America’s Next Mobile Howitzer Is a Danger to Its Crew

War is Boring ^ | August 12, 2016 | ROBERT BECKHUSEN

[Red Badger]

Have gun. Will travel.
Wire
Paladin
San Francisco.......

[headstamp 2]

Keep thinking how efficient and deadly the German 88 crews were against mobile armor.

[FlingWingFlyer]

We may have a smaller Army but it’s going to be the most FABULOUS Army in history once everyone recovers from their sex change surgeries.

[PAR35]

Maybe they should upgrade to the Panzerhaubitze 2000.

[RedWulf]

Actually the best German anti-tank weapon was the mobile assult gun known as the stugIII. It was more effective than any other anti-tank by a factor of 10. The 88 was a really good anti-aircraft gun in an army that was only given 37mm anti tank guns that proved ineffective against French and British tanks. So they used the 88s when ever they could in place of anti-tank guns for the first 2 years of the war.

[Vendome]

Want...

[Jeff Chandler]

I hope it’s as good as the Hover Tank.

[Nifster]

Swell

[Calvin Locke]

This is self-propelled artillery, not a tank.

Pity the DoD didn't see the need take advantage of Gerald Bull's services and products when they had the chance.

[Mariner]

If we are ever in another ground war where hundreds or even thousands of guns are lobbing rounds at each other, our Air Force will have failed.

Miserably.

Keep the A-10. Build some more if necessary. We should have at least 300 deployable at all times.

[Pipe Dog]

[Molon Labbie]

The Paladin is a shoot and scoot system, its not supposed to be around to get hit.

It gets a mission, stops, loads, fires, and moves. All in two minutes.

Static systems like towed arty are in danger of counter battery fire and truly dinosaurs against a nation that has competent artillery capability.

[oldplayer]

“So they used the 88’s when ever they could in place of anti-tank guns for the first 2 years of the war.”

Of course, the German 88’s were still ripping up US tanks late in the war on the east side of the Rhine in 1945.

[PLMerite]

[wideminded]

The Paladin M109A7 PIM — the latest in America’s line of tracked artillery pieces

I thought I remembered hearing that Rumsfeld cancelled the Paladin. But apparently the cancelled program was another self-propelled howitzer called Crusader that was supposed to replace the Paladin.

[Enchante]

Germany fields a rival to the Crusader that we probably should have considered more strongly now:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzerhaubitze_2000

It has its limitations but it’s battle tested in Afghanistan and may be better than what we are going with as the upgraded Paladin.... oh well, too late now!

[31R1O]

I don’t think the Stug had an 88 though. I think it was a variant of the Panther’s 75mm

[bravo whiskey]

“a danger to its crew.” That’s a bit of a stretch. I was in A2 missile tanks. We had combustible cartridges on the main gun rounds some of which were stored in the turret. We didn’t think it was a danger to us. We took the usual safety precautions but its an armored fighting vehicle, