M109 howitzer

An M109 Paladin crew from 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas, picks up a resupply of water and meals, ready to eat during Iron Union 18-6 in the United Arab Emirates, Jan. 23, 2018. Iron Union is a recurring exercise focusing on combined arms, security, and staff operations. It is designed to strengthen military-to-military relations between the U.S. and the UAE land forces. It is a training opportunity for both countries to build tactical proficiency in critical mission areas, gain an understanding of each other's forces, and support long-term regional stability. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas X. Crough, U.S. ARCENT PAO)

The M109 is an American-made self-propelled 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It was upgraded a number of times to today's M109A6 Paladin. The M109 family is the most common Western indirect-fire support weapon of maneuver brigades of armored and mechanized infantry divisions.

The M109 has a crew of six: the section chief, the driver, the gunner, the assistant gunner and two ammunition handlers. The gunner aims the cannon left or right (deflection), the assistant gunner aims the cannon up and down (quadrant). The M109A6 Paladin needs only a crew of four: the commander, driver, gunner and ammunition loader.

The British Army replaced its M109s with the AS-90. Several European armed forces have or are currently replacing older M109s with the German PzH 2000. Upgrades to the M109 were introduced by the U.S. (see variants below) and by Switzerland (KAWEST). With the cancellation of the U.S. Crusader, the Paladin remains the principal self-propelled howitzer for the U.S. for the foreseeable future.

The M109 was developed by the Ground System Division of United Defense LP (now BAE Systems Land and Armaments)

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 40 mm Automatic Grenade Launcher, or 7.62 mm M60, M240 machine gun or L4 Light machine gun

Specifications
Weight	27.5 tons
Length	30 ft (9.1 m)
Width	10 ft 4 in (3.15 m)
Height	10 ft 8 in (3.25 m)
Crew	6 (2 Loaders, Gunner, Assistant Gunner, Commander, Driver)
Shell	separate loading, bagged charge
Caliber	155 mm L/39 caliber
Breech	interrupted screw
Traverse	360°
Rate of fire	Maximum: 6 rpm Sustained: 3 rpm
Effective range	Conventional: 18 km (11 mi) RAP: 30 km (19 mi)
Main armament	M126 155 mm Howitzer
Secondary armament	.50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 machine gun
Engine	Detroit Diesel 8V71T 450 hp (335.56 kW)
Power/weight	18.7 hp/t
Suspension	torsion-bar
Operational range	216 mi (350 km)
Speed	35 mph (56 km/h)

Source

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