Hey Spare Parts Army! Thanks for watching, great big Hooah. What're your thoughts on the M109 Self Propelled Peace Cannon, do you have any experience with it?
It's a good thing the globalist Presidents from Bush 1, Clinton, Bush 2, Barry decided to invest in fighting Islamic Insurgents in the Middle East and ignored capabilities to fight Russia and China. As a former cannoneer it won't go well for the gun bunnies we are outgunned by Russian Koalitsiya-SV 43.5 miles and the Chicom PLZ-05 24.2 miles, compared to M109A7 13.6 miles. Just think M109A7 can almost go 20 miles with an expensive round. If we ever get into a conventional war with Russia, our Field Artillery is going to be destroyed before they can even set up. the M109 is garbage compared to our foes, and the US government should put a wee bit more investment to get a better gun system out.
My father was with the 25th ID, 3/13th Artillery, C battery in Vietnam 68-69' who manned the M109. His firebase was hit one night, almost every one inside the compound was wounded and they had 2 guns knocked out. The 2 remaining 109s had one firing almost straight up for perimeter effect and the other firing to support a firebase 15km away as it was to be about overrun. His NCO was firing the M2 off the M109 so much he melted the barrel. They had F4s called in and dropped napalm which is the only reason they did not get wiped out themselves. The body count was 200 dead on the wire in the morning. Dad passed in 2017.
We don't use bag charges anymore, the A7 is based off the Bradley chassis, we use armored ammo carriers now, if you've ever been on a 777 or the older m109a6 you wouldn't consider the m109a7 obsolete. The vehicle is actually pretty spacious, I'd rather be in it than under the net with a m77a2. We can't air assault a paladin so the 777 still has a place. The new rammer is spectacular, it's a hell of a weapon system. The old hydraulic rammer on the a6 was breaking down constantly. Direct fire is usually reserved for emergency situations. Generally at the point you have to drop tube and fire direct you're pretty screwed. If you've ever had to do an action azimuth mission an a 777 you'll be happy to use a paladin instead. As well with a paladin there's no jumping to grab the tube while everyone else pulls the gun down by your belt. No more holding up the tube or needing a Gerber to open the pintle with a prime mover nearly running you over because the ground guide or driver aren't paying attention. Usually the 13j/D's were rolling in m113's.
@@Taskandpurpose no problem, thanks for giving the artillery some love. Newer charges are a cylindrical cardboard like material, way easier to handle. Best thing I ever heard was an infantryman private ask his sergeant what the hell our M777 was, to which his sergeant replied "that's a big ass M4"
@@TheKaMeLRo they aren't heavy by any means, though on the M119 crew you have to hold them up for a long while. The real for the changeover in charge types is that you can put the new charges in forward or backwards where the bag charges have to go in a certain way, the new ones are easier to increment, and you don't need a burn pit for unused increments. Your powder runner has one of the easiest jobs on M777 crew. The projectiles are the heavy part, if memory serves M107HE is about 98 lbs.
My Father was in the Artillery Corps in Pakistan Army, i have went to live fire demo of M110 and M109A2 back in early 1990s, we were sitting a good distance away from the M109s, but the first round almost knocked us out of our chairs. Few things will impress you after you have witness a live fire exercise of heavy Artillery.
Imagine hundreds of heavy guns firing for hours, sometimes days, in WW1. Repeated concusions or shock waves whacking the brain isn't good. No wonder "shell shock" became a valid concern....except for the dik officers in the rear with clean shiny boots.
@@LuvBorderCollies yes, my thoughts exactly. I highly recommend watching "They Shell not grow Old" documentary, if you have not already sen it. its colorized and restored footage of WWI. Excellent work,
I worked my way up the ladder and was a section chief on an M109 back from '69 thru '75. In Nam the 109 was used to protect fire bases, not just from distant targets, but from human waves. The round used to take out a human wave was the behive round. It was used in direct fire to tumble end over end once out of the barrel, then when the beehive exploded, it sent thousands upon thousands of little pleshettes (razor blade like pieces of metal) out on a wide angle at the enemy. You would not ever want to be on the receiving end as it had a nasty shotgun effect. Enemy soldiers were found ripped apart and even pinned to the trees. I direct fired our 109 when we needed to and believe me, we could be as effective as any tank albeit we had a lot thinner cast aluminum armor. Inside comfort? Take it from an insider, I spent many hours sleeping on the 109's fold down webbed "benches". The damndest thing about the 109's was the muzzle blast. You never, ever want to be behind the muzzle at an angle 25 or so degrees. One day we were calibrating six 109's, all parked side-by-side like a few feet apart from each other. Each individual 109 got it's own fire mission for observation and comparison to the other 109's. At one point during the calibration, I was sitting in the gunner's door reading when I head the word "Ready!" from the 109 next to me. By then it was to late for me to move, I don't remember hearing the word "Fire" as all I remember was getting blown out of that turret door, across the turret into the ammo rack on the other side. Yeah, that mistake cost me my hearing in my left ear and no we didn't wear earplugs as how the hell were you going to hear the commands?!
