The Navy could face serious hurdles in meeting a new goal to almost double the size of its fleet to more than 500 ships. M777A2 received full material release in July 2007, clearing the upgrade for fielding.

[27] On 20 July 2008, at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, 1-108 FA, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National Guard, became the first field artillery unit of the National Guard to field and fire the M777. [39][40] An additional 19 guns will be bought directly from American production lines to enable a total of six batteries. It is one of the smallest and lightest weapons of its type ever constructed, due to a combination of a titanium alloy construction and a methodical elimination of as much mass as possible. By August 2008, over 400 systems had been delivered to the US Army and USMC. [69], In July 2020, in the wake of escalating tension with China in light of hostile Chinese posturing, particularly on the border between the Union Territory of Ladakh and Chinese-occupied Tibet, further purchases of Excalibur shells were announced by the Indian Ministry of Defence.[70]. The systems fitted with the digital fire control system are designated M777A1, and those with the software update that allows the firing of the Excalibur projectile, M777A2. [37] Subsequently, 35 guns were purchased for the Australian Army to re-equip the 1st Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, the 4th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery and the 8th/12th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery to replace 155 mm M198s and 105 mm L119 Hamels.

The M777 was deployed by the US Army and Marine Corps to Afghanistan in December 2007 and to Iraq in 2008. Two soldiers from 2-319 FA were killed from a breech explosion and other members of their gun crew were injured while attempting to fire a M777 at an ISIL mortar position in northern Iraq. In July 2004, the M777 howitzer completed a series of airlift tests with the US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. [54] On 11 May 2014 the purchase was cleared by India's Defence ministry. The first of five EMD systems was delivered in June 2000.

