Thread: Pakistan might receive the first batch of SH-1 155mm self-propelled howitzer this yea

"...do you feel the likes of the counter-battery/interdiction range and hitting power of the long phaseout M107 175mm SPG system still has merit???"

Not particularly. The M107 is a gun. As such, it's high velocity always generated an unusual amount of DRIFT (uniform rightward twist akin to a curve-ball in Baseball). This is exacerbated at range thus diminishing accuracy of fires. Secondly, the M107 only offered standard HE ammunition which isn't the case with the 155mm systems then or now so it lacked a high degree of versatility. Finally, it was a weapon that shot its barrel out rather quickly. Why, I'm unsure but I'd speculate that either the propellant was particularly hot and corrosive and/or the exceedingly high velocity rapidly wore the lands and grooves of the barrel. As such, you were restricted in its use to the counterbattery fight for which its role was near singular. I guess there's some ERFB ammo available out there for the weapon though I've no experience with it.

Never saw the weapon fired either although I taught its ammo in the FAOBC class at Ft. Sill in 1979-80. At the time, the system was only in U.S. Army use with some 175mm battalions in Germany and was rapidly transitioned over to the M110A1/A2 in our Field Artillery Groups (very shortly to become brigades). Marines may have kept it slightly longer but it was gone, I think, from army inventory by 1980-81. M110A1 was the better weapon, IMV, by far offering 30km RAP range and also nuclear/chemical, and DPICM ammo.

Originally Posted by S-2

"...do you feel the likes of the counter-battery/interdiction range and hitting power of the long phaseout M107 175mm SPG system still has merit???"

M110A1 was the better weapon, IMV, by far offering 30km RAP range and also nuclear/chemical, and DPICM ammo.

I have heard that the M110A1/2 was a very accurate and precise Howitzer. I guess MET couldnt do much to that big heavy bullet, at least moment to moment variations. Passed a whole load of them sitting all over the place out at Creech AFB where they are used as targets. It about brought the Smoke to tears as he saw the state of his beloved 110's.

Regards

Arty

Originally Posted by S-2

Never saw the weapon fired either although I taught its ammo in the FAOBC class at Ft. Sill in 1979-80. At the time, the system was only in U.S. Army use with some 175mm battalions in Germany and was rapidly transitioned over to the M110A1/A2 in our Field Artillery Groups (very shortly to become brigades). Marines may have kept it slightly longer but it was gone, I think, from army inventory by 1980-81. M110A1 was the better weapon, IMV, by far offering 30km RAP range and also nuclear/chemical, and DPICM ammo.

The M107 was phased out of the Corps mid 1980s. (1986?) When we got the M110A2 tubes. When I went to Cannoneer school, at Camp Lejeune in 1981 we trained on them.

When a battery went to the field, the Btry Cdr could chose to take, depending on ammo, either straight 8" or retube a few sections to shoot available 175 ammo. It also depended, at Camp Lejeune, on impact area availability. Only 1 impact area cleared for 175 on base. Those rounds tended to skip:(

What I do remember is that the RoF was 1 round per 2 min. You could watch the tube flex after shooting. Freaked me out Shoot a round then watch the tube do "The wave". The tube also sagged. If your gunners quadrant was at 0mil at the breach, you would be at -2 or -3 mils at the end of the tube. Nice to know when doing FCAs

When I went to Cannoneer school, at Camp Lejeune in Dec 1981, we trained on them.

All said, I've shot somewhere around 5 rounds. There is also a funny story, I'll tell someday about a general firing off the last 175 round in the Corps.


Ooh, just to show how old I am the weapons we trained on at School were the M-101A1, M-114, M-109A1 and M107/M110A1.

They showed us a picture of the M-198 as said, we may get these in a few years. Sure enough started getting them in in 1983.