Lighter XM777 howitzer being eyed
for big-gun solution to M198
By Carlos Bongioanni,
Stars and Stripes
Carlos Bongioanni / Stars and Stripes
“It’s a real nightmare,” Marine Lance Cpl. Timothy Kirk says of the
maintenance requirements on the new experimental XM777 howitzer as he reassembles the
gun’s recoil cylinder. |
TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — Marine Lance Cpl. Timothy Kirk swung
the mallet against the long, steel shaft of a recoil cylinder.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
The sound reverberated through the warehouse, where the dismembered
parts of a howitzer lay scattered.
Kirk had his hands full trying to reassemble it.
“It’s a real nightmare,” he said of the work.
Although he maintains a howitzer for an artillery unit at the Marine
Corps Ground Combat Training Command at Twentynine Palms, Kirk normally doesn’t take
the big guns apart.
That’s a job for the manufacturer.
But times and requirements of modernization are changing.
The XM777 howitzer that Kirk took apart was an experimental,
lightweight artillery gun that the Marine Corps and the Army plan to buy within the next
few years.
Only five exist in the United States, including the dismantled one at
Twentynine Palms. Once the gun passes the experimental phase, it will drop its X
designation and become the M777.
Adams |
Two features make the new model appealing to the U.S. military.
First, it weighs nearly half of what the older M198 howitzer does,
which is now in use. At 9,000 pounds, the XM777 is much more maneuverable than the
16,000-pound behemoth known as the M198.
Second, XM777 manufacturers have designed it so maintainers can fix
the gun where it breaks down.
A joint operational requirement document has mandated that change,
explained Marine Chief Warrant Officer Jesse Adams.
“Maintenance on the existing howitzer is done as far back off
the gun line as possible, but our [joint operational requirements document] says
we’re supposed to push the maintenance as far forward as we can with this
howitzer,” said Adams.
Previously, if the recoil system of the M198s failed or cracked, the
whole gun would go to the depot for repairs.
Designers of the XM777, however, have given it interchangeable parts.
If a piece breaks, cracks or wears out, maintainers will remove the
part and return it to an intermediate-level shop. Meanwhile, they can replace the broken
part with one from a supply shelf.
“From what I’ve seen, I think the crew that fires the gun
will love it,” said Army Sgt. Larry Shapman. “It’s a lot better.”
Kirk and Army Sgt. Larry Shapman perform maintenance on the recoil cylinder
of the new weapon. |
But Shapman and Kirk said it’s also much easier to work on a
M198.
“There’s a lot of maintenance to do on this thing,”
Kirk said of the new model. “It’s real time-consuming. As you can see, it’s
really hydraulically oriented. There are lines everywhere on this thing. There’s
going to be a lot more work for the maintainers.”
The big benefit will be for the crews who operate the new howitzer,
said Adams.
An artillery unit from Twentynine Palms tested the maneuverability of
the new gun last month and “absolutely loved the difference,” said Adams.
Because the XM777 is so much lighter, the process of loading and
removing it from a five-ton truck and getting it ready for firing is much quicker, he
added.
Other features of the gun, such as a loading system that reduces
pressure each time it fires and recoils, significantly reduce crew fatigue, said Adams.
Normally crews would have to manually pump pressure into the system.
“It’s really user-friendly; the crew does half the work
that it has to do with the one-niner-eight,” he said.
A howitzer crew typically consists of five people. Besides setting
and positioning it, crewmembers load rounds that weigh more than 100 pounds each.
When they have to move that much ordnance, they tire faster,
especially when they have to offload, position, reposition and reload a howitzer that
weighs 16,000 pounds.
Although the new model howitzer is significantly lighter than the
M198, it still carries the same punch. Both guns can hit targets 18 miles away.
One of the best advantages of the new gun, said Adams, is that it
will be light enough for any helicopter to lift it, including the MV-22 Osprey. The Marine
Corps hopes to add the Osprey to its helicopter arsenal to replace the aging CH-46
transport helicopters. At present, the CH-53 Super Stallion is the only helicopter with
the power to lift the M198 howitzers.
In the past few decades, the U.S. military has greatly increased its
ability to transport infantry troops more rapidly across the battlefield using armored
assault vehicles and personnel carriers. But that can backfire if the infantry gets too
far ahead of its artillery fire.
To be effective in combat, ground infantry units must work with
artillery units who provide fire support from the rear.
Fearful that the infantry was outpacing its artillery support, the
military acquired the M198 with its long-range capabilities in the early 1980s.
Today, as the speed of modern warfare quickens, military leaders say
servicemembers must have a more lightweight gun for greater maneuverability.
The XM777 is the solution, said Adams.
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