The bee hive rounds our 106mm recoiless rifles and our M-79s were litterly nails with fins, you can buy a envelope of them at any gunshow or on ebay. I lathed many a house with nails that were the same size, same point but with a flat head, so for nail manufactors to turn out the fin'ed flechettes was no big deal, the 106 held like 10,000 of them.
What is your thoughts on the focus of newer, lighter SPGs? Obviously not as well armored but easier to move and uses less fuel. Feel like the heavier systems aren't getting any love in Ukraine. All about the HIMARS and Archer!
@@dannymalone4247 You might be right. But then I was told this multiple times not only by those who trained me in Ft. Sill but other combat veterans. Once in awhile I'd catch sight of a round going out the tube in that fraction of a second opportunity. They all looked straight to me but I cannot attest what the round did once that fraction of a second passed. Got a slo-mo video of one? Not that it matters how the round got there. What mattered was the damage it caused.
My dad served in the Army artillery in Germany and then Vietnam. He used both split trail and the M109 howitzers but I think he preferred the M109. He always called it his "Track". He said no self propelled unit was ever over run during the war. He talked about shooting "direct fire" but he said it came with a hazard. When the shell exploded the back of the shell could come back toward the gun. He had some pretty cool stories about "mad minuets", shooting at seagulls with a .50 cal., bullets flying past his head, and not being allowed to shoot back because there were "friendlies in the area". He always wondered if it was the "friendlies" who were shooting at them. It took more than 40 years but the war finally killed him. He died of prostate cancer caused by Agent Orange. He always said "That war should have been over long before I ever got there." I sure wish it had been, maybe I would still have my dad.
I'm sorry for your loss your father sounds like an interesting guy , I really dig his M109 stories. My grandfather was in the artillery in the Korean War basically made him deaf , he said they would put their hands on the phones so they could feel the call of the vibration of the fire mission
@@kilowhiskey7973 sounded plausible until the talk about direct fire…made zero sense, if you’re shooting that close to be harmed by your own round you’re literally firing directly against a solid metal block. it’s BS. hell, the .50 cal shooting claim was the crap on top of the sundae
@@McSkumm yeah it was an m115 8 inch 203mm howitzer mated to a unique chassis making it the m110 self propelled howitzer it's still in use with a good ammount of countries
@@bagobones9891 I was going to make a smartass comment that the M107 was a version scaled down to use a .50 BMG round but there's an actual M107 howitzer, so...
As a former loader of an M109 as a Dutch conscript in 92/93, this clip sure brings back some sweet memories. It was my job to put the bag with gun powder behind the shell and close the lid. I’m surprised to see my baby is still in use today. Thanks for uploading this, Chris!
Fun fact. I was around long barreled howitzers. On slight rolls off road the gun muzzle can tend to dig into the dirt if the driver isn't careful. Then the gun has to be cleaned, inspected, and then it can be used.
You failed to mention one key ability of the Paladin. At it's highest rate of fire, it can shoot 6-7 rounds and time them to land on a target at the same time. This is achieved by having the highest arcing shot fired first and lowering the gun with successive shots. If a group of four guns does the same thing, 20-25 rounds can land on a target--not at max range of course--simultaneously. Then the guns can displace and move to another firing position and repeat this process again and again.
As a former gun bunny I don't think you can beat the M109 the ability to move shoot and change your location is invaluable the Firepower from the 155 beats nothing we actually got to fire a beehive around which was a close in self-defense round if you can imagine it was a 155 mm shotgun scary awesome
yeah a stated above: the PzH2000 has a burst fire capability of 3 rounds in 10 seconds prior to relocating. It is of similar weight, but better protected, has higher rate of fire with precise firing, is designed around GPS guidance and fire control, can relocate faster from firing position, is more mobile and fast etc.
