New Howitzer Shooting Made Easier

[unhappycamper]

New Howitzer Shooting Made Easier
Marine Corps News | LCpl. Spencer M. Hardwick | February 19, 2008

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Aiming artillery is now as easy as pushing a button. Literally.

Marines from Battery B, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division used the Digital Fire Control System in conjunction with the M777 Lightweight Howitzer for the first time during a training exercise here Jan. 31.

The new system uses a Global Positioning System to aim the guns, improving the speed and accuracy of the cannon. It also allows each gun within a battery the ability to work independently.

"This thing is just absolutely great," said Cpl. Franco D. Lopez, number one cannoneer for Gun 1, Battery B, 1st Battalion, 11th Marines. "It's so much more accurate and it helps us get rounds downrange faster. We don't have to deal with the sights or anything; We just follow the arrows and pull the cord."

The section chiefs for each gun within the battery receive a fire mission from Fire Direction Control on the DFCS. The chiefs pass word to the Marines, who prepare to load the cannon. They will then receive an order to load the cannons along with coordinates of the target. The coordinates are automatically sent to the DFCS and show up as arrows. All the Marines have to do is aim the gun where the arrows tell them to. When this happens, Marines load the gun with the round and gunpowder. Finally, they receive the command to fire. The whole process takes no more than two minutes.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,162423,00.html



uhc comment: Meet the M777:



M777 howitzer

The M777 howitzer is a towed artillery piece developed by British Vickers group, and is produced by BAE Systems Land Systems in the US. It is in the process of replacing the M198 howitzer in the United States Marine Corps and United States Army service by 2010. The M777 is also being used by the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, and has been used in action in Afghanistan along with the associated GPS-guided "Excalibur" ammunition. It is also being assessed in trials by the British Army as a candidate for replacing the L118 Light Gun in some Regiments.


Our good friends at BAE are involved --> http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/lw155.htm

Gizmag's article on the M777 --> http://www.gizmag.com/go/4903/

[Ian David]

1. "TomTom, locate enemy." n/t