C3 Howitzer Replacement

[Colin Parkinson]

Perhaps a combination to ensure the CC do not get to cocky thinking they are the only game in town.

 

[KevinB]

Perhaps a combination to ensure the CC do not get to cocky thinking they are the only game in town.

Just needs to be understood that the CAF gets cost on items, and the export sales are what the market will bear.

 

[Kirkhill]

Ukraine Is Burning Through 155mm M777 Howitzer Barrels So Fast The U.S. Army Can't Keep Up

The U.S. Army is now trying to meet a requirement to produce at least 30 new barrels for M777 howitzers every month.

www.twz.com

The U.S. Army is moving to establish a second production source for barrels for 155mm M777 towed howitzers in response to what it calls “unprecedented demand” from Ukraine. Only one U.S. government-owned and operated arsenal makes the barrels and that facility cannot currently meet a requirement to churn out more than 30 new ones each month.

“Funds are required for 155mm cannon tube second source in support of Ukraine. Includes procurement, factory improvements, production equipment and tooling, etc. in direct support of replenishment items provided to Ukraine. The high volume of artillery fire missions has created an unprecedented demand for M776 155mm Cannon Tubes (39 caliber), with a projected requirement of over 30 tubes per month. The current manufacturer of cannons, Watervliet Arsenal (WVA) [in New York state], a Government Owned Government Operated (GOGO) facility, has not been able to support the demand. Facilitization investment will support up to 10 cannon tubes per month, including large cannon calibers. This is a congressional special interest item. This is an emergency budget requirement.”

Would it be fair to suggest that if it is hard to keep up with the burn rate on 39 calibre barrels then it will be harder still if the fleet average goes up to 52 calibre and the higher pressures they suggest?

The U.S. Marine Corps notably highlighted having “burned out” the barrels on two of their M777s during fighting against ISIS in the Syrian city of Raqqa in 2017. The U.S. Army’s metrics for determining when the cannon on an M777 needs to be replaced are not publicly available.

It is no secret that howitzers, and 155mm types especially, have been critical in Ukraine’s ongoing fight against Russia. Issues around ensuring sufficient supplies of ammunition for those howitzers have drawn particular attention in the past year or so. The United States and several European countries have been working to dramatically step up production of those shells to help meet Ukrainian demands, as well as replenish their own stockpiles. Past Ukrainian pronouncements about the number of 155mm rounds required to meet its operational requirements – at times up to 3,000 per day – give a good sense of the rate at which the country’s forces have been firing shells from howitzers like the M777.

The Pentagon reprogramming document underscores how the matter of ammunition supplies is just one serious issue facing Ukrainian artillery units. This all also speaks to real issues that the U.S. military itself could be faced with in the future, especially high-end ones like a fight with China in the Pacific. If U.S. capacity to produce things like replacement barrels for M777s is insufficient to meet the needs of Ukraine’s armed forces, it is hard to see how it could respond to far greater demands from American forces during a major conflict.

If NATO in general, and the US in particular, can't keep up with the demands of Ukraine then what hope is there if a real war breaks out?

...

5%

 

[MilEME09]

We almost need an IP holding crown corp, and as part of any and all contracts a copy of everything gets purchased by DND, in the event of bankruptcy, closure etc DND then reserve the right to take your blue prints to another company to have it made.

 

[Kirkhill]

We almost need an IP holding crown corp, and as part of any and all contracts a copy of everything gets purchased by DND, in the event of bankruptcy, closure etc DND then reserve the right to take your blue prints to another company to have it made.

SMP = Standard Military Pattern
CMP = Canadian Military Pattern

Canadian Military Pattern truck - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org