Is like the M2 Browning of the self propelled artillery world. It is very nice to see you cover the world of artillery, I served in a field artillery unit in the Chilean army operating M72 155mm SOLTAM.
Fun fact: the largest non rocket assisted round requires the crew to vacate the vehicle and use a long lanyard to fire. When fired the entire vehicle will become enveloped in a fireball for a second. Even standing "safely" away from vehicle, it's still extremely uncomfortable to fire this round. With many of the crew wincing in pain and cursing as the pressure wave passes through them.
That is ridiculous. It's like we're driving old battleships around the desert. They're are all sorts of cheap precision weapons systems to replace this now.
@@ghostmourn_alt its not a load that is normally fired, as it wears down the barrel stronger than normal loads. If the SPG is firing in training, the first round is always fired on the long line for safety. If the SPG fires from a pre build firebase like in afghanistan or irak, the gun is fired on the long line for increased safety. those very hot loads are normally shot in SPG vs MBT directfire situations, where it does not really matter if your gun blows up, because if you dont hit and destroy the target you are done for.
The reason for the long line is when your first initially certifying your gun or it was taken out of battery , meaning of barrel was pushed out of service for one reason or another either to service the gun or for inspection.... Even on a super 8 you still fire on the inside which is the highest charge you can use with either rocket or non-rocket assisted rounds. I can attest to saying that firing a super 8 is an out of body experience and everything causes for a brief second even your heartbeat.
The basic M-109 has been in and out of depot at least six times. Congress restricts the Army to "X" number of new vehicles per year. So they go through rebuilds. BTW, the best upgrade I ever saw was taking left over M48 tanks from Vietnam and upgrading the lot to M48A5 standard. That was a "cheap" M60A1 substitute.
There are some things that can go longer without needed ping a replacement, and artillery guns are one of those. The U.S. has in the past used several different guns for decades, as those specific models were still capable as time went on. Only when something that is truly 100% better is created are the old artillery guns replaced.
yeah well, there are already significantly better spg´s around for 20+ years like Pzh2000, but the US Army tries to modernise its 60 year old M109´s, wich are even after modernisation not even comparable
@@zhufortheimpaler4041 “not even comparable” yeah no, the Paladin might not be the best but it’s definitely up there… and the A7 is basically a new vehicle.
@@andrewmoore7022 well only if you are talking about older models like the m109a3. Those have shorter barrels and fire less hot charges, but also have significantly lower range due to that. Due to the lighter charge the chamber pressure is lower, the projectile is traveling the barrel slower and thus the gun is subjected to significantly less wear and tear. But again, those guns only have a range von 20-30km, not up to 80km
Our near peers still visit the US to pick our brains on how we do stuff in the Artillery. They may have fancier weapon systems, but they will never be as reliable as a seasoned crew doing stuff mostly by hand. A guy sprains an ankle, and another guy quickly takes his place on the crew. Whereas if a component of the feeder malfunctions on an automatic loading system, the whole gun is out of the fight until it's fixed.
Hilarious how every new crop of Officers thinks that they are the first ever to do a thing.... In 1995, our brigade Commander in Germany made a huge deal of introducing Hip Shoots ..... My national guard unit did them routinely at Camp Guernsey, WY 10 years before .... the unit I was in DS/DS did Artillery Raids daily for a solid week before the ground war started, that were essentially a series of 3 preplanned 6 round hip shoots, 500 meters apart ...
The Koreans have an excellent self propelled artillery vehicle in the K9 Thunder, but it is heavy at 47 tons. Weight has always been regarded as a detriment to logistical and operational agility. For a shoot and skoot vehicle I would bet on the lighter more nimble platform.
I was the crew chief for the first M-109s to get the longer barrel in '70s. This was USMC at 29 Palms. My gunnery sgt said if the Army doesn't have them we shouldn't . We used really long lanyards to fire from why behind the gun. The Battalion CO fired the first one, the battery CO fired the 2nd one and I fired the next 4.
I can personally attest the M109A6 handled 9 rounds per minute sustained for about 15 minutes overriding the alarms. Throwing bags of powder in that glowing barrel is a definite yolo moment.
