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