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M109A6 Paladin

Entering US service in the early 1960s, the Ameican M109 Self-Propelled Howitzer has been in production for decades and forms the backbone of US Army and Reserve artillery units. The M109A6 is the latest development of the M109 series and incorporates advanced fire control systems that enable it to have its first rounds on target less than 60 seconds after arriving at firing location. This ability to shift quickly between moving and firing modes avoids counter battery fire and ensures battlefield survivability. This book details an impressive and versatile weapon that has served around the globe in Southeast Asia and in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Before the introduction of the M109 , Taiwan once loaded the M114 155mm towed howitzer on the M108 chassis in an open gun mount (because the M108 and M109 chassis are the same, Therefore, it is introduced here), called the XT-69 155mm self-propelled gun. The following year, there was an improved XT-69A1 with a longer gun diameter . Later, due to poor performance (it is said that when the gun fires, the body will recoil due to It is a pity that the M109 series of self-propelled guns were introduced instead of continuing to develop. However, the result of this self-propelled gun using an open gun mount is that it has no protection against any attack, and its members are exposed. It is really a very dangerous thing. If it is to continue to develop, it is necessary to install a protective turret. Improvements were necessary.

Taiwan purchased the M109 series for the first time in 1981. There are two types in total. The first batch is M109A1B , and the second batch is M109A2 . They are attached to the Army's mechanized infantry divisions, armored brigades and field artillery of the Marine Corps. The total number of M109A5s used by the troops is about 197; under the policy of making local artillery autonomous, Taiwan purchased a batch of M109A5s from the United States in the mid-1990s, with a number of no less than 250. So far, it has obtained dozens of them. . In September 2000, the United States agreed to sell 146 M109A6s to China. By then, China will have more than 500 M109 series self-propelled guns. Regardless of whether the policy of self-propelled artillery is correct, there is no doubt whether more than 500 self-propelled artillery vehicles are too many, and whether our army has enough logistical energy to maintain such a large number of self-propelled artillery.

When the M109 was introduced in the early days , because they did not know that the original paint had the function of resisting infrared rays, and because its color was different from the standard paint of the National Army, the National Army actually scraped off the original paint and repainted it with an ordinary bright surface. Paint, which not only loses the anti-infrared function, but also exposes the whereabouts of the self-propelled gun due to reflection. Fortunately, the Chinese army already had similar paint, so some M109s switched to the new paint .

The M109A5 self-propelled gun currently introduced cannot keep up with the times, so its performance needs to be improved to meet future challenges. Suggested upgrade include modifying the M109 series to the A6 configuration, modifying the gun barrel with a longer diameter (like the international self-propelled gun ), improving the fire control system, and adding additional armor to extend the strike range and increases the time the enemy is exposed to our artillery fire, improves the hit rate of artillery fire, and increases the firepower and survival rate of self-propelled artillery.

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) on 23 September 2019 said that the M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer "meets the needs of Taiwan's defensive operations." The Legislative Yuan's Foreign National Defense Committee held a meeting to discuss the "Special Bill for the Purchase of New Fighter Aircraft". During the meeting, legislators posed questions to Army officials about the country's weaponry needs.

When Taiwan lawmaker Freddy Lim asked if the Army is planning on procuring Paladin howitzers, National Defense Minister Yen De-fa said the self-propelled gun "meets the needs of Taiwan's defensive operations and has fast reaction speeds and great power" and that "It is hoped that it will further enhance combat effectiveness in the future". Yen did not reveal how many howitzers would be sought, although local media reports in July 2019 stated that Taiwan was looking at acquiring 100 howitzers.

Lin then asked whether the Army's current digitalization process would include compatibility with the weapon. In response, Lt. Gen. Yang Hai-ming, chief of staff of the Army, said that the multifunctional laser designator rangefinder has already been partially digitized and included in live-fire drills, according to reports.

Following the purchase of 108 M1A2T Abrams tanks from the US, the Taiwanese army had recently begun the process of purchasing Paladin howitzers. In July 2020, the Army said that the military acquisition would be carefully evaluated, planned, and handled in order to strengthen the country's defenses.

The American Institute in Taiwan informed the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that the deal of the M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers will be submitted to the US Congress "soon" and the weapons are expected to be commissioned between 2023-25, Taiwan news website udn.com reported. It did not specify the amount of the equipment or value of the deal. The deal may become the first arms sales to Taiwan by the Biden administration, three months after Joe Biden took office. The process of the deal comes earlier than previous US administrations, even the most "radical and provocative former Trump administration." Donald Trump's approval of the first arms sales to Taiwan, which totaled $1.4 billion, was released in June 2017 by the US.

Xin Qiang, deputy director of the Center for US Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, told the Global Times on 19 April 2021 that the early sales are in line with the Biden administration's strategy of visibly playing the "Taiwan card." The deal will meet few barriers at the administrative level. Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times on Monday that by selling arms to the island of Taiwan, the US is not only instigating Taiwan secessionists to create more estrangement and trouble between the Chinese mainland and the island, but also letting US arms dealers earn huge amounts of money.

Compared to the sales of 135 precision-guided cruise missiles during the former Trump administration, the deal of self-propelled howitzers, weapons more defensive in nature, is less provocative. But the mainland should be alert on possible sales of offensive equipment in the future, Xin stressed. Though arms sales are usually announced by the US first, it is possible the DPP authority and Washington communicated ahead and arranged to let Taiwan media release the information first, Xin said.

