire control, but funding was cut and this was replaced in development with a more basic fire control system.   The fancy fire control system was also seen as contrary to the spirit of the program, which led to several vehicles being built on the same basic chassis.  The hull is in fact quite similar to the M44’s hull, though the M52 has a fully-enclosed turret instead of an open superstructure.  The M52 uses the same supercharged gasoline engine that the M44 version uses; this was also updated to the fuel-injection system of the M44A1 during development, and the new engine develops 500 horsepower. The M52 also has a 1kW APU, powered by gasoline.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Greek M52s were given a unit award in 2001 during the Twilight War for their dogged defense of the 2-9 Salient near Sparta.

   The M52 was the first US SPH that was designated “Self-Propelled Howitzer” rather than “Gun, Howitzer Carriage.”

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

M52

$355,808

G, A

750 kg

24.5 tons

5

21

Headlights

Enclosed

M52A1

$356,793

G, A

750 kg

25.2 tons

5

21

Headlights

Enclosed

 

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

M52

145/102

40/28

659

251

Stnd

T4

TF5  TS3  TR3  HF6  HS3  HR2

M52A1

154/108

43/30

659

278

Stnd

T4

TF5  TS3  TR3  HF6  HS3  HR2

 

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

M52

None

Basic

105mm M49 L/30 Howitzer, M2HB (C)

102x105mm, 900x.50

M52A1

+1

Basic

105mm M49 L/30 Howitzer, M2HB (C)

102x105mm, 900x.50

 

FMC M107

     Notes:  This self-propelled howitzer was developed in the 1950s at the same time as the M110 203mm SP howitzer.  The M110 was to be the lighter brother to the M110. It has been long phased out of service in most armies that once used them, including the US, but in 2000 was still being used by Greece (converted to M110A2), Iran, Israel, and South Korea.  They were used by a dozen countries, including both the US Army and Marines. (Modern-day Vietnam does not actively use the M107, but keeps some captured during the Vietnam was in working order.) The vehicle is normally accompanied by a drove of M548 tracked load carriers or (later) M992 FAASVs, carrying the ammunition and 8 members of the gun crew.  The M108 had one of the longest effective ranges of all Cold War howitzers. Combat use was limited to US forces in Vietnam and the IDF. (The IDF calls the M107 the Romach.) The M578 is also based on the M107 and M110 chassis.  Most M110s were eventually modified into M110A2’s, as the designs are modular; on a few occasions, M110s were re-modified back to M107A1s.

     The chassis is the same as used on the M110, but like the rest of the vehicle, the gun hasn’t been produced since 1980, and parts for it are getting hard to find except in countries actively using them.  The gun is carried on top of the chassis of the vehicle; it’s 175mm L/60 gun is hard-hitting and satisfyingly long-ranged. The mounting unfortunately gives no protection to the crew from small arms fire or artillery splinters; to remedy this, a tubular framework was issued with the vehicle that could be erected around the firing position; over which Kevlar shields are placed.  Most of the time, these were considered too cumbersome and difficult to use, and they were typically left strapped to the side of the vehicle or abandoned in the rear areas.  Without these shields, the turret armor value from all directions is 0 for the crew or 1 for the gun.

     The M107 is powered by a 450-horsepower supercharged General Motors 8V71T diesel, with a semi-automatic transmission.  The M107 was not heavy for SP artillery of the time, and it won speed records at the time of its introduction; in fact, with the barrel removed and packed beside the M107 on the same pallet, it could be airdropped The engine is on the right front, and the driver is on the front right deck; he is the only crewmember under armor.  The commander’s position is opposite the driver on the front right deck.  Behind them are seats for three members of the crew.  At the rear is the gun and a large stabilizing spade which raises and lowers depending whether the gun is in or out of action. (Firing without the spade lowered is right out!)  The M107 was fairly quick for its time, and was one of the first self-propelled howitzers to in and out of action fast enough to use the then-new shoot-and-scoot technique. (An M107 recorded a speed of 80 kph in Germany in the 1970s; however, this speed run did break a torsion bar.)

     The gun and only armament is a 175mm M113 howitzer.  The gun tube is so long that the gun is mounted at the very rear of the hull to counterbalance it.  The early-model M107 had an L30 barrel, but this was found inadequate and the standard barrel length became L/60.At the rear are two elevators for the shells and charges; the same charges are used for the M107 as for the M110.  The elevators include a device to insert the shell and charges in line with the breech, where a power rammer takes over. When US and some other countries’ M107s reached their service lives, most were turned into M110A2s; this was an easy conversion.  The M113 gun had a long range, but is notoriously inaccurate at ranges longer than Long range (to put it in game terms).  If an M113 gun fires at longer ranges, triple scatter ranges.  It is also notoriously difficult to load quickly, with 1 rpm being the maximum burst rate.  The M113 gun has a minimum depression of -2 degrees, and a maximum elevation of +65 degrees.  Deflection, however, is limited to 30 degrees in either direction, from the front. The crew includes three gunners, but the 8 loaders are carried in the accompanying vehicles. Special steel alloy is used to lighten the gun barrel without sacrificing strength.  However, it was not as strong as advertised; in Vietnam, barrels with supposed design lifetimes of 1000 rounds tended to last a maximum of 428 rounds. The M107A1 was therefore designed, with a new M113A1 gun that corrected the early-wear problem; essentially, the M107 has what would be considered a bull barrel with a stainless steel bore.

     The M107 was poorly-protected, and took heavy losses in Vietnam from suicide raids by infantry, Viet Cong, and combat engineers.  The IDF has considerable success, however, at destroying SA-2 SAM sites from long range. IDF experience, and the effect of being outranged by artillery rockets, led to a new family of base-bleed and ERFB ammunition for the M107.

