Have Guns, Will Upgrade: The M109A6 Paladin PIM Partnership
Related Stories: Americas - USA, BAE, Contracts - Intent, Electronics - General, Spotlight articles, Tanks & Mechanized
(click to view full)
The USA’s M109 self-propelled 155mm howitzers were first introduced in 1962, as a form of armored mobile artillery that could stand up to Soviet tactics involving heavy artillery and rocket fire in front of their advancing troops. They and their companion M992 armored ammunition resupply vehicles have been rebuilt and upgraded several times, most recently via the M109A6 Paladin upgrade. Even with the Paladin’s computerization and fast, safe set-up and take-down, however, a noticeable capability gap between the M109 and newer self-propelled guns like Britain’s AS90 Braveheart and Germany’s PzH-2000, or innovative long-range artillery systems like South Africa’s G6 remains.
An all-new replacement system called the XM2001 Crusader was ordered to replace the M109, featuring enhancements that included much higher rates of fire, longer range, fully automated ammunition reloads from the XM2002 companion vehicle, improved communications, and much higher land speeds. The $11 billion program was canceled as a relic of the Cold War in 2002, and will be replaced by the light NLOS-C component of the Army’s Future Combat Systems.
In the mean time, however, the Army is re-learning a few home truths. Artillery arrives in seconds not minutes, is never unavailable due to bad weather, and can deliver a volume of explosive destruction that would otherwise require bombers worth hundreds of millions of dollars and expensive precision weapons. Most combat casualties in the gunpowder age have come from artillery fire, and the US Army will need its mobile fleet for some time to come. So, too, will the many countries that have bought the M109 and still use it, unless BAE wishes to cede that market to Korea’s modern K9/K10 system. What to do? Enter the Paladin Integrated Management (PIM) program….
Displaying 289 of 1,689 words (about 5 pages)
- Follow the 80/20 rule and save time
- Don't miss important facts
- Get the big picture, quickly
- Eliminate your blindspots
- Stay on top of new and forthcoming events
- Ability to conduct complex searches
- Procurement and doctrine issues
- Timeline of past and future program events
- Links to other useful resources
- Instant content access after payment
"Well written, interesting daily with information not readily available elsewhere...! You handle it with aplomb!" - a defense contractor CEO
