M119

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M119


M119 howitzer

General Information
Military designation: M119
Manufacturer country: United Kingdom
Developer / Manufacturer: Royal Ordnance
Start of production: 1989
Model variants: M119, M119A1, M119A2
Weapon Category: light howitzer
Team: 7th
Technical specifications
Overall length: 6.320
Caliber :

105 mm NATO

Cadence : 6 rounds / min
Elevation range: −6.25 ° to +77.75 degrees
Side straightening area: 360
Furnishing
Sighting device : 3 × M90A2 telescope, M137A1 panorama telescope

The M119 105mm Howitzer is a lightweight, air-transportable artillery piece for the United States Army . It has been in service with the US armed forces since 1989 and is the successor to the M102 howitzer from the Vietnam War . The gun is based on the British L118 "light gun".

history

In the mid-1980s, the US Army was looking for a replacement for the now 20-year-old M102 howitzers. After the experience the British military had gained with the L118 howitzer during the Falklands War , it was decided to work with the British manufacturer Royal Ordnance to adapt the gun to the requirements of the US military. In 1987 the contract to build the gun was signed. The first M119A1 were delivered to the US Army in December 1989. Until 1995 all units were equipped with the gun, the first units of the US National Guard received the gun from 1996. Since 1998 the M119A1s have been upgraded to the A2 standard in the Light Artillery System Improvement Program and equipped with new target optics.

The guns were first used in the war during the Afghanistan campaign and in the Iraq war .

technology

M119A2 at the Grafenwoehr Training Area

The 6.32 meter long, 1.77 meter wide and 1.9 ton gun can be towed by an HMMWV or transported as an external load by the UH-60 Blackhawk and CH-47 Chinook . The gun also fits in the hold of a C-130 Hercules .

The gun, which sits on a foldable support leg, can be rotated 360 °, the vertical aiming range is from −6.25 ° to + 77.75 °. The range is between 11,500 meters and 14,000 meters, depending on the propellant charge, with rocket-propelled grenades a firing range of 19,500 meters is achieved.

ammunition

The M119 can fire all projectiles of the NATO standard 105 mm ammunition, as well as projectiles with rocket propulsion. The types of ammunition used by the US Army are:

Web links

Commons : M119  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files