Hi Mike, I am curious if there are any nicknames for the gun crew positions, or slang used for their positions or for the gun. I like to learn the lingo used by soldiers in the field, whether humorous or fun or "dark humor" slang etc. please let me know of any you heard. Thanks for your service. Sincerely. Also, which person on the crew pulls the lanyard (position name?)?
Puttin in work cappy! Love your hard work, intro and dedication in all the videos. From this crayon eater an all of us degenerates that ever cooked their food on a rock or something
yes the M109 should have gone the way of the Dodo 20-35 years ago, similar to the german Bundeswehr M109G and be replaced with a system wich is modern and designed around an autoloader, digital battlefield management and modern fire control. Like the Pzh2000, wich outperforms the M109´s latest iterations in every area. more than double the average rate of fire, more than 10 times the burst rate of fire, higher range, better precision, ballistic and firecontrol systems networked with digital battlefield management and GPS, programmable ammunition, better protection, better mobility, better shoot and scoot ability etc etc etc
North Korea is proud when one of it's missiles gets off the launchpad. The USA military took an artillery piece from WW2 and started shooting missiles out of the air, because cannon rounds are cheaper.
I was on an M109A6 Paladin for five years. Good piece. They weren't widely used in Baghdad for firing (some but not much) but they could provide decent protection at static sites and FOB/COP fortification. Good video slick
This is probably my new favorite military related channel. Every other channel that I've come across talking about the same subjects come off as circle-jerky and chauvinistic. I appreciate the nuance of your content and how you take jabs at your own boys just as much as you do others. Keep up the good work.
This weapon works in all weather, this can’t be said the of high tech weapons or even aircraft . Bad weather such as clouds can keep the Air Force at bay. Their is a new round that is rocket assisted and is guided (but not by GPSand not effected by weather) that has a range of 60 miles and can be used against ships. How great is artillery!
Before being assigned to Strategic Missile Defense in the mid 90's, I was a 13C with HHB, 4th BN, 82nd FA, in Hanau, Germany (Hutier Kaserne). We still used Surveyors, and each Battery still had A2's with the spades. Kinda missed the days of hearing the words, "Fire Mission!"
Love the video! Always great to see the Artillery represented. BTW, I was a HIMARS/MLRS guy for 8+ years, and I'd love to see a video on those some day! I'd be happy to answer any questions and talk about it, if you're thinking about doing a video.
I am curious what MLRS operators call their weapons. Are there nicknames for them used today? Such as "organs" or similar nicknames? Please share lingo, as I am curious about how the crew calls it in real world. Thanks.
@@steadmanuhlich6734 We never nicknamed the systems. Mostly just "270" for the MLRS and "HIMARS" for the HIMARS in common verbiage. There was of course naming your vehicle once your crew became certified, but those changed constantly as crews rotated in and out.
I’m a Vietnam veteran. I was section chief on an M1 09 in fue bI. They’re a great artillery piece with a lot of mobility unfortunately while being overrun we found a warrant great against grenade launchers. They went through the armor Like it was a tin can with devastating results. I could write a lot more but that’s my two cents really enjoyed the video. Robb
The Army says "Tactical Retreat" but the Marines say "Advancing in the opposite direction", It's the little differences. ;) These things go next level when they use that Excalibur round. And there's nothing better than being at 29 palms, calling in Arty and then getting to watch the rounds going down range over your head.
@nriquedigita my step-dad told me about the 14" at Normandy, when they got off the beach he told me one went right through a port . All they found in the cracked but still standing bunker was red goo. Said it sounded like a freight train overhead
Personally, I believe artillery is an excellent combination of firepower and low cost. Back in 1983, I was deployed in West Germany at the 1/9th FA 8" (203mm) Self Propelled M110. Not long after my arrival, one of our gun batteries "Charley", got the brand new MLRS system. The MLRS was bad ass and so was the 8", especially during direct fire missions. Good times. Mark Nicholson (Retired) Former, US Army EFMB - Combat Medical Specialist 1/94 FA MLRS - Erlangen West Germany 690th, Medical Company supporting Misc. Weapons Ranges, Airborne Jump School and Ranger Training Brigade (ARTB) - Ft. Benning Georgia
I mean, Browning M2 still works a century on. I think that any "replacement" will be basically an incremental improvement on the design, maybe lighter materials here and there, maybe better armor, but does it justify the cost?
