The U.S. Army has awarded BAE Systems a contract to produce and deliver additional Paladin howitzers.
As noted by the company, Army awarded BAE Systems a $299 million contract for the production and delivery of 40 sets of M109A7 Self-Propelled Howitzers and their companion M992A3 ammunition carriers.
The M109A7 is the successor to the BAE Systems M109 family of 155mm howitzers and continues to use the same gun as the older artillery piece and has the same cab structure.
The Paladin is more lethal now than ever. Many enhancements have been made to better enable the Troopers who operate them on the battlefield.
The M109A7 provides the armored brigade combat team a modern self-propelled artillery platform that enhances the fires war fighting function’s ability to sustain and maintain the tempo of a combined arms fight.
The new howitzer uses the existing main armament and cab structure of M109A6 but replaces the vehicle’s chassis components – including the engine, transmission, final drives, suspension and track – with modern components common to the M2/M3 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The commonality with Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCT) systems offsets sustainability costs while improving chassis structure and M109A7 survivability.
The M109A7 is the latest howitzer in the BAE Systems M109 family of vehicles, the primary indirect fire support system for the ABCTs.
