M777A2 155mm towed howitzer
The M777A2 incorporates the advanced a digital fire control system (DFCS) — a first for U.S. towed artillery. the addition of the Digital Fire Control System enables the weapon to program and fire the improved Excalibur precision-guided munition to ranges in excess of 25 miles with and land within 10 meters of its target.
The M777A2 Lightweight 155mm Howitzer, which is also known as the “Triple Seven,” is a cornerstone of the PM Towed Artillery Systems (PM TAS) portfolio. Produced by BAE Systems in the United Kingdom, the Lightweight 155 is a Marine Corps-led Joint program with the Army. “If someone downrange needs suppression or something blown up, they call us. Then, we fire on the target to soften it up so they can roll in,” said Sgt. Daniel M. Gehringer, the section chief for gun three in Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 12th Marines.
The M777A2 Lightweight 155 mm Howitzer, simply referred to as the M777A2 or the LW155, provides direct, reinforcing and general support fires to maneuver forces. The M777A2 uses an advanced digital fire control system to precisely and accurately locate and aim the weapon, and can deliver long range 155 mm artillery fire to support ground troops who are engaging the enemy. It also has the ability to program and fire the Excalibur precision guided munition thereby providing maneuver commanders the ability to engage targets with a precision strike capability.
The M777A2 fires unassisted projectiles to a range of 15 miles and assisted projectiles to 19 miles. It is able to fire up to five rounds per minute and is capable of firing high-explosive rounds up to 25 kilometers and place them within three meters of their intended targets. Weighing in at less than 4,200 kilograms, the revolutionary M77A27 is the world's first artillery weapon to make widespread use of titanium and aluminum alloys, resulting in a howitzer that is half the weight of conventional 155 mm systems.
The M777A2 can fire the "smart" Excalibur round, co-developed by Global Combat Systems up to 40 kilometers accurately enough to target individual rooms within a building, reducing the chance of innocent casualties and allowing supporting fire to be brought down much closer to friendly troops.
It can hurl a standard 43.5 kilogram shell almost 21 miles at 2.5 times the speed of sound. The projectile takes just over a minute to fly the distance and reaches a maximum height of 12 kilometers. The shell reaches its maximum speed of 1,800 miles per hour by the time it exits the muzzle of the gun. The energy released firing at maximum range is 40 mega joules, which is the equivalent of accelerating 55 family cars to 45 miles per hour in just 12-thousandths of a second. The internal cannon peak pressure during firing reach 60,000 pounds per square inch.
The wind speed, meteorological conditions and even the earth's rotation all have to be taken into account for accurate targeting. The gun remains stable when firing, despite its light weight, by being "out of balance" - the barrel is mounted low and forward to prevent the gun overturning when it is fired. DFCS provides each M777A2 howitzer with onboard navigation, digital communication with the Fire Direction Center (FDC), and automatic weaponpointing capability. As compared with conventional surveying and sighting of artillery, DFCS provides each DFCS equipped gun with much greater autonomy through significantly reduced time for gun emplacement and increased speed and efficiency in mission execution.
The system uses information from an inertial navigation system, together with the Global Positioning System (GPS) and vehicle motion sensor, to accurately locate the weapon and orient it in space for precision aiming ( < 1 mil) and firing. The system embeds a radio for digital transmission of data between the FDC and the howitzer, and has graphical and text screens for displaying mission data to the crew. The system also has redundancy to continue digital operations in the absence of a GPS signal. These improvements increase crew survivability through greater speed into and out of action. DFCS also provides the ability to program and fire the M982 Excalibur Precision Guided Munition, which delivers leap-ahead precision strike capability in support of maneuver units.
The M777A2 effort is managed by the Light Weight 155 mm Joint Program office. JPM LW155, with its prime contractor, BAE Systems, manages the production and fielding of M777A2 howitzers. As a major subcontractor to BAE Systems, General Dynamics Armament Technical Products produces and integrates the DFCS while General Dynamics Canada (GDC) supplies the computer and displays. BAE Systems Global Combat Systems' facility in Hattiesburg is responsible for final integration and testing of the weapon system. The prime contract management of the M777 program, manufacture and assembly of the complex titanium structures and associated recoil components are undertaken at Barrow-in-Furness in the United Kingdom.
The lightweight M777A2 can be air lifted into remote high altitude locations inaccessible by ground transportation and is capable of being transported by the Marine Corps' new V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft as well as all medium- and heavy-lift helicopters.
There were 1,071 M777 howitzers on contract as of 2014: 511 for the Marine Corps and 488 for the Army, with the remaining 72 targeted for foreign military sales. To date, over 950 of these systems have been fielded. Full Operational Capability for the USMC was achieved in June 2011.
The 500th M777A2 was fielded in early 2009 to the 2nd Stryker Calvary Regiment with the Army's 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team in Vilseck, Germany. The fielding represented that a significant number of M777A2's have now been fielded to both the Army and (the Marine Corps), providing significantly greater combat capability to troops.
The M777A2 continues to provide 155mm long-range precision, near precision and area indirect Fires in support of Army Stryker Brigade Combat Team/Infantry Brigade Combat Teams and U.S. Marine Corps forces. Several hardware and software improvements have been added to the M777A2, providing enhanced capabilities in achieving safe, timely and accurate Fires. By 2016 the Composite Battalion New Equipment Training Team (NETT) has fielded all 14 active-duty and half of the Army National Guard Infantry Brigade Combat Team FA composite battalions with M777A2s. All composite battalion fielding’s were scheduled to be completed by the end of fiscal year 2018.
The total number of orders for the gun was at 737 in May 2009. The M777A2 replaces all howitzers in all missions for the Marine Corps and replaces the M198 howitzer as the general-support artillery for light forces in the Army.
Canada also had 16 M777A2 howitzers in service with the Royal Horse Artillery. Both nations' services operate the M777A2 in Afghanistan, providing fire support to coalition forces. The U.S. military also used the gun in Iraq. Canada will be receiving an additional 21 howitzers. Australia had a foreign military sale case underway to purchase the M777A2.
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