Weapons

The Army's Experimental Mobile 155mm Howitzer (Big Gun) Could Be a Game-Changer

Towed howitzers cannot keep up with the Strykers when they maneuver cross country. On long road marches, the towed howitzers need to refuel three times for every Stryker refueling. The towed howitzers in both Stryker and Infantry BCTs take too long setting up into position to be responsive for calls for fire. Additionally, because they also take so long to pack up and start moving, they are highly susceptible to being destroyed by enemy counterbattery fires.

The immediate solution is to make towed artillery more mobile. Enter Hawkeye and Brutus. The former is a 105-mm howitzer mounted on a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee) chassis. The latter is a 155-mm howitzer married to a medium tactical vehicle platform.

The Hawkeye is the lightest, most highly maneuverable self-propelled howitzer in the world. Both it and Brutus can set up and be ready to fire in less than 2 minutes, about a fourth of the time needed for its towed cousins, and conduct a two-round fire mission in 3 minutes. This not only translates into more effective indirect fires in support of infantry and Stryker BCTs but into greater survivability for their crews.