[56] On 22 November 2014, the selection process was restarted under the "Make In India" program. The M777 howitzer is a towed 155 mm artillery piece. Final integration and testing of the weapon is undertaken at BAE's facility in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The M777 is able to deliver up to five rounds a minute under intense firing conditions and is able to provide a sustained rate of fire of two rounds a minute. [38] The first deliveries of M777A2 began in late 2010. The M777 is smaller and 42% lighter, at under 4,100 kg (9,000 lb), than the M198 it replaces. The howitzer is equipped with a 39-calibre barrel. [71], Canadian soldiers fire an M777 at Taliban fighting positions from a forward operating base in the Helmand Province, Illumination rounds fired during Operation Tora Arwa V in the Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, Towed configuration with the FMTV as the prime mover, M777 Light Towed Howitzer in Operation in Logar Province, Afghanistan, U.S. Army 3rd Cavalry Regiment using the ramming staff to load ammunition during the military intervention against ISIL in al-Qa'im, Iraq, M777 Light Towed Howitzer in service with the, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, 8th/12th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceAWWIlNhNQ, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93HFYz2LRoA, "M777 Lightweight 155mm howitzer (LW155)", "U.S. Upgrades and Orders More Lightweight BAE Systems Howitzers", "M777 155mm Ultralightweight Field Howitzer", "M777 Lightweight 155 mm howitzer (LW155)", "LiquidPiston receives $3M Rapid Innovation Fund award from US Army for 2kW hybrid-electric genset", "Canada Deploys GPS Shell To Afghanistan", "Long shot: Artillery battery sets lethal record", "Army Concerned Over Ban on Cluster Munitions, Land Mines", "LW155 Howitzer Towed Artillery Digitization", "PEO GCS's Digitized Towed Howitzer Supports the GWOT", U.S. Army engineers work to create a new longer M777 155mm howitzer under the name M777ER, US Army takes 40-mile shots from extended-range cannon in demo, "2 US soldiers killed in artillery mishap in Iraq identified", "82nd Airborne paratrooper dies in howitzer explosion at Fort Bragg", "Ten injured during artillery training at Fort Bragg", "Firebase Saham: A day in the life of joint-artillerymen securing the Iraq border", "DoD Orders 46 Additional M777 Howitzers", "Near ISIS front, U.S. Marine artillerymen 'fire every day'", "Marines in Iraq came under 'numerous' rocket attacks, commander says", "Marines have arrived in Syria to fire artillery in the fight for Raqqa", "Australia – M777A2 155MM Light-Weight Howitzers", FMS: Australia Requests Precision Guidance Kits for 155mm Munitions, "Marinha do Brasil interessada no obuseiro M777 da BAE Systems", "BAE Wins $118m Orders for M777 Howitzer", "M777 equipped with new digital gun management system", "US okays howitzers worth $647 million for India", "India Orders 145 M777 Ultra Light Howitzers From BAE Systems", "India clears $660 million deal for artillery guns", "Defence Ministry clears M777 howitzers procurement projects", FMS: India Requests Sale of 145 M777 155mm Light-Weight Towed Howitzers, "India Postpones Purchase of 145 Ultra Light Howitzers", "India buys new artillery guns, 27 years after Bofors", "Indian MoD says M777 buy in doubt over high cost, offset requirements", "Three decades on, defence minister clears Rs 15,750 crore howitzer projects", "New Aircraft Carrier, Brahmos Missiles, C-295 Planes & M-777 Howitzers all cleared for Purchase", "Ministry keen to purchase 500 more Howitzer guns from BAE Systems", "India clears purchase of 145 ultra-light Howitzer guns from US", "M777 howitzer deal inked by the Indian government", "Indian Army's M777 regiment to get 3 made-in-India guns", "Army gets its first artillery guns three decades after Bofors, will be tested at Pokhran today", "Two M777 Ultra-Light Howitzers arrive from U.S.", "Army's new US-made M777 howitzer in trouble, barrel explodes at Pokhran range", "Barrel of US-manufactured Howitzer gun explodes during Indian army's calibration trial", "India China: India to deploy latest American weapon systems for Ex-HimVijay along China border - The Economic Times", "Indian Army's M777 regiment to get 3 made-in-India guns - The Economic Times", https://asiatimes.com/2020/07/border-clashes-prompt-india-to-fast-track-weapons-buys/, "BAE SYSTEMS TO SHOWCASE MAKE IN INDIA M777 HOWITZERS AT DEFEXPO", "BAE Systems looks to sell M777 to the UAE", http://indiandefenceboard.com/threads/india-clears-660-mn-deal-for-artillery-guns.2375/, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=M777_howitzer&oldid=982247701, Post–Cold War artillery of the United Kingdom, Articles with dead external links from May 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from March 2020, Articles lacking reliable references from July 2016, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from March 2017, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 October 2020, at 00:35.
Australia requested the foreign military sale of 57 M77 howitzers in July 2008. BAE Systems has developed a mobile version, the M777 Portee, which is mounted on a purpose-built 8×6 Supacat vehicle. The system has been tested from the M777 howitzer. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. In November 2012, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) requested 145 M777s from the US Government. Lawmakers are requesting details on Turkey's reported use of Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile system against F-16s. L'obusier M777 est un canon léger de 155 millimètres conçu par BAE Global Combat Systems, une branche de BAE Systems. [50] This was put up before the Ministry of Finance for clearance and will subsequently be taken up by the Cabinet Committee on Security for final approval.
The BAe (British Aerospace) M777 howitzer is the primary towed artillery piece of the US armed forces, and has effectively replaced the preceding M198 howitzer. [43] The successor to the M114 has not yet been chosen. [20], In 2014 the US military began fielding several upgrades to its M777 howitzers including new liquid crystal display units, software updates, improved power systems, and muzzle sensors for onboard ballistic computing. Guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) launches an SM-2 missile and fires the MK 45 five-inch gun during Rim... Live fire from ships and aircraft participating in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise sink the decommissioned amphibious... Have you ever wondered what helicopter pilots carry on them? Upon taking-over responsibility for the weapon BAE to a large degree 'americanised' the construction and assembly through its US-based BAE Systems Land and Armaments group. [41] Concurrently, the Australian Army has acquired guided 155 mm munitions in the form of the M982 Excalibur and XM1156 Precision Guidance Kit.[42]. [62] Under the agreement, BAE Systems supplied 25 ready-built howitzers, while 120 guns were manufactured in India by Mahindra Defence Systems Limited. All M777A1 systems were upgraded to the A2 standard. The M777 has a production weight of 3,745kg and can be transported by helicopter, transporter aircraft and ship. This All-Electric Robotic Combat Vehicle May Accompany Army Units into Battle, At Naval Station Norfolk, a Different Kind of Bucket Line to Fight Fires, Police Killings More Likely in Agencies That Get Military Gear, Data Shows, The Navy Really Does Need 500 Ships, Experts Say. [30], The 3rd Cavalry Regiment deployed multiple M777A2 guns to Firebase Saham in Iraq on the border with Syria from 8 November 2018 to April 2019 to support the Syrian Democratic Forces in the Battle of Baghuz Fawqani, the ultimately successful operation to capture the final town held by ISIL. This almost doubles the area covered by a single battery to about 1,250 km2 (480 sq mi). But Paying for Them Won’t Be Easy, Turkey Reportedly Used S-400 System Against US-Made F-16s, and Congress Wants Answers, Navy Destroyer Launches SM-2 Missile, Fires Guns, Old Navy Ship Gets Blown Up, Sunk in Training, British Apache Pilot Reveals What’s in His Backpack on Missions, Exoskeleton Legs Give Troops Super Strength, This Lightweight Barrier Can Stop Any Charging Vehicle, 'Data Is the Ammunition': Inside the Pentagon's New Strategy to Dominate Future Battlefields, To Launch Deadly-Fast Precision Fire, Army Will Need to Turn Soldiers into Coders, Air Force Delays Moving Forward with E-4B Doomsday Plane Replacement Effort, Army Gets First Iron Dome Battery from Israel, US to Keep Buying F-35 Parts From Turkey, Despite Purchase Ban, Northrop Grumman Gets $13.3 Billion Air Force Contract to Engineer New ICBMs, Security Forces Airmen Are Getting New High-Speed Ballistic Helmets, Army Adds Face Mask, Better Hot Weather Gear to Soldiers' Clothing Bags, The Space Force Will Soon Let Some Members Test Out Dress, PT Uniforms, Badges and Beards: The Air Force Wants Your Ideas for Future Uniform Updates. The first four of six M777 systems were supplied by the USMC to the Canadian Army in December 2005 under a foreign military sales (FMS) contract. A contract for full-rate production of 495 systems was awarded to BAE Systems in April 2005, and the following month the USMC began fielding the M777 with the 11th Marines unit at Twentynine Palms in California. It made its combat debut in the War in Afghanistan. The systems were deployed to Afghanistan in February 2006.