Well, in the end there's only so much incremental improvement could do, i guess the decisive future of M109 would be implementing autoloader (basically, the korean K9). Just like how M1 garand prevail over bolt action rifle, it justifies the cost.
@@Kevin-fj5oe Yeah, that's what I mean. I don't think manual loading is that much inferior to an autoloader in tanks or arty as a bolt-action rifle, lol. But it's still an incremental improvement. I guess, unless there's a significant doctrinal change (with or without a technological leap), it doesn't have to be completely replaced.
Bruh, you clearly don't know about the KORD. That is what a .50 should be. The M2 is hopelessly outdated, far too expensive for what it does, and not light by any means. The Russian HMGs and GMGs are just better in every possible way. The .50 doesn't work well; it's just that we haven't fought anyone that forced us to improved, so we just let is stay shitty. The M2A2 is an improvement on all the things that should've been solved in the beginning, but it still requires a tri-pod, still requires 3 men to move at any speed, can only be used on vehicles and in foxed positions. It's just not good a good weapon system. Yeah, the .50 bullet is absolutely wonderful, but if it's not where it's needed, it isn't useful. Again, look at the Russian KORD. It does the same job, but a single man can carry it [with difficulty], and that's no different from the M240. Again, the 240 is my favorite weapon. Definitely S-tier, but you look at things like the PKM which outrange it while still being similar weight and it's just no contest.
@@cherminatorDR How do you think it's an improvement? How many rounds can a crew load and fire within a minute? Probably the same amount-if not slightly more-than a machine. But let's drag this out to hours and even days. I've seen how artillery operates and I've trained with them. They push themselves harder than anyone to maximize rate of fire, but it isn't enough. A machine will operate until it runs out of fuel [not a problem for the US logistics'] but a person becomes dangerous when they get tired. They get stupid. They crash vehicles and kill the wrong people. Look at Arty's fatalities in training and you'll notice it's significantly greater than anyone else bc they are too tired to safely operate the equipment after a couple days of intermittent naps. It's just bad. You could give those same gun crews an automatic gun system and then every man would be spending ⅓ the time crewing the weapon, letting them get rested. That's the real drawback of manual systems: you need more men to operate them. It isn't about speed, but sleep. Men need to sleep or they get stupid, and being stupid in war is the fastest way to get your boys killed.
I have read and i have also seen a article about U.S.A testing the famous Archer FH77 Self-Propelled 155 mm Sweden Howitzert, what do you now about these, is being great if you make a show analyzing this recent interest in this amazing tool.
I served in the swiss army artillery. Watching our M109 KAWEST firing combat shell into the alps was always stunning. They should be retiring those in 2025 tho.
I still think that the paladin should stay in the military, this new doctor and where they’re trying to rely on satellite guided munitions and smart drowns and things all big via computer will inevitably become a problem to us in the long run. If you have a handful of “retro “weaponry in your arsenal it will help you later on in life
We practiced the hip shoot with weapon, incessantly. We could pull off the road and get a volley out in about a minute. This was using slide rules and charting grids. This was the piece that, more than any other weapon , kept the Russian bear in his cage; it can fire nuclear rounds. No it is not obsolete. MLRS and like systems shoot their wad and then have to take a time to to be reloaded. The A10 is the same way. The M109 provides a continuous and sustained presence on the battle field. But training is key, especially in counter-battery techniques and skills. Further, the plans to reduce the crew size should be reviewed. The loading system ( rammer) needes to be thoroughly tested for reliability. Pushing rounds into that thing by hand can get old.
3-4 shots/minute? manual loading? aluminum armor? :D PZH2000 or K9 is much much better system...PZH2000 need a crew of 3 and can shoot 8-10 rounds / minute from its 60 round magazine with fully automatic loading mechanism. Its armor can stand 14,5mm russian HMG rounds. Most of the US Army's equipment is out dated by decades!
Hi Jason. I am curious what MLRS operators call their weapons. Are there nicknames for them used today? Such as "organs" or similar nicknames? Please share lingo, as I am curious about how the crew calls it in real world. Thanks.
