MARINE CORPS WEAPONS & VEHICLES

Sea Power, Jan 2005

ARTILLERY SYSTEMS AND MORTARS

HIGH MOBILITY ARTILLERY ROCKET SYSTEM (HIMARS)

The Marine Corps in 2002 arranged with the U.S. Army to acquire HIMARS to help augment organic fire-support capability. HIMARS is a C-130-transporlable, wheeled rocket/missile syslem capable of firing a variely of artillery rockets and munitions. One HIMARS system includes a launcher vehicle, two resupply vehicles, two resupply lrailers and nine munitions pods. HlMARS lypically will be employed as a battalion or battery assel, depending on a given situation. The syslem will provide enhanced firepower and range in artillery roles, offering Marine commanders a rockel and missile capability in support of Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) operations ashore. Movemeni of the HIMARS into a combat theater will be by aircraft or amphibious shipping. HlMARS in the Marine Corps will be fielded to one active battalion and one reserve battalion. The acquisition objective is for 40 syslems, including 18 HIMARS to the 14th Marine Regimenl, 18 to the 11th Marine Regiment and four to support forces.

M198 155MM TOWED HOWITZER

The Marine Corps employs M198 155mm towed howitzers as the principal artillery fire-support weapon for maneuver units. Weighing approximately 16,000 pounds, the M198 fires conventional ammunition at targets with ranges up to 13 miles and rocket-assisted projectiles almost 19 miles. Average age of Marine Corps M-198s is more than 22 years, which exceeds its intended service life of 20 years. The M-198 is to be replaced by the M777 lightweight 155mm towed howitzer.

M777 LIGHTWEIGHT 155MM TOWED HOWITZER

The M777 is a Marine Corpsled joint program with the U.S. Army to replace the current M198 155mm towed howitzer. M777 will provide increased strategic deployment capability, tactical mobility, responsiveness, accuracy, lethality and survivability. The M777 fires unassisted projectiles to a range of 15 miles and assisted proiectiles out to 19 miles. The M777 is to be transported by aircraft such as the tiltrotor MV-22 Osprey or the CH-53D/E helicopters. When compared to the M198 howitzer, the M777 weighs less than 9,300 pounds (9,800 pounds with a new digital fire-control system included). The M777 is 25 percent smaller, and has a 21 percent lower profile than its predecessor. The M777 cmplaccs in less than three minutes (266 percent faster than the M198), displaces in two minutes (550 percent faster than the M198), traverses 32 percent more terrain worldwide and is 70 percent more survivable than the M198. The M777 program entered low-rate initial production on Nov. 8, 2002, and is currently producing the first 94 systems with an optical fire-control system to support the Marine Corps' fiscal year 2005 initial operational capability goal. The joint full-rate production decision with the Army was scheduled for December 2004 and will approve production of the weapon with a fully integrated digital fire-control system (the M777A1), which will provide Paladin-like digital fire-control capability to towed field artillery units.