     Note that while the M107 is capable of direct fire. Actual direct fire shots are quite difficult due to the cumbersomeness of the vehicle and gun.  In addition, there are no dedicated antivehicle rounds available for the M107, nor are there defensive rounds like Beehive rounds are made for the M107.

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

M107 (Early)

$146,692

G, A

940 kg

27.61 tons

5 (+8)

23

Headlights

Enclosed

M107 (Standard)

$213,217

G, A

800 kg

28.17 tons

5 (+8)

24

Headlights

Enclosed

M107A1

$191,272

G, A

1.01 tons

24.74 tons

5 (+8)

21

Headlights

Enclosed

 

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor*

M107 (Early)

134/94

37/26

1137

251

Stnd

T4

TF1  TS1  TR1  HF4  HS2  HR2

M107 (Standard)

132/92

37/26

1137

251

Stnd

T4

TF1  TS1  TR1  HF4  HS2  HR2

M107A1

145/101

40/28

1137

251

Stnd

T4

TF1  TS1  TR1  HF4  HS2  HR2

 

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

M107 (Early)

None

None

175mm M113 L/30 Howitzer

2x175mm

M107/M107A1

None

None

175mm M113 L/60 Howitzer

2x175mm

*Kevlar Sheets may be erected on a frame to protect the gunners and loaders, giving a turret AV of 2 on all sides.

 

Cadillac M108

     Notes:  This elderly self-propelled howitzer is still being used by Brazil, Spain, Taiwan, and Turkey. The only combat service seen by the M108 is in the Vietnam War, where it was used by the US.  Though it had an excellent combat record, after the Vietnam War, NATO felt that the M109 was better for employment with NATO forces.  The M108 was specifically designed to replace the M52 SPH above.

     The M108 uses components also used by several armored vehicles, including the turret of the M109 and some of the suspension of the M113 APC. Components from the M107 comprise the primary chassis. It uses the M103 L/30 105mm howitzer; the M108 was meant to be the light component of the US’s SP howitzer fleet, and at the time, bridged the gap between 120/4.2” mortars and the 155mm howitzer. Nonetheless, the warhead of a 120/4.2” mortar is comparable to a 105mm round, and they became superfluous with the introduction of the M109.  The gun is capable of extreme elevation and depression, with a depression of -6 degrees and an elevation of an astounding +75 degrees. (HEAT rounds were devised to take advantage of the low depression, making direct fire effective.)  The chemical rounds present a special problem; their range is short enough that firing into a headwind could contaminate friendly positions, and the M108 has no NBC protection.  It’s aluminum armor is decent for such a vehicle, but there are no anti-spall liners. On the whole, the M108 looks a bit lumpish, being flat on all sides of the chassis and a squat turret mounted at the rear of the chassis.

     The driver has a hatch on the front left deck, the commander and gunner have hatches on the turret roof, and there are large doors on either side of the turret and in the rear of the turret for ammunition loading.  It is amphibious with preparation (takes 9 minutes) through inflatable bags that attach to the hull above the tracks.  Power is provided by a Detroit Diesel 8V71T supercharged diesel, derated to 426 horsepower due to the lighter weight than the M108 and to help conserve fuel. However, the M108 was one of the first US armored vehicles to be equipped with an automatic transmission. In Vietnam, crews were normally equipped with several M14s or M16s, a plethora of fragmentation grenades, and an M20A1B1 Super Bazooka rocket launcher.  However, these were not standard issue and are included in the entry below.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$314,847

D, A

500 kg

21 tons

5

15

Passive IR (D, G)

Enclosed

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

150/105

42/29/4

511

150

Trtd

T4

TF8  TS4  TR4  HF10  HS3  HR3

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+1

Basic

105mm M103 L/30 Howitzer, M2HB (C)

87x105mm, 600x.50

 

BMY M109

     Notes: The M109 is, essentially, a progressive upgrade of the M108; they use the same chassis and a modified version of the M108’s turret..  The M109 was used, in its various iterations, by nearly 50 countries; most of these have been upgraded to various degrees, especially in the gun length.  Most countries which originally used the M1209 are still using them, The M109A6 Paladin is a highly-modified version which will be covered in the next entry. With the cancellation of the XM2001 Crusader program, the M109A6 and other marks of the M109 remains the primary SP howitzer of some 25 of those 50 countries. Many have license agreements to allow them to produce M109s at home and modify them as needed; perhaps the greatest upgrades have been done by the South Koreans. Several European countries are either going their own way with a variety of SP howitzers, especially the AS-90.

 

M109: The Original

    The original M109 was essentially a straightforward gun upgrade of the M108.  It began deployment in 1963 and saw its first combat use by the US Army in Vietnam.  It was, at the time of its development, essentially a heavy version of the M108 above. It has a short L/23 M284 155mm howitzer, tipped with a large double-baffle muzzle brake,  It can fire basic NATO rounds (though not the more advanced rounds such as BB, RAP, Smart, and suchlike).The driver is, as on the M108, The turret has two large doors, one on each side; large ammunition loading doors in the rear (which allow replenishment from a ground pile via conveyor belts, from a resupply vehicle via conveyor belts, or by hand via conveyor belt.  The M109, as all members of the series, can feed from the M992 FAASV resupply vehicle.  M109 is able to fire while being resupplied, and also normally carries one conveyor belt, while the support vehicle carry one or two apiece.  An additional, small ramp is found below the ammunition resupply doors, for crew ingress and egress; it is also used for resupply.