As a former artillery gun bunny (105 towed a long time ago) I think there is a more iconic explanation for the self propelled 155's nickname, "Paladin." As you explain Paladin was a knight known for heroism and chivalry. But wait, there's more. Paladin was also the name of a character in a 60's tv western. The Paladin character played by Richard Boone was a chivalrous & heroic gun for hire. But he only took just causes. He wore all black and his holster and calling card was adorned with a depiction of a chess knightpiece. His business card directed those who were in true need, to contact him in San Francisco. The print on his business card and the name of the show; Have Gun, Will Travel.
As an IDF artillery using modified m109a5's our main gripes are that all of our vehicles are old and constantly breaking. We really envy the Americans and their new Paladins with their target lock aim. The main thing holding this back is the lack of an autoloader and general outdated doctrine and manual. All in all you can't complain too much about it, it's spacious, generally works almost well enough for a 1960's made battered vehicle.
@@patriotenfield3276 I don't hate on the Israelis but it's time we stop giving a first world country aid. And the USS liberty story is true. You can watch documentaries on here that talk about how they indeed knew it was an American ship yet they attacked her anyways. Kind of hard to miss the Gigantic American flag too.
My 1978 gunnery instructor was the 1st paladin battalion commander and later CG of fort sill and USAFAS. Have a video of the a6 shooting out of safe during a fire power demo at sill in 1988. You didn't mention Rumsfeld canceling the crusader replacement system around 2001. Our system ranges 30km but north Korean systems range 50km or more. GPS munitions were also not mentioned which makes the weapon very lethal in the counter battery role. It's hard to convey the technical challenges of indirect fire, thanks for making this video.
@@readhistory2023 was that 78 or 79? Don't recall the tornado in 78. Years later I was in the arty unit in Wichita Falls. The armory was totally destroyed except for the arms vault. Luckily everyone in the armory at the time took shelter in the arms vault. I liked lubys in the mall And don't recall it being destroyed while I was there in 78.
Hey Cappy. My first unit out of AIT was 1/15FA, 2ID, in Camp Casey, Korea, in March 1997. The M548 was already well phased out by then. We had the M992 by then.
84-85, 87-92, 7 tours of the DMZ. Spent so much time in the ROK that I could actually Call for Fire in Korean. (1/15FA, 1/17IN)(8/8FA,2/503IN)(1/15FA,5/20IN)
Been with M109A4, A5 & A6 units in Maintenance. Like anything they have pro's and cons. The FA board at one time played with putting a 20mm (might have ben a 25mm, it was a while a go). The 109 like anything takes a lot of crew maintenance, if the crew is good it lasts a long time, if they are not, they tend have NMC status on a continual basis.
The M109 reminds me of "Flying Artillery" of the Mexican-American War, where the original "shoot n scoot" was perfected with horse drawn carriages at the Battle of Palo Alto. Give a special "Hooah" to our Army that came before the spare-parts Army, when men were men and women were grateful for it.
I think it is a shame President Biden didn't send about 250 Paladins with ammo and ammo carriers to Ukraine about a week ago. Hopefully they will get some in time.
The artillery batalion in Norway used the m109 until last year. Im sure it works great in the dessert an flatter terrains. The problem for our m109’s is that Norway is mostly mountains. When i was in the Panzer batallion we would always have to wait to advance because the m109’s got stuck trying to go up a hill. Luckily we got the k9 now
The 109a2/a3 was seriously underpowered, and it's transmission was overstressed when climbing hills combat loaded. The 110a2 8", while pretty slow, was practically flying artillery compared to the 109, IME.
It's like a musket that been modified into a blaster at this point. No point in developing a whole new system when you always have air superiority and it's unlikely to be counter arty'ed.
I was a E4 specialists 13-E cannon fire direction specialist in Paladin Batteries in the Idaho and Utah National Guard. The 13-E MOS has since been replaced by another as all artillery, missile and cannon, fire direction centers are using the same computer software now, but different from what I was trained on. The M109A6 and later models have a lot of sensors built into them. The computer on the gun knows its exact location and orientation, the temperature of the stored shells and powder, the temperature of the barrel, and the muzzle velocity of each shell/fuse combination at different charges it has fired in the past. The forward observers also know their exact location and with their fancy box with its computer, compasses and laser rangefinder, it can calculate exactly where the target is. The computers used at battalion and platoon fire direction centers take all this data as well as the rotation of the earth and wind speeds at multiple elevations, to calculate the required powder charge, elevation and azimuth of the barrel needed to hit the target for each individual gun in a platoon or battery so they each get unique fireing orders. It also calculates the time of flight so a fuse can be set to detonate above a target or delayed till slightly after impact. It also allows us to calculate time on target missions so each gun fires at a different time so all the shells hit at the same time. Or if a crew is really fast a single gun might fire two or three rounds at different elevations and powder charges so the all impact at the same time. As long as we and the 13-Fs have connections to GPS satellites and good meteorological data we were accurate with in 10 meters and fractions of a second even with a 12 red bag high angle shot. Oh, and yes as of 2001 the USA has 155mm nuclear rounds that the M109A6 can fire and be outside of the blast radius of. I got to look at the firing tables for those things, nasty piece of work, and as of 2001 we still had some forward deployed in South Korea for our batteries south of the DMZ. The might be out of service by now though, although not exactly a secret that they existed, the exact numbers and locations are secret.
