A Look At The U.S. Army’s New Howitzer Barrel

Footage from the @USArmy latest M109 Extended Range Cannon Artillery testing. #LRPF pic.twitter.com/CMQMiWjVwS

— Air Power (@MIL_STD) October 13, 2018

Popular Mechanics: The Army’s New Howitzer Barrel is Ridiculously Long

The new barrel is meant to give U.S. guns a range advantage over their Russian counterparts.

The U.S. Army is on the verge of updating its howitzer fleet to double the shooting range. The M109A7 Paladin and M777 howitzers are likely to see a serious increase in the distance at which they can support friendly forces while staying out of the range fans of Russian and Chinese-made artillery.

One part of this upgrade: a gun barrel nearly as long as a telephone pole.

A Work of Art(illery)

Field artillery is back in vogue. The U.S, has spent the past two decade in infantry-intensive wars in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, but the shift back to big-power potential warfare against enemies like Russia and China has turned attention back to the artillery branch. Howitzers and rocket launchers are the primary means of fire support for ground forces in conventional battle and can strike targets miles behind enemy lines.

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WNU Editor:  That is one long barrel.