     The gun of the M109 has two telescopic sights, an indirect fire telescope and gear, and night vision in case direct fire is necessary. Like the M108, the M109 is capable of extreme elevation and deflection.  The commander has a cupola with all-around vision blocks and is manually-rotating.  The commander is equipped with a heavy machinegun on a pintle, but as this is considered defensive armament, little ammunition is provided for it. Power is produced by a derated 8V71T developing 406 horsepower, which makes the M109 slightly underpowered.

 

M109A1/M109A1B

     The M109s were quickly upgraded to use an L/30 howitzer; these were designated M109A1.  New production M109A1 were designated M109A1B.  The M109A1B was intended as a kit for countries using the M109, and not for domestic use. The M109A1B also had several electrical and mechanical upgrades, and improved the night vision situation. Both vehicles included a computer, very primitive by today’s standard, which was analog-based and helped compute fire solutions.

 

M109A2/M109A3/M109A3B

     The primary modification in the M109A2 was the installation of an L/39 M186 cannon.  The sights and night vision heads are now armor protected. Some 27 Reliability, and Maintainability (RAM) mid-life improvements were applied to the engine, transmission, suspension, and electrical system.  The travel lock is counterbalanced to account for the weight of the longer gun. Stowage of rounds was increased.  The M109A3 is an M109A1 upgraded to M109A2 standards; the M109A3B is an M109A1B upgraded to the same standard. A 10kW APU was added for power when the engine is switched off.

 

M109A4

     The M109A2s and A3s were further upgraded in the early 1980s to give them NBC resistance, including anti-radiation cladding and an NBC overpressure system with a vehicular NBC backup. A heater was also added, as well as an engine preheater for starting in cold climate.  The clutch for turret rotation was changed to hydraulic, though overall operation was still electrical.  An additional hydraulic filter was added.  The night vision suite was also strengthened. A mechanical loader was added, along with a manual rammer, easing somewhat reloading.  A GPS system was installed, as well as a mapping module and a ruggedized, compact computer for use in computing fire solutions as well as having software to view and carry all applicable FMs, TOs, TBs, and other manuals. The computer also allows partial diagnosing of vehicle or ordnance problems, when used by a mechanic with the proper equipment. A second long-range radio was added, and all of these are secure radios.

 

M109A5/M109A5+

     The main gun was replaced by an improved, longer-lasting M284 howitzer in an M182 mount.  This new gun allowed the M109A5 to fire any sort of 155mm in the Western or Chinese arsenals.  Some 30 kilometers can be achieved with RAP munitions.  Another major modification was the upgrade of the engine to a 440-horspower 8V71T supercharged diesel engine; this is an uprated version of the engines of previous M109s.M109A5s are often seen with appliqué of ERA on the front hull, glacis, vehicle sides, turret sides and front, and about the forward one third of the turret.  They also often have a solid steel plate for mine protection. Eight smoke grenade launchers have been added, a cluster on each turret corner.  One of the big improvements in the M109A5 is that most of the components have been made modular, making further upgrades easy.  It has an embedded GPS system, limited self-surveying and a limited ability to function as its own FDC, though fire will be inaccurate (double scatter distances). The M109A5 has air conditioning and heating, including NBC filters.  The fire control system includes onboard ballistic computing and automatic weapon pointing, which slews the turret and elevates or depresses the gun automatically to acquire the target (roughly; fine adjustments must be made by the gunner). The M109A5 also has a vehicle state system, though not a full BMS. Finally, there is a slave receptacle allowing the M109A5 to be powered by the generator aboard the M99A2 FAASV, and vice versa.

     Various manufacturers, most notably IWI and BAe, have applied further upgrades to the M109A5; these are sometimes known as “M109A5.5s” or “M109A5+s.” Upgrades include a power rammer, an autoloader, improved direct-fire sights, and computers that allow the M109A5+ to more fully integrate with the FDC.  One computer is connected to the radio, allowing fire coordinates to be inputted directly into the gun, giving it a rough set of coordinates which are to be sharpened by the crew.  The GPS has been backed up by an inertial navigation system, as many of the places in target countries do not have reliable connections with GPS satellites. Equipment includes appropriate earlier upgrades as well as a 30-liter tank of drinking water, an air conditioner, and a 13kW APU. Storage space for personal items is…well not ample, but more than the M109A5, with any sort of empty space being used for crew and personal gear.  Thusfar, the M109A5+ has been exported only to Chile and Brazil, but IWI and BAe continue to market these upgrades, and claim that they can update an original M109 into an M109A5+.

 

Foreign Modifications to the M109

     Various countries have made modifications to their M109. For the most part, this was limited to changes in label languages. Some, however, were much larger and comprehensive upgrades.  These are listed below,

 

Ruag M109 KAWEST

     This Swiss version of the M109 uses howitzers taken from a new design for a land-based gun, the Bison Fortress gun.  The gun is L/47, and the KAWEST includes ECCM, vertically-firing flares and chaff in addition to normal smoke grenades. The KAWEST has more ammunition storage than most M109s. The KAWEST is equipped with ECCM and radio jamming capability, as well as integral navigation and an interface system for the commander and driver. Though it is not equipped with GPS, it is equipped with an inertial navigation which is very accurate in interpreting the KAWEST’s travels, and it can almost always find the way and its position. The KAWEST is therefor able to operate in a limited manner as its own FDC, though this is somewhat inaccurate and scatter distance is doubled at long range. The new autoloader includes a telescoping rammer, easing the loaders’ work, and allowing a burst rate of 3 rounds in 15 seconds for one minute. The mechanical loader has been upgraded to a semiautomatic autoloader. The gun is positioned using gunner’s input and an automatic ring laser gyroscope. The rounds and charges are contained in a magazine in the rear of the turret; this compartment is separated from the turret by a blastproof door and is equipped with blow-out panels. The gun has an automatic travel lock which engages at a command by the driver.

