![]() In 2008, the Australian Defence Force made a US Foreign Military Sales request for 57 M777A2s estimated to be worth up to US$248m. Comparison of M777A2 and M198 Īustralian soldiers firing an M777A2 during a training exercise in 2016 Usually a barrel on a modern artillery system, like the M777, must be replaced after firing up to 2,500 rounds. The furthest hit from an Excalibur ammunition by the United States Army was 30 km (19 mi) in Iraq. This was the longest operational shot in the history of the M777 howitzer, and the longest operational barrel artillery shot in history for the Marine Corps. In June 2012, Golf Battery, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, California, fired the M982 Excalibur against insurgents at a range of 36 km (22 mi) in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Testing at the Yuma Proving Ground by the US Army placed 13 of 14 Excalibur rounds, fired from up to 24 kilometres (15 mi), within 10 m (33 ft) of their target, suggesting a circular error probable of 5 m (16 ft). This almost doubles the area covered by a single battery to about 1,250 km 2 (480 sq mi). The M777A2 may be combined with the M982 Excalibur 155mm GPS-guided munition, which allows accurate fire at a range of up to 40 km (25 mi). ![]() ![]() XM982 Excalibur GPS-guided munition (inert) The Leonardo MW portion of the system, known as LINAPS, had been proven previously through earlier use on the British Army 105 mm L118 Light Gun. The Canadian M777 in conjunction with the traditional "glass and iron sights/mounts" uses a digital fire control system called the Digital Gun Management System (DGMS) produced by Leonardo MW with components of the Indirect Fire Control Software Suite (IFCSS) built by the Firepower team in the Canadian Army Land Software Engineering Centre. The M777A1 and M777A2 use a digital fire-control system similar to that found on self-propelled howitzers such as the M109A6 Paladin to provide navigation, pointing and self-location, allowing it to be put into action quickly. With a minimal emergency crew, the rate of fire is decreased. The minimum gun crew required is five, compared to a previous nine. The M777 can be transported by helicopter sling-load, transport aircraft such as the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, or towed by air-braked vehicles weighing over 2.5 tonnes (5,500 lb), such as the FMTV and MTVR medium tactical vehicles. The gun barrel serves as the towing bar, with the connecting ring forged as a projection of the muzzle brake. Much of the weight reduction is due to the extensive use of titanium. ![]() The M777 now uses about 70% US-built parts including the gun barrel (designated M776), which is manufactured at the Watervliet Arsenal. Upon taking over responsibility for the weapon, BAE "Americanized" to a large degree the construction and assembly through its US-based BAE Systems Land and Armaments group. VSEL was bought by BAE Systems after the UFH prototypes had been manufactured and demonstrated, and consequently BAE became responsible for future design refinements and renamed the gun "M777". The M777 began in 1987 as the Ultralight Field Howitzer (UFH), developed by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering's (VSEL) Armaments Division in Barrow-in-Furness, UK. M777 Light Towed Howitzer in service with the 10th Mountain Division in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Logar Province, Charkh District, Afghanistan
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