India's Ministry of Defence cleared the proposal for buying 145 guns for US$660 million on 11 May 2012 through the US Government's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process. Future upgrades include a touchscreen Chief Section Display, a new Mission System Computer, and a digital radio.

The LRIP systems employ an optical sighting system for direct and indirect firing by day or night. The M777 is normally operated by a crew of eight men, but can be operated with a reduced detachment of five. [22], The 18th Field Artillery Brigade (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina was the initial Army test bed unit for the XM777 which included the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 321st Field Artillery Regiment. The Canadian guns were first fired by A Battery, 1 RCHA at CFB Shilo and then were deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Archer, and were put into service in the Canadian theatre of operations around Kandahar in early 2006, this marked the first use of the M777 in Combat operations. [45] They proved so successful that an order for an additional six guns was placed with BAE. The firebase was only 15 miles (24 km) from ISIL-controlled territory, and one Marine was killed in a rocket attack on 19 March, just days after arriving; direct attacks on the base dropped off in the following weeks as the Iraqis captured surrounding villages. The M777 is the artillery system for the Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCT). [53] On 24 February 2014 the purchase was again postponed. Il est opérationnel depuis 2005. First firing trials of the M777A1 with Excalibur took place in August 2003, while the first production rounds were delivered in September 2006. The smaller size also improves storage and transport efficiency in military warehouses and Air/Naval Transport. [11] The M777 can be transported by helicopter sling-load, transporter aircraft such as the C-130, or towed by air-braked vehicles weighing over 2.5 tonnes (2.8 short tons), such as the FMTV and MTVR. [21], In May 2017, the US Army revealed it was buying the Swedish BONUS round as an interim system as a result of the required phasing out of cluster munitions from artillery shells, complying with policy to achieve less than 1% unexploded ordnance from non-unitary explosives; the BONUS has two sensor-fused munitions deployed by a 155 mm carrier projectile that scan the ground for targets and fire explosively formed penetrators down from the air.

2nd Platoon, Bravo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment (2-11 FA) was the first US Army unit to fire the M777A in combat on 2 January 2008 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

A low-rate initial production (LRIP) contract for 94 systems was awarded in November 2002. The construction of the M777 makes extensive use of titanium and titanium castings, enabling a weight reduction of 3,175kg (7,000lb) compared to the M198 howitzer, which it replaces in the US Army and USMC inventory.