Massive artillery upgrade: US to bring hundreds of Paladin howitzers to new levels of 'reliability and lethality'

The US Department of Defense has outlined a large-scale plan to upgrade 689 M155A109 Paladin 6mm self-propelled guns to the M109A7 level.

The M109A7 is the latest howitzer in the M109 family of vehicles from BAE Systems. This program improves the reliability, maintainability, effectiveness, responsiveness and lethality of the Paladin and M992A2 howitzer

- says the company's website.

As indicated, the new modification uses the existing main armament and cabin design of the Paladin, but involves replacing chassis components with modern units common to the Bradley armored vehicle.

Upgrading hundreds of self-propelled howitzers to the new variant is part of a long-term modernization strategy artillery the US Army fleet and to address the critical capability gap created by the cancellation of the NLOS-C program [a cancelled project to create a new self-propelled gun] in 2009.

- noted in the Western press.

The Paladins will undergo modernization in two stages: first, the mobility of the self-propelled guns will be improved, and then their combat effectiveness, firing range and reliability.

The first prototypes of the M109A7 were produced in the early 2010s, after which the US Army began testing and refining the system. As of 2025, the military has already received some M109A7s, although the exact numbers remain classified.

According to IISS, as of early 2024, the US Army had a total of 671 155mm self-propelled guns, including 400 M109A6, 271 M109A7, and another 850 M109A6 in storage.

Comments

[topol717]

Modern atomization. A black man loads it manually.

[cmax]

What the striped guys do is systematic work with equipment. The same model of equipment is modernized more than once during its life cycle. There is no "menagerie" in the nomenclature of equipment (at least they try to adhere to this) - one main tank, one tracked infantry fighting vehicle, one wheeled armored personnel carrier. The same with aviation, submarines, warships.
IMHO.

[Max-xnumx]

They have unification everywhere possible, the same thing with ammunition, we have two automatic cartridges (7.62 and 5.45) they have one - 5.56, we have two large-caliber 12.7 and 14.5 they have one 12.7, we have one type of ammunition for AGS, 30 mm with a casing and one for an under-barrel grenade launcher 40 mm without a casing, they have one universal 40 mm, the only difference is the length of the casing for the under-barrel launcher the casing is shorter, in artillery we have a complete disaster, they have one universal 155 mm and there is also a light - 105 mm, (I'm not writing about the navy) we have 100 mm, 120 mm, 122 mm, 152 mm, 203 mm, for MLRS the same crap, those who carried out such a policy of building the armed forces, it would be desirable to deprive all awards of a military pension (if they are still alive) and move them to a temporary housing stock somewhere closer to Vorkuta....

[Vladimir 290]

In general I agree, but we started unification back in the mid-80s, but didn't have time due to the collapse of the USSR and subsequent events. Everyone planned to switch to 152mm, but now they are "raking out" all the old systems for the war, which shouldn't exist in peacetime. All 122mm were planned to be reduced (except for the Airborne Forces), 100mm Rapiers, 2S1, 2S3, D20 were already considered obsolete in the 80s and began to be replaced, I won't even mention the 130mm M46, they planned to switch completely to the BMP-3, and a lot of other things, but it turned out as it did.

[Bazyl LIVE]

Well, look, besides 5.56*45, they also use 7.62*51 NATO in a number of machine guns and sniper rifles. Plus they are switching to the Sig Sauer XM7 rifle for 6.8*51 caliber.

[SovAr238A]

Maybe someone doesn't know.

But ..
In the US, the Paladin is more than just a self-propelled gun.
It's a complex.
Each M109A7 self-propelled howitzer is accompanied by a corresponding TZM, codenamed M992A3.
In the contract, this pair has one value.
When we say M109A7 we mean "M109A7+M992A3".
If anyone didn't know, remember.