The U.S. Army hosted a live-fire demonstration of their next-generation artillery system being manufactured by BAE Systems, according to a recent service news release.
Troopers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division host a live-fire demonstration of the Army’s newly received M109A7 Paladins.
U.S. Army Futures Command, the GREYWOLF brigade, and over 14 high end civilian agencies came together for the event to analyze the new Paladins and to find new ways to increase the firing rate of the weapon system, according to a Nov. 19 press release.
At the announcement, said Col. Tim Fuller, project manager for Self-Propelled Howitzer Systems said that they have 15 firms “out here that we have on contract and each have a different niche, each have a different core competency, and each are really at the top of our game in what they do. It is absolutely imperative that we have partnerships and relationships with all of our folks within the military as well as in industry outside of the military.”
Several GREYWOLF Troopers were assigned to escort multiple groups of civilians to the firing lines where the contracted agencies could analyze the way the system currently operates and think of innovative ways to modernize the equipment.
“We’ve asked them to take a look at how we do things today, and what we can do better; specifically, improving the rate of fire of our self-propelled howitzers,” said Fuller.
The agencies were also invited to take a tour of the inside of the vehicle to get a closer and a more in depth look at how the machinery works.
“This ties into what our brigade has already been doing, we are undergoing a huge modernization effort right now across the brigade,” said Capt. Stewart Tice, Bravo Battery Commander, 2-82 FA. “This battalion is fielding brand new A7 Paladins, along with new ammo supply vehicles, and in addition we just replaced our entire Humvee fleet with the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle trucks.”
The GREYWOLF brigade and the 1st Cavalry Division is the tip of the spear when it comes to the modernization of the Army, making them the perfect hosts for the innovative and modern team to spectate.
Tice added, it makes him immensely proud to be a part of the demonstration and that all of the Troopers were very excited to be chosen and welcome all of the partners to look at ways to make them [Paladins] better.
The GREYWOLF brigade has received first M109A7 artillery systems in August.
The M109A7 will replace the current M109A6 Self-Propelled Howitzer, formerly known as the Paladin Integrated Management program, as one of the Army’s most critical combat vehicle modernization programs.