The Paladin's main weapon is a 39-caliber 155mm M284 cannon, which is fitted with an M182 gun mount and has a maximum range of 30 kilometers. The gun is operated with an automatic fire control system (AFCS) with a ballistic computer and is fitted with an optical backup; the vehicle’s inertial positioning and navigation system is integrated with the AFCS.

Taiwan's arsenal already included the older M109A2-A5 series of the weapon, the M114 155mm howitzer, and the M110A2 howitzer. The newest of these, the M109A2-A5, was purchased from the U.S. during the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1996, delivered in 1998, and had been in service for 21 years. The M109A6 features improved armor and survivability over older variants of the M109, which allows howitzer batteries to fire from dispersed locations as well as reduce the time required to set up and fire its 155 mm (6 inch) howitzer.

M109A6 Paladin

Taiwan had two defense procurement deals with the United States in the pipeline for 2021, worth approximately US$8 billion, Vice Defense Minister Chang Che-ping said 07 December 2020 during a legislative hearing. Chang did not reveal the items involved in the possible deals, but media reports have speculated that they could be the M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer and smart mines.

Chang was responding to legislators' questions regarding a speech by American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Brent Christensen on 28 November 2020 at a forum in which he said that the U.S. has verified in Congress US$5.2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan for 2021. In his speech, Christensen also said there were US$11.8 billion in arms sales between the U.S. and Taiwan in 2020, which the MND said should have been only US$5.5 billion.

When pressed by legislators on the seeming anomalies in the deals, Chang reiterated that the discrepancies in the amounts were due to different accounting periods on the two sides. The U.S. federal government runs on an Oct. 1-Sept. 30 fiscal year, while Taiwan's runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31.

The US Biden administration on 04 August 2021 approved the first arms sales to Taiwan after taking office, including M109 self-propelled guns and related kits, with a total value of US$750 million (approximately NT$21 billion) Yuan). As the situation between the United States, China and the Taiwan Strait heated up, the Biden administration has decided to make its first arms sale to Taiwan. According to the State Department's announcement to Congress, the project includes 40 new M109 self-propelled guns and nearly 1,700 sets of Upgraded artillery shells into more accurate GPS-guided artillery.

The US State Department made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) of 155mm M109A6 Paladin Medium Self-Propelled Howitzer System and related equipment for an estimated cost of $750 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale. TECRO requested to buy forty (40) 155mm M109A6 Medium Self-Propelled Howitzer Systems; twenty (20) M992A2 Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicles (FAASV); one (1) Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS); five (5) M88A2 Hercules vehicles; five (5) M2 Chrysler Mount .50 caliber machine guns; and one thousand six hundred ninety-eight (1,698) multi-option, Precision Guidance Kits (PGK). Also included are M109A6/M992A2 overhaul, conversion and refurbishment services; Special Tools and Test Equipment (STTE); Defense Advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) Receiver; AN/VVS(2) Night Driver’s Viewer (NDV); Dynamic Reference Unit Hybrid Replacement Inertial Navigation System; Basic Issue Items (BII); Program Management Support; Verification Testing; System Technical Support; Transportation; Spare and repair parts; communication support equipment; communication equipment integration; tools and test equipment; personnel training and training equipment; repair and return program; camouflage nets; Components of End Items (COEI), Additional Authorized List (AAL), Technical Manuals; Quality Assurance Team (QAT); 155mm M232A1 Propelling Charges, M82 Percussion Primer Fuzes, support and test equipment, integration and test support, software delivery, publications and technical documentation. U.S. Government and contractor engineering; technical and logistics support services; storage; and other related elements of logistics and program support; OCONUS Deprocessing Service; Export Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS); OCONUS Contractor provided Training, Field Service Representatives (FSR); M2A1 .50 Cal MG; MK93 MOD 2 Mount Machine Gun; M239 Smoke Grenade Launchers, U.S. Government and contractor representatives’ technical assistance, engineering and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The total estimated program cost is $750 million. This proposed sale is consistent with U.S. law and policy as expressed in Public Law 96-8. This proposed sale serves U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability. The proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, economic and progress in the region. This proposed sale of M109A6 SPH will contribute to the modernization of the recipient’s self-propelled howitzer fleet, enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats. These systems will contribute to the recipient’s goal of updating its military capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies. The recipient will have no difficulty absorbing these systems into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. The prime contractor for the Self-Propelled Howitzer Systems will be BAE Systems, Anniston, AL, and Elgin, OK; M992A2 FAASV, Anniston Army Depot (ANAD), Bynum, AL; and M88A2 recovery vehicles, BAE, York, PA. The purchaser has requested offsets. At this time, agreements are undetermined and will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and contractor. Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the permanent assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to recipient. Support teams will travel to recipient on a temporary basis. The report mentioned that the arms sales must go through the congressional review process, and then the government negotiates with the contractor BAE Systems to finally complete the contract and finalize the delivery time. Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Association, believed that China has frequently violated Taiwan’s airspace recently, and this arms sale can remind China of the close cooperative relationship between the United States and Taiwan on national security issues. The report pointed out that the A6 model can strengthen the early M109 models in Taiwan's inventory and improve its self-defense capabilities against Chinese landing invasion. The kit can provide the 155mm howitzer with GPS navigation capabilities and accurately strike targets. The US Army also uses similar accessories.