I spent some time as the signal officer in a Paladin battalion back in the ‘90s. They were truly awesome to watch. They had amazing capabilities. The live fire exercises were the best. They could be driving along, get a fire mission, stop, fire and then continue moving. You didn’t mention the Copperhead missiles, which are essentially a laser guided artillery round. Are those still in use?
Ukrainian use of drones against Russian SP artillery may have changed the game. Counterbattery fire can easily be adjusted if you are being over watched by a drone.
Great video, actually taught me things I didn’t know about self propelled artillery. But in my opinion it needs more range to be safer from counterattacks
I'm not so sure. If you have air supremacy and you know where the bad guys are and they don't know where you are, range isn't much of a defense. Of course, it increases the square kilometer area that you can dominate, but remember these things don't operate in isolation.
The American 155mm howitzer has more range than any of our adversaries guns. The only countries with howitzers that have more range is South Africa (ally of the US) and South Korea (ally of the US). The Palladin is also designed for speed and agility. The most we would fire in a situation where we are engaging in counter battery fire is three shots. It would take a minute to fire them off and we would change positions as soon as the third shot was fired. This way, by the time the enemy generates a firing solution with their radar we are already gone.
nope its not 6 rounds per minute (max)... it's 4 rounds per min in the first 3 minutes and after 3 minutes its 1round per minute...also if the artilllery platoon has to do direct fire , the battle is lost also the new system that can give you target location and grid etc it's called NAPOS.. P.S i'm second leutenant artillery officer from Greece.
@@user-kv3ut6pv4b except when it rains or snows or is windy or dusty or just plain outside! LOL But yes BOOM! Where where you stationed I was in Pinder Barracks, Zirndorf. Near Nuremberg. 1/22 FA 1stAD I ALSO said they should just can the 548 and use a 109 chassis as an ammo- carrier... and wow, they gots that!
@@marcatteberry1361 We had that weatherization kid haha. Stationed at Francois karnes . Hanua...bout 15 K's from Frankfurt. 2/20 FA 5th Corp. They left 1stAD. When back on active d back in 2006...Korea 1/15 FA , camp Hovey. Can't remember the ammo carrier...but; is was roomy. Not hype to this chassis?
Man I miss being in the army as I sit here drinking coffee. I’m pretty sure I was doing the exact same thing 20 years ago actually the army was the first place I learned how to say man I miss……. “Things I’ll later pretend to be annoyed by like comfort ,clean underwear,any underwear “
that's the Way we did when I drove and Fired them .Driver M109 .M109A1 . M109A3 . Bravo Battery 2nd Battalion 34th Field Artillery I was 17 when I drove . I don't know what this guy Is yanging about. some good room in them RED LEG . ARTILLERY . KING OF BATTLE
Paladin also usually has a religious connotation especially in the middle ages. This ties into naming artillery systems after clergy from wwii, like the M7 priest.
M7 was dubbed "Priest" by the Brits .... they had a larger 25 pounder vehicle they called the "Bishop", and a smaller wheeled vehicle call the :Deacon.
I was outside the Bradley getting chow one night when the paladins were practicing direct fire.. my chest got a good smack.. I wasn’t that close either, about 40-50 yards behind it
When I crewed on one in 1993-84 M109a3 [1st/155mm HowBtry (sp), 4thBn, 11th Mar (Rein) at 29 Palms, Ca] {I went from powder monkey to asst crew chief in 8 weeks & led the advance placement team/s for when the btry had to move. And when we laid in, we could start to bring rounds down range within 60 seconds of pulling in.