     The KAWEST has an upgraded electrical system, including a new alternator which is 80% more effective than the unit it replaced.  This replaces the existing M109 electrical system, and exceeds the NATO standard for the M109, and indeed, most NATO vehicles. The KAWEST can use the US STE-ICE diagnostic system. The KAWEST has a similar computer suite similar to the M109A5+.The batteries in the vehicle have been improved, and the among of batteries has been doubled. It includes an uprated 450-horspower 8V71T supercharged diesel engine.  The KAWEST Update includes a 12 kW APU for operation with the engine off; this APU can also provide power to up to two resupply conveyor belts. The KAWEST has a multichamber fire detection and fire/explosion system which operates in a separate system in the engine, ammunition supply. Fuel cells, turret, and driver’s compartment.  The driver has a fully automatic transmission with conventional driving controls; it also has a manual transmission backup. No applique armor packages have yet been developed for the KAWEST, but ERA can be applied to the turret side, front, front third of the turret roof, hull side, and glacis.

     The proper Swiss Army designation is PzHb-79/95 and PzHb 88/95, depending what variant of the M109 they were upgraded from. Deliveries to the Swiss Army began in 2004, and are now complete.  The Swiss are now offering the KAWEST as an upgrade package for earlier M109s, but there have been no takers so far.  Upgrades of individual components of the KAWEST package are also available; the Dutch used the gun barrel and its associated fire control software to upgrade the UAE’s M109A4s.

 

 

RDM/Rheinmetall M109L52

     This is essentially an M109A4 fitted with the gun of the PzH-2000, along with mechanical and electrical components to mate the new gun with the M109 chassis.  A few things, like GPS with mapping module, an artillery fire direction (AFD) computer, and a few gee-whizzes that allow the crew to keep track of the state of their vehicle, as was an autoloader. An armor upgrade was applied.

 

United Arab Emirates M109L47

     This version is essentially an M109A4 with an L/47 gun.

 

Daewoo K-55

     Notes: The first K-55s (also known as M109A2Ks) were virtually stock M109A2s supplied and later license-produced in South Korea.  Thus, the K-55 was primarily an M109A1B with 27 improvements to Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) mid-life improvements (MLUs). The gun is a 39-caliber 155mm howitzer, capable of firing all 155mm howitzer rounds available by the mid-1980s.  The K-55 has traded shots across the DMZ on occasion.  The K-55 is powered by a Detroit Diesel 8V71T 450 horsepower turbocharged diesel, with a semiautomatic transmission and mostly conventional driver’s controls.  The driver is on the front right side, while the rest of the crew is in the turret or directly behind it (one loader). The commander has a manually-operated cupola with all-around vision blocks and a weapons mount.  The primarily loader has a hatch on the left of the turret, but no vision blocks or weapon mount (though it was a common modification).  The K-55 can produce a fire rate of 6 rounds per minute for 5 minutes, or a sustained fire rate of 3 rounds per minute; a raised fire rate is hard work, while a normal rate of bombardment is normal work.  Like the M109A2, the K-55 has a 10kW APU, as well as a vehicle state system, map module, inertial navigation, NBC Overpressure, a laser rangefinder with ballistic computer for direct fire work, and a small computer for vehicles manuals and orders from other units and echelons.  The K55 has an extra data-capable long-range radio which interfaces with that small computer.

     The K-55A1 improvement installed a number of improvements, from the ability to fire all Western and Chinese 155mm rounds, further automotive improvements, installation of a fully automatic transmission, an automatic loader with power rammer, a 50-liter water tank, a crew ration heater/water heater, an integrated power pack, and improved gearing allowing for higher speeds despite the actual engine not having been changed.  The K-55 typically carries ERA on its glacis, sides, turret sides, and the front one-third of the turret front.  It can directly interface with the K-10 FAASV.  GPS, a ballistic computer for both indirect and direct fire (though HEAT rounds are rarely carried, and then only two or three). and a ruggedized laptop with a mapping module linked to the GPS and secondary inertial navigation.  The commander has an LCD telling him the vehicle and ammunition state.  The commander has a full panoramic sight, with another vision block having a mil-ring for the artillery placement and pointing.  The gunner has the same sort of ring.  These were only partially effective and were not included on the K-9.  The K-55A1 is fitted with NBC Overpressure with a vehicular NBC system backup.  In extremis, the K-55A1 can come up with its own fire solutions, but accuracy will suffer; double scatter ranges.

 

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

M109

$388,359

D, A

500 kg

24.95 tons

6

19

Passive IR (D, C, G)

Enclosed

M109A1

$411,760

D, A

474 kg

24.74 tons

6

19

Passive IR (D, C, G)

Enclosed

M109A1B

$437,712

D, A

474 kg

24.74 tons

6

19

Passive IR (D, C, G), Image Intensification (G)

Enclosed

M109A2/A3

$490,572

D, A

374 kg

25.54 tons

6

19

Passive IR (D, C, G)

Enclosed

M109A3B

$341,529

D, A

374 kg

25.54 tons

6

19

Passive IR (D, C, G), Image Intensification (G)

Enclosed

M109A4

$582,825

D, A

374 kg

25.54 tons

6

18

Passive IR (D, C, G), Image Intensification (G)

Shielded

M105A5

$905,907

D, A

465 kg

25.76 tons

6

20

Passive IR (D, C, G), Image Intensification (G)

Shielded

M109A5+

$1,075,081

D, A

438 kg

25.87 tons

6

21

Passive IR (D, C, G), Image Intensification (G)

Shielded

M109 KAWEST

$3,484,388

D, A

428 kg

26.91 tons

6

19

Passive IR (D, C, G), Image Intensification (G), Thermal Imaging (G, C)

