Rock Island Arsenal M119

History of Rock Island Arsenal M119

The 105mm M119 was originally the L118/L119 British light gun designed, developed and built by the Royal Armouries in Nottingham, UK. The U.S. Army saw the advantages of the British-designed weapon over the U.S. Army M102 howitzer in service at the time.

In 1987, the United States obtained the license to locally manufacture the L118/L119 series and named the system "M119". The differences between the two are subtle for starters, and include an Americanized digital fire control system, increased cryogenic capability (from -25F to -50F), improved maintenance and repair capabilities, and U.S.

Army-based Other simplifications/improvements to operational standards.

The core of the M119 is a light howitzer, primarily towed into place by a HUMMWV multi-purpose utility vehicle or by air mobility systems such as transport helicopters. In addition, the M119 has been certified as an airborne capable system by certain military aircraft, including the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, Boeing CH-47 Chinook twin-rotor helicopter, and Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, Its fall was delayed by a parachute.

To deal with M119 setup and firing, a standard crew of 7 is the norm.

The M119 was assigned and tested in 1989 with the 7th Infantry Division at Fort Alder, Monterey Bay, California. It entered service that year and has since been used for fire support by infantry units such as the 173rd Brigade, 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions, 10th Mountain Division and 25th Infantry Division.

The howitzer is now deployed across Afghanistan and was used during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

In 1998, the Light Artillery System Improvement Program (LASIP) Block I was launched and improvements were incorporated throughout the M119 design. This resulted in the new name M119A1 coinciding with the upgrade. The Block II completed all of its own updates in 2004, which resulted in the assignment of the new M119A2 designation.

These special systems feature an anti-roll bar to reduce potential damage from airdrops, as well as improved elevator gearing, monitoring hardware and bumpers. As a protective measure, radioactive tritium was removed from the fire control system.

The M119A2 also features an upgraded sighting kit including the M90A3 telescope and the M137A2 telescope.

The howitzer can provide direct and indirect heavy fire with minimal weight, allowing additional ammunition to be deployed. It also provides a small, squat profile, and - since it doesn't require a recoil crater - it requires less setup time, resulting in faster projectile launch.

The M119 has all the elements needed to support the infantry and fire heavy fire on the enemy and their positions, from -100 to +1244 mils above sea level, with a lower range for close range targets.

The M119 has increased range and a rate of fire of 6 rounds per minute (3 rounds per minute when firing continuously), which is why the US Army has decided to phase out the old M102 howitzer series unit frontline and replace them. A relatively "light" weight of only 4,520 pounds (with BII) makes them easy to put into battle.

The howitzer's primary tractor is a custom-built HUMMWV (model M1097), which has a range of 200 miles (321.8 km) on its own or a helicopter, increasing the M119's operational range to 450 miles (724.2 km).

In addition to firing reliable 105mm shells, other ammunition types (including all NATO standard types) are also available:

The M314 is a luminous star shell, while the M60 is a standard white phosphorous cartridge. The M760 stands for HE (High Explosive) round and has a range of up to 14.5 km unassisted. The M913 HERA (High Explosive Rocket Assisted) grenade has a range of 19.5 km.

Rocket-assisted shells are used to slightly increase the overall range, and several other forms are currently being tested for use in the M119 series.

The M119A1 is expected to end its useful life around FY 2008-09. However, due to the US Army's current war plans, the M119A1/M119A2 are still in service at the time of this writing (2012). As a result, the production contract for the M119 was extended until 2013.

The weapon is manufactured by joint US/RO partners including Rock Island Arsenal, Watervliet Arsenal, Seller Instruments and Royal Armouries.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

Depends on the ammunition carrier. Types include HE, lighting, and smoke, and may be missile-assisted.

Changes