In a surprise announcement at the Fires Symposium, Program Director Mike Evans revealed that AM General has provided a test article of their 105 mm Hawkeye Mobile Howitzer System to Ukraine in April 2024.
The Hawkeye is currently undergoing operational testing and evaluation in Ukrainian service.
“We recently put a 105 mm system into Ukraine. We shipped it in April and trained for two weeks,” Evans stated. “That system is destined to be one of the first soft recoil systems in combat. It’s going into combat to test on live targets.”
The Hawkeye Mobile Howitzer is known for its high mobility and versatility. It can be transported by various means, including transport aircraft, helicopters, and can even be air-dropped. The platform’s stability is ensured by four hydraulic stabilizers, allowing for horizontal aiming of 180 degrees and vertical aiming from -5 to +72 degrees. The system is designed for a crew of four, but can be operated by just two if necessary.
“We recently put a 105 mm system into 🇺🇦. We shipped it in April..We trained it for two weeks..That system is destined to be one of the first soft recoil systems in combat.. It’s going into combat to test on live targets” Mike Evans AM General (🎥US FA Association) #HAWKEYE pic.twitter.com/eIkYAuoSqd
— AirPower 2.0 (MIL_STD) (@AirPowerNEW1) June 22, 2024
The Hawkeye’s firing range with standard ammunition is 11.6 kilometers, and it can reach up to 19.5 kilometers with rocket-assisted projectiles. The maximum firing rate is eight rounds per minute for three minutes, with a sustained rate of three rounds per minute. The howitzer can use the full range of 105 mm ammunition utilized by the U.S. Army.
The fire control system includes an M137A2 optical telescope sight and a digital system MG 9000. This digital system comprises an LN-270 inertial navigation system from Northrop Grumman, a DFS-02 direct fire sight camera from Sekai Electronics, Inc, an S67-1575-76 GPS antenna from Sensor Systems Inc, a Weibul Scientific muzzle velocity radar, and a Mandus display unit for the gunner.