Shielded

M109L52

$875,059

D. A

328 kg

26.51 tons

6

18

Passive IR (D, C, G), Image Intensification (G)

Shielded

K-55

$964,418

D, A

500 kg

27.5 tons

6

21

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G)

Shielded

K-55A1

$1,329,372

D, A

325 kg

28.5 tons

5

22

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G, C)

Shielded

 

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

M109

133/93

37/26/4

511

151

Trtd

T4

TF8  TS4  TR4  HF10  HS3  HR3

M109A1/M109B1

134/94

37/26/4

511

150

Trtd

T4

TF8  TS4  TR4  HF10  HS3  HR3

M109A2/A3/A3B/A4

119/83

33/23/4

511

150

Trtd

T4

TF8  TS4  TR4  HF10  HS3  HR3

M109A5

126/88

35/22/3

511

163

Trtd

T4

TF10S6Sp  TS4  TR4  HF12Sp  HS5  HR3*

M109 KAWEST

128/89

36/25/4

511

167

Trtd

T4

TF11Sp TS5Sp  TR4  HF13Sp  HS5Sp HR3***

M109L52

116/81

32/22/3

511

151

Trtd

T4

TF10S6Sp  TS4  TR4  HF12Sp  HS5  HR3*

M109A5+

125/88

36/24/3

511

163

Trtd

T4

TF10S6Sp  TS4  TR4  HF12Sp  HS5  HR3**

K-55

121/85

34/24/3

511

166

Trtd

T4

TF8  TS4  TR4  HF10  HS3  HR3

K-55A1

118/83

33/23/3

511

166

Trtd

T4

TF8  TS4  TR4  HF10  HS3  HR3

 

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

M109

None

Basic

155mm M126 L/23 Howitzer, M2HB (C)

28x155mm, 600x50

M109A1/A1B

None

Basic

155mm M126A1 L/30 Howitzer, M2HB (C)

28x155mm, 600x50

M109A2/A3/A3B/A4

None

Basic

155mm M185 L/39 Howitzer, M2HB (C)

36x155mm, 600x.50

M109A4

+1

Basic

155mm M185 L/39 Howitzer, M2HB (C)

36x155mm, 600x.50

M109A5

+1

Basic

155mm M284 Howitzer, M2HB (C)

36x155mm, 600x.50

M109A5+

+2

Fair

155mm M284 Howitzer, M2HB (C)

36x155mm, 600x.50

M109 KAWEST

+2

Fair

155mm Bison Fortress L/47 Howitzer, M2HB (C)

40x155mm, 600x.50

M109L52

None

Basic

155mm L/52 Rheinmetall Howitzer, M2HB (C)

35x155mm, 600x.50

K-55 (Both)

+2

Fair

155mm L/39 Howitzer, M2HB (C), M60 (L)

48x155mm, 1000x.50, 1000x7.62mm

*Belly AV is 3.

**Belly AV is 3Sp.

***Bally AV is 5Sp.  Roof AV is 5.

 

BAe M109A6/A7 Paladin

     Notes: In the mid-to-late 1990s, development was begun on this radical upgrade of the M109 SP howitzer.  The Army had been floundering out there, going through one abortive MRL, SP mortar, and SP Howitzer program, only to cancel them as soon as they could not meet the design roles, or killed in the budgetary arena.  Two noted members of these casualties, the XM2002 Crusader and the NLOS Cannon, essentially led nowhere on the development track (though the NLOS Cannon is still officially in development).  Basically, the designers of the Paladin put every equipment they could into the M109A6, along with improvements originally belonging to teat programs and vehicles. Delivery of these vehicles began by October 1998 and was largely completed by 2002. The Paladins have been about a 50/50 mix of upgraded vehicles and new-build M109A6s.  Some 25 were built after the initial 960-vehicle block, and delivered by early 2002; these were largely test and experimentation vehicles for the upcoming M109A7 Paladin.  The M109A6 is just now in 2014 being to be delivered to Active US Army units. The M109A7 is already in LRIP, but operational testing will not occur until September of 2014. Areas will be swathed in Kevlar antispall liners internally wherever possible.

 

M109A6 Paladin

     The Paladin looks sort of like an M109 distorted by some sort of powerful steroids, as doorways small and large vision blocks, clamp-down points for cargo such as for servicing the Paladin, water cans, ration boxes, and some personal gear are basically everywhere.  The turret has a huge bustle (used primarily for ammunition storage), and on the sides of the turret, bustle racks for crew equipment, ammunition, or suchlike.  And there are literally tie-down points everywhere.  The Paladin has two large ammunition-resupply doors at the rear of the bustle which open up directly into the Paladin’s ammunition racks. The commander and gunner have similar hatches to those on other M109s, except the commander has a direct feed to night vision equipment, and also can mark targets for the gunner to deal with as the commander spots them. The gun can operate quickly from a stop, able to fire within 30 seconds of a stop is a round is already within the chamber.  After firing a quick mission (1-3 rounds), the Paladin can be gone within 15 seconds of firing the howitzer, with the travel lock being engaged on the move. The gun autoloading system is advanced enough that one loader was removed from the required crew complement.

     The M109A6’s method of deployment is by small units; as few as four guns or less may be assigned to fire support for a mid-level attack, and times have occurred where only one or two Paladin’s have been added as support. A Paladin is able to operate without data from an FDC, getting coordinates directly from requesting units or from FIST teams. The Paladin is the type of NATO vehicle where you might find “exotic” rounds; the Paladin Program is meant to operate with CLGPs, exotic smart rounds, and even newer BB, Excalibur, and RAP shells. The Paladin has a GPS system connected to LCD displays at the gunner’s commander’s, and driver’s stations.  The Paladin has the equivalent of a ruggedized laptop, which can reach throughout the vehicle revealing the vehicle state, as well as armament available, rations remaining, etc.  The crew has a ration heater/water boiler available to the crew, as well as a 30-liter fresh water tank. The vehicle has air conditioning and heating with NBC Filters, as well as NBC Overpressure.

