| U.S. Marines today demonstrated the M777 | | | | sights or a collimator. It will be all digital. It's pretty |
| lightweight howitzer to local officials at Fort Sill, Okla. | | | | nice. We shot the 777. Only 32 rounds but it was |
| The M777 is a lightweight 155mm howitzer and a | | | | easier to emplace and shoot than the 198. |
| critical fire support component of Marine Air Ground | | | | Thanks blakice and dude for the information. It will be |
| Task Forces and Army Brigade Combat Teams and | | | | great when the DFCS's come in to provide more |
| light divisions. | | | | precise firepower, especially in urban combat. The |
| The M777 was designed and developed by BAE | | | | new M777 light-weight 155-mm towed howitzer will |
| Systems, and is a joint program between the Army | | | | begin fielding in May to the 3d Battalion, 11th Marines |
| and Marine Corps to replace the M198 towed | | | | at Twenty-nine Palms, California. |
| howitzer. The M777 incorporates the first use of | | | | The M777 is replacing the aging 155-mm towed M198 |
| titanium castings, which reduces the weight of the | | | | howitzer. Some of the M777's greatest |
| howitzer -- by 7,000 lbs. -- offering improved | | | | improvements are in its mobility, trans-portability, |
| transportability and mobility, while retaining the full | | | | survivability and lethality. The M777 can be emplaced |
| ammunition and range capability of the M198. The | | | | and ready to fire in less than two minutes, which is |
| lightweight howitzer can be transported by Marine | | | | significantly faster than the M198. |
| Corps MV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft and U.S. Air Force | | | | The new weapon can be rapidly displaced within two |
| C-130 aircraft. | | | | to three minutes, allowing the battery to shoot and |
| The Marines, from the 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine | | | | move before the enemy can return fire. Its light |
| Regiment stationed at Twenty-nine Palms, Calif., will | | | | weight (less than 10,000 pounds) and independent |
| be the first unit to receive the new howitzers and | | | | suspension allow the weapon to travel over rougher |
| the battalion's key personnel are currently training | | | | terrain (world-wide, which amounts to about 30 |
| with the M777 at Fort Sill. The M777 recently | | | | percent more terrain) and be sling-loaded under more |
| completed operational testing at Twenty-nine Palms | | | | aircraft than the M198. |
| in anticipation of a full rate production decision | | | | It fires all current and planned 155-mm munitions. |
| expected next month. | | | | Although its max range is still 30,000 meters with |
| During the tests, nearly 12,000 artillery rounds were | | | | current rocket-assisted projectiles, that range will |
| fired by four production howitzers. The M777 met all | | | | extend to more than 37,000 meters when firing the |
| operational requirements and proved to be extremely | | | | new global positioning system/inertial navigation unit |
| reliable. Fielding of the new howitzer will continue with | | | | (GPS/INU) precision-guided Excalibur munitions. The |
| the Army and Marine Corps through 2009. | | | | max rate of fire is four rounds per minute while the |
| The M777 is assembled at BAE Systems' integration | | | | sustained rate is two rounds per minute. |
| facility in Hattiesburg, Miss., and incorporates | | | | Within a year of the initial M777 deliveries, both the |
| components manufactured by a U.S. supplier base | | | | Marine Corps and Army will start taking delivery of |
| that the company has been developing for the past | | | | the M777A1, which adds a digital fire control system |
| four years. More than 70 percent of the howitzer's | | | | (DFCS). The DFCS provides the howitzer highly |
| parts are manufactured in the U.S. | | | | accurate self-location and directional control. With the |
| Its one of the bty's from 3/11 when they 1st got | | | | introduction of DFCS, the battery only requires |
| the 777 about 8 months ago. The m777 is nice. I | | | | survey control points to initialize the system. |
| don't know the exact weight but its about 9,277lbs | | | | The section chief will have a navigational aid inside |
| compared to the 16,000 lbs of the 198. It has the | | | | the cab, and the weapon has an onboard |
| same rate of fire and fires the same rounds. It only | | | | single-channel ground and airborne radio system |
| takes two marines to hook it up to the 7-ton. It has | | | | (SINCGARS) and amplifier for digital communications. |
| hydraulically powered loading tray and breech. | | | | This provides greater flexibility for the howitzer, |
| Its way easier to speed shift. There's a lot less wear | | | | which no longer will be tied to wire communications. |
| and tear on the marines with it being light weight and | | | | The M777 A1 provides commanders greater flexibility |
| all. Around next year this time it'll be outfitted with a | | | | in getting to the fight, carrying out their missions and |
| computer system call DFCS (direction fire control | | | | quickly moving to safe locations to carry out |
| system I believe it's called) where we wont need | | | | subsequent missions. |