| Revision as of 23:46, 26 November 2005 editGaius Cornelius (talk | contribs)Administrators164,008 editsm Fix common spelling error 'todays'. See WP:LCM.← Previous edit | Revision as of 05:24, 30 November 2005 edit undoOrphanBot (talk | contribs)654,820 edits Removing image with no source information. Such images that are older than seven days may be deleted at any time.Next edit → | ||
| Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
| === General characteristics === | === General characteristics === | ||
| | |||
| ] | |||
| * Length: 30 ft (9.1 m) | * Length: 30 ft (9.1 m) | ||
| * Width: 10.3 ft (3.1 m) | * Width: 10.3 ft (3.1 m) | ||
| Line 59: | Line 59: | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 05:24, 30 November 2005
The M109 self-propelled 155 mm howitzer was first introduced in the early 1960s. Continually upgraded and improved, to today's current version the M109A6 "PALADIN", it is still the primary indirect-fire support weapon of maneuver brigades of armored and mechanized infantry divisions of the US Army, Israel Defense Forces, the Italian Army, Canadian Forces and many other militaries, including the Norwegian and Austrian armies. However, with the successful introduction of the german PzH2000 which significantly outperforms it in every relevant criterion, the M109 is being replaced in many countries.
The crew of the M109 consists of a section chief, driver, gunner, and three cannoneers who load and fire the weapon. The M109A6 Paladin needs only one cannoneer for a total crew of four.
General characteristics
- Length: 30 ft (9.1 m)
- Width: 10.3 ft (3.1 m)
- Height: 10.7 ft (3.3 m)
- Weight: 27.4 tons
- Speed: 35 miles per hour (56 km/h)
- Range: 216 miles (350 km)
- Crew: M109 (6), PALADIN (4)
- Armament:
- Primary: M126 155 mm Howitzer (M109), M126A1 155 mm Howitzer (A1), M185 155 mm Howitzer (A2/A3/A4), M284 155 mm Howitzer (A5/A6)
- Secondary: .50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 machine gun, Mk 19 Mod 3 40mm Automatic Grenade Launcher, or 7.62 mm M60 or M240 machine gun
- Rate of fire: 4 round/min maximum, 1 round/min sustained
- Shooting range: 18,000 m - 30,000 m (with rocket-assisted projectile)
- Pictures: shooting.
Variants
M109
First produced in 1963, with 155mm M126 gun in the M127 Howitzer Mount.
M109A1
Replaced M126 with longer barreled M126A1 gun for greater effective range.
M109A2
Incorporating 27 Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) mid-life improvements. Most notably, the long barreled 155mm M185 gun in the M178 gun mount, ballistic protection for the panoramic telescope, counterbalanced travel lock, and the ability to mount the M140 alignment device.
M109A3
M109A1s rebuilt to M109A2 standard. Some A3s feature three contact arm assemblies while all A2s have five.
M109A4
Product improved variant with Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical/ Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (NBC/RAM) improvements, including air purifiers, heaters, and Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) gear.
The traversing mechanism's clutch is now hydraulic, as compared to the electric mechanism on previous M109s, and features a manual override in the event of an electrical failure. The A4 also adds an additional hydraulic filter, for a total of two. Also included, is an improvement to the engine starting equipment, greatly improving the ability to start in an emergency.
M109A5
Replaces M185 gun in M178 gun mount with 155 mm M284 gun in the M182 gun mount, giving the A5 even greater range than before.
M109A6 "Paladin"
Overall product improvement in the areas of Survivability, RAM, and armament. This includes increased armor, redesigned internal stowage arrangement for ammunition and equipment, engine and suspension upgrades, and product improvement of the M284 gun and M182 mount.
See also
External links
 | This article related to weaponry is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |