The U.S. Army is receiving the newest version of Paladin self-propelled howitzer.
The 2nd Battalion 82nd Field Artillery Regiment has taken delivery of a batch of the M109A7 Paladin self-propelled 155mm howitzer.
“The most lethal brigade combat team on planet Earth just became more lethal with the U.S. Army newest version of the Paladin self-propelled 155mm howitzer. 2nd Battalion 82nd Field Artillery Regiment took possession of the M109A7 yesterday,” said in a statement on an official Facebook account.
The new M109A7 howitzer is intended to replace the M109A6 Paladin vehicle for increased combat capability and sustainment of the Army’s Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCTs).
The M109A7 is the latest howitzer in the BAE Systems M109 family of vehicles, the primary indirect fire support system for the ABCTs. It uses the existing main armament and cab structure of a Paladin M109A6, and replaces the vehicle’s chassis components with modem components common to the Bradley vehicle. The improved chassis structure provides greater survivability and commonality with the existing systems in the ABCT, reducing operational sustainability costs by replacing obsolete components.
On March, the U.S. Department of Defense and BAE Systems announced an agreement worth about $339 million for the production of 48 vehicle sets of M109A7 Self-propelled Howitzer (SPH) and its companion, the M992A3 Carrier, Ammunition, Tracked (CAT) vehicle, and includes post-delivery support and spare parts.