M109A6 Paladin

The United Defense M109A6 Paladin is the latest version of the combat proven M109 self-propelled howitzer introduced in the early 1960s. The M109A6 howitzer introduced in 1994 features a 155mm 39 calibers main gun capable of striking targets at ranges of up to 30 km using rocket-assisted projectiles (RAPs), only 22 km with non-assisted conventional ammunition. The M109A6 weapon system consists of the M109A6 howitzer and the M992A2 Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicles (FAASV). The FAASV vehicle carries 155mm projectiles and charges and is intended to resupply the M109A6 in the battlefield. The US Army remains the only Paladin operator with more then 800 weapon systems procured in the 1990s. The M109A6 improvements provide increased survivability, performance, and responsiveness over previous M109 howitzers. Its shoot and scoot capability allows to fire a round and being on the move within just one minute. It also features an improved diesel engine, track and a diagnosis system. Nevertheless, its performance falls behind the German Army PzH2000 self-propelled howitzer or other equivalent weapon systems produced in other countries. The M109A6 has a GPS-based self-location system to achieve improved accuracy. Originally, it was scheduled for replacement within the US Army by Crusader self-propelled howitzer but the program was cancelled. Afterwards, the Paladin was expected to be replaced by the Future Combat Systems (FCS) Non-Line-Of-Sight Cannon (NLOS-C) in the 2010-2015 timeframe. After the cancellation of the FCS NLOS-C the M109A6 Paladin may remain in service with the US Army well beyond 2030.

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