     Perhaps the greatest deficiency in the M109, it’s short gun, was not addressed by the Paladin upgrade, though a longer gun was experimented with.  The Paladin has the M284 L/39 155mm cannon.  The computer feeds coordinates to the fire control system, with the turret elevating, depressing, or slewing as necessary. (The Paladin’s have what is called the PFDCS – Paladin Delivery Fire and Control System,) The Paladin essentially needs no FDC to produce accurate fire, though it does need information from a FIST team. The Paladin has a powerful ECCM unit to bore through EW interference if necessary, as well as high-power, long-range radios. One Paladin can feed coordinates and fire solutions to the others in a battery.

     Power is provided by DDEC 8V71T supercharged diesel, the same as in the M109A5, but uprated to 450 horsepower.  The engine is coupled to an automatic transmission, with a T-bar steering yoke.  Some have said that the driver’s compartment is rather roomy. Shock absorbers and tension bar systems are described as doing an excellent job. Three grenade launchers are being contemplated – standard smoke grenade generators, chaff grenades to fire straight up, and flares to fire straight up.(The vehicles below have those grenade launcher upgrades.) The armor protection has been increased; the problem that the engine power has been increased only a little, more armor is being carried – the result is a possible underpowered vehicle.  The Paladin has a 13 kW APU; this can power both the gun and an FDC or another Paladin if necessary. In addition to standard armor, the turret and driver’s position have Kevlar anti-spall liners.

 

The M109A7 Paladin

     This upgraded paladin is very much the same as the M109A6; however, the M109A7 has a self-survey capability.  Some of the M109A7’s features are taken from the cancelled Crusader and NLOS-C SPHs. They are usually referred to as the PIM (Paladin Integrated Management). The chassis of the M109A7 is very different from that of its processor, having a large amount of components from the US Army’s Bradley Fighting Vehicle, such as the engine, drive train, tracks, and suspension. The M109A7 also has six larger roadwheels instead of seven smaller ones. NLOS-C components include the autoloader, electrical rammer, and elevation and traverse drives. The Crusader’s fire control system, BMS, vehicle state computer, GPS (with auxiliary inertial navigation), and radios are modified versions of those in the Crusader. The ammo racks and autoloader are finally compatible with even long and large rounds like the Excalibur.  LRIP began in 2015, and eventually all M109A6s will be converted to M109A7s. Though initially, the M109A7 will have the same 450-hoprsepower engine as other Paladins, there is already rumors of the engine’s being replaced by a Cummins turbocharged diesel developing 600 or 675 horsepower. The M109A7 has new technology autoloaders and some of the Fire Control and loading equipment of the Crusader. Guns and turrets are electrically controlled, to exacting tolerances. The gun is fed by a 22-round magazine in the rear of the turret, plus 17 rounds in racks partially surrounding the turret and in the rear.

     The new cannon has an advanced bore evacuator, a new breech housing, and longer length that allows for longer range.  The armor on the turret is improved and has Kevlar ballistic lining; a new fire control system is fitted, with GPS, onboard fire control computers, inertial navigation system, and automatic fire control input; frequency-hopping radios, night vision gear, a 15kW generator, a water heater (for heating rations), and a reduction in crew required to four.  The Paladin is capable of laying and firing the howitzer without input from the FDC if the target’s location is known, via the Automatic Fire-Control System (AFCS).  The M109A7 Paladin may decrease reload time to 1 for one minute. 

     Early version used an M2HB at the commander’s hatch, protected by AV2 gun shields.  However, versions are now being retrofitted with CROWS RWSs which are equipped with an M2HB and a Mk19 grenade launchers.(This is what’s illustrated in the stats below.)  The A7 has lugs for ERA and attachment points for MEXAS applique armor.  Currently, the M109A7 is armed with the M284 L/39 gun, though it is expected to be replaced with 52-caliber ordnance before it exits field testing.

 

The “M109A8” Paladin

     This is a fictional (so far) variant of the Paladin, armed with the L/58 gun currently being tested on Paladins at Ft Sill, Texas.  In addition, the vehicle is powered by the 675-horsepower listed above, and has a fire control system that is designed to work with the new gun, The M109A8 is equipped with a US copy of the Trophy hard-kill APS. Otherwise, it has the features of the M109A6 and M109A7, except that the 675-horsepower is standard.

 

     All these vehicles are normally followed with an M992A3 ammunition carrier. This is simply an M992 modified to work with the Paladins.

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

M109A6

$1,431,463

D, A

561 kg

28.8 tons

5

26

Passive IR (D, G, C), Image Intensification (G, C), Backup Camera (D)

Shielded

M109A7 (L/39 Gun, 450 hp)

$1,475,160

D, A

545 kg

34.78 tons

4

27

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imager (C), Backup Camera (D)

Shielded

M109A7 (L/39 Gun, 600 hp)

$1,475,713

D, A

542 kg

35.28 tons

4

30

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imager (C), Backup Camera (D)

Shielded

M109A7 (L/39 Gun, 675 hp)

$1,476,608

D, A

542 kg

35.56 tons

4

30

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imager (C), Backup Camera (D)

Shielded

M109A7 (L/39 Gun, 450 hp, Applique)

$1,509,821

D, A

537 kg

35.17 tons

4

30

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imager (C), Backup Camera (D)

Shielded

M109A7 (L/39 Gun, 600 hp, Applique)

$1,510,296

D, A

542 kg

35.67 tons

4

30

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imager (C), Backup Camera (D)

Shielded

M109A7 (L/39 Gun, 675 hp, Applique)

$1,511,889

D, A

542 kg

35.95 tons

4

30

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imager (C), Backup Camera (D)

Shielded

M109A7 (L/52 Gun, 450 hp)

$1,509,388

D, A

511 kg

34.92 tons

4

30

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imager (C), Backup Camera (D)

Shielded

M109A7 (L/52 Gun, 600 hp)

$1,509,829

D, A

538 kg

35.42 tons

4

30

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imager (C), Backup Camera (D)

Shielded

M109A7 (L/52 Gun, 675 hp)

$1,510,503

D, A

538 kg

36.1 tons

4

32

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imager (C), Backup Camera (D)

Shielded

M109A7 (L/52 Gun, 450 hp, Applique)

$1,544,126

D, A

506 kg

35.31 tons

4

30

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imager (C), Backup Camera (D)

Shielded

M109A7 (L/52 Gun, 600 hp, Applique)

$1,544,706

D, A

528 kg

35.81 tons

4

30

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imager (C), Backup Camera (D)

Shielded

M109A7 (L/52 Gun, 675 hp, Applique)

$1,545,205

D, A

528 kg

36.6 tons

4

32

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imager (C), Backup Camera (D)

Shielded

M109A8

$1,812,260

D, A

520 kg

36.9 tons

4

32

Passive IR (D, G), 2nd Gen Image Intensification (G, C), FLIR (C), Backup Camera (D)

Shielded

M109A8 (Applique)

$1,853,048

D, A

507 kg

37.4 tons

4

32

Passive IR (D, G), 2nd Gen Image Intensification (G, C), FLIR (C), Backup Camera (D)

Shielded

 

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

M109A6

129/90

26/25

511

167

Trtd

T4

TF11Sp  TS7Sp  TR7  HF14Sp  HS5Sp  HR5*

M109A7 (L/39 Gun, 450 hp)

103/72

29/20

511

167

Trtd

T4

TF11Sp  TS7Sp  TR7  HF14Sp  HS5Sp  HR5*

M109A7 (L/39 Gun, 600 hp)

125/88

35/24

511

222

Trtd

T4

TF11Sp  TS7Sp  TR7  HF14Sp  HS5Sp  HR5*

M109A7 (L/39 Gun, 675 hp)

137/96

38/27

511

250

Trtd

T4

TF11Sp  TS7Sp  TR7  HF14Sp  HS5Sp  HR5*

M109A7 (L/39 Gun, 450 hp, Applique)

102/71

38/27

511

169

Trtd

T4

TF14Cp  TS10Cp  TR7  HF19Cp  HS8Cp HR5**

M109A7 (L/39 Gun, 600 hp, Applique)

124/87

35/24

511

224

Trtd

T4

TF14Cp  TS10Cp  TR7  HF19Cp  HS8Cp HR5**

M109A7 (L/39 Gun, 675 hp, Applique)

135/95

38/27

511

253

Trtd

T4

TF14Cp  TS10Cp  TR7  HF19Cp  HS8Cp HR5**

M109A7 (L/52 Gun, 450 hp)

103/72

29/20

511

168

Trtd

T4

TF11Sp  TS7Sp  TR7  HF14Sp  HS5Sp  HR5*

M109A7 (L/52 Gun, 600 hp)

121/85

34/23

511

229

Trtd

T4

TF11Sp  TS7Sp  TR7  HF14Sp  HS5Sp  HR5*

M109A7 (L/52 Gun, 675 hp)

135/95

38/27

511

254

Trtd

T4

TF11Sp  TS7Sp  TR7  HF14Sp  HS5Sp  HR5*

M109A7 (L/52 Gun, 450 hp, Applique)

102/71

29/20

511

170

Trtd

T4

TF14Cp  TS10Cp  TR7  HF19Cp  HS8Cp HR5**

M109A7 (L/52 Gun, 600 hp, Applique)

120/84

33/23

511

231

Trtd

T4

TF14Cp  TS10Cp  TR7  HF19Cp  HS8Cp HR5**

M109A7 (L/52 Gun, 675 hp, Applique)

134/94

38/27

511

257

Trtd

T4

TF14Cp  TS10Cp  TR7  HF19Cp  HS8Cp HR5**

M109A8

133/93

38/27

511

259

Trtd

T4

TF12Sp  TS8Sp  TR7  HF14Sp  HS6Sp  HR5***

M109A8 (Applique)

131/92

38/27

511

262

Trtd

T4

TF15Cp  TS11Cp  TR7  HF20Cp  TS9Cp  HR5****

 

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

M109A6

+2

Fair

155mm L/39 Howitzer, M2HB (C), M60 (L)

39x155mm, 1000x.50, 1000x7.62mm

M109A7

+2

Fair

155mm L/39 or L/52 Howitzer, M2HB (CROWS), Mk 19 (CROWS)

39x155mm. 1000x.50, 400x40mm

M109A8

+2

Fair

155mm L/58 Howitzer, M2HB (CROWS), Mk 19 (CROWS)

39x155mm. 1000x.50, 400x40mm

*Floor AV is 4Sp.

**Roof Armor is AV 5, except for the front third of the turret roof, which is 6Cp.  The Floor Armor for this variant is 6Sp.

