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From: bcstec!shuksan!major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Bull 155mm Howitzer
Message-ID: <1991Feb15.064916.8391@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 15 Feb 91 06:49:16 GMT
References: <1991Feb13.220740.4885@cbnews.att.com>
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From: bcstec!shuksan!major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt)

> From: ron@mlfarm.com (Ronald Florence)
> 
> According to popular journalistic sources, the Gerry Bull-designed
> 155mm and 210mm howitzers -- which are used by the Iraqi artillery --
> have greater range and accuracy than any other weapon of comparable
> caliber, including the artillery available to U.S. and other Coalition
> forces.  How much better are these bull-designed artillery pieces, and
> what accounts for their superiority?

  US:

  M102 105mm Towed.  Max Range - 11.5km  15km w/RAP round.
                     Standard DS artillery for airborne, airmobile, and light.

  M198 155mm Towed.  Max Range - 18km    30km w/RAP round.
                     Standard GS artillery for airbonre, airmobilve, and light.
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  M109A3 155mm SP.   Max Range - 14.6km w/charge 7    24km w/RAP round 
                                 18.0km w/charge 8 
                     Standard DS artillery for mechanized and armor divisions.


  M110A2 8" SP.      Max Range - 30km w/RAP round 
                     Standard GS artillery for mech and armor divisions.


  MLRS (SP).        12 round launcher - one at a time or ripple fire.
                     Max Range - 30+ km.  
                     Primary mission - counterfire and suppression of
                                       airdefense (SEAD).
                     Each Divarty has a battery of MLRS.


  ATACMS (SP).       Army Tactical Missile System.  Designed to be a 
                     replacement of the Lance.  ATACMS is fired from the
                     same platform system as the MLRS. 'Army Times' reports a
                     battery of ATACMS deployed with the 1st Infantry
                     Division.
                     (note:  I was on the Boeing Aerospace ATACMS proposal
                      team - we lost out to LTV - who makes the MLRS). 


  Lance Missile.     Fired from a tracked self-propelled carrier
                     Range - approx 75km
                     Corps GS artillery.  There were 5 Lance battalions in
                     Europe and 2 in CONUS.  No longer in production - LTV
                     was the contractor.

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Anyone know why the US Army took the 175mm SP gun out of the inventory?


  I don't think we should concern ourselves so much with "ranges" or being
  "outranged" as with the sum total of the "Fire Support System".  How 
  responsive the system is to "place steel on target" to support manuever
  is the key.  Coordinated and integrated "fires" with A-10 and helo gunships
  and missile/tube artillery will be the deciding factor. 

  But, Dave Emory could probably explain the Fire Support System better than
  I - but I think, generally, that our "system" will beat theirs.


  mike schmitt

                       "FIRE MISSION, OVER!"