***Roof Armor is AV 7; Floor Armor is AV 7Sp

****Roof Armor is AV 7, except for the front third of the turret roof, which is 8Cp.  The Floor Armor is 8Sp.

 

BMY M110

     Notes: Based upon the chassis of the M107 and developed in tandem, the M110 was meant to provide heavy-caliber support in situations when more mobility was required and where there was much uneven terrain, something the M107 was not good at dealing with. The gun also had a higher throw weight and this was appreciated, as the extra range of the M107 (in Vietnam, anyway) was not always necessary, while watching Viet Cong flop around full of shrapnel was always a treat. Some 25 countries use or used it; known current users include Greece, Turkey, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Pakistan, South Korea, and Taiwan.  As the M110 lasted far longer than was expected, new ammunition types were being developed right up to the time of withdrawal. The new Vietnam Republic captured a good number of M110s and used them for about a decade in regional conflicts. The last US M110A2s in use by the US were in use in 1994 by the US Army Reserve.

     The M2A2 L/23 203mm howitzer had decent enough range of its own to satisfy, and explosions were satisfyingly large. The M2A2 is itself a development of a British World War 1 8-inch howitzer. Recoil spades are lowered at the rear of the vehicle before firing and preferably sunk as deep as possible into hard-packed ground.  The gun is carried on top of the chassis of the vehicle.  This gives no protection to the crew from small arms fire or artillery splinters; to remedy this, a tubular framework was issued with the vehicle that could be erected around the firing position; over which Kevlar shields are placed.  Most of the time, these were considered too cumbersome and difficult to use, and they were typically left strapped to the side of the vehicle or abandoned in the rear areas. The entire assembly looks like the canvas-over-bows cover on a 2.5-ton truck. Without these shields, the turret armor value from all directions is 0, while the gun’s AV is 1.  The gun is carried atop the chassis, with the gun mounted at the extreme rear of the M110.  Practical range of fire on the turntable is left or right of 30 degrees of center of the front. As there is almost no room for ammunition on the vehicle, and also no room for 8 of the crew members, the M110A2 is normally followed by a large amount of support vehicles carrying these members and the ammunition, such as the M548, M648, or FAASV. Contrary to the M107, the M110 was known to be one of the more accurate SP guns around in the world at the time.  The M110’s barrel tube has no muzzle brake nor fume extractor.  The round is absolutely massive; the shell itself is an average of 91 kilograms, not including fuze and charges; nonetheless, the gunners often found using a manual expedient – a hard rubber cylinder on a long stick – worked better than the power rammer.  (This manual rammer was generally called a “lunger” by gun crews.) Using the power rammer required the barrel to be lowered to full depression, the round loaded, and the barrel raised again to firing position; using the manual rammer allowed the gun crew to skip the middle step, not requiring the crews to lower and raise the barrel. Even a high-speed, low drag crew could only get the M110 up to 4 rounds per minute fired, and then only for a short time (in game terms, firing at that rate for more than three minutes counts as heavy fatigue to the entire loading and ammo-bearing crew, and light fatigue to the gunners and commander).

     Using a common chassis, the M110 uses a slightly-more derated version of the 8V71T supercharged diesel engine developing 405 horsepower.  This was done to increase torque in both the engine and transmission.  Transmission is manual.  It was common practice in Vietnam to employ M107 and M110 barrels as needed, and a given carriage could literally be firing a different caliber every day of the week.  The gun could be elevated to +65 degrees and depressed -2 degrees. The gun was fed from twin loading baskets; the charges and fuzes were affixed before the round was moved up to firing position.

     Unusual rounds which could be fired from the M110 were the 0.5, 1, 5, and 10 kt nuclear warheads.  They were never used in war, and not even test-fired very often, but formed a part of the nuclear triad.

     Only the driver had a full-armored position, with vision blocks.  He is the only one who had any sort of armored protection.  The two gunners and two of the loaders formed the rest of the vehicle crew, but were essentially crouching on the deck, with poorly-formed seats. There is no Overpressure, no vehicular NBC system, only the crews’ own protective masks,

     The M110A1 and A2, other than cleaned-up electrical and hydraulic, had their barrels extended, with the M110A1 having an L/36 barrel and the M110A2 having an L/40 barrel.  These were far less common than the original version, however. They also were given muzzle brakes and fume extractors. The M110A1s were almost all new-build (in 1977), the M110A2s were refitted M107s and M110s.  The two barrel-length guns were designated M201 and M201A1.

     In an unusual move, during Desert Storm, US F-111s were in need of casings for 5000-pound bunker busters.  (This was a new idea and we didn’t have any in stock at the time.) The casings were at first taken from retired M110s and their gun barrels, and had mixed results. Later, purpose-built 5000-pound bunker-buster casings were made.  Before and after Desert Storm, new weapons were introduced that closed the “firepower gap” that the M110A2 once filled, such as the MLRS, improved M109s, the ATACMS, and a new series of bunker-buster bombs that were smart (at first LGBs, but later enhanced with GPS guidance.)  These made the M110 (and M107) unnecessary to most countries, and their M110s were sold off, given away to improve relations, or scrapped. A good number have ended up in US military museums or on static display. (I saw an M110 on display at Ft Carson in Colorado in 1991; it was kept in shamefully poor condition…)

 

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

M110

$218,153

D, A

500 kg

28.35 tons

5(+8)

23

Headlights

Enclosed

M110A1

$251,316

D, A

490 kg

28.73 tons

5(+8)

23

Headlights

Enclosed

M110A2

$277,560

D, A

381 kg

28.83 tons

5(+8)

20

Headlights

Enclosed

 

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor*

M110

110/77

31/21

1137

150

Trtd

T4

HF4  HS2  HR2

M110A1

109/76

30/21

1137

149

Trtd

T4

HF4  HS2  HR2

M110A2

108/76

30/21

1137

149

Trtd

T4

HF4  HS2  HR2

 

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

M110

Nil

None

203mm L/23 Howitzer

2x203mm

M110A1

Nil

None

203mm L/36 Howitzer

2x203mm

M110A2

Nil

None

203mm L/40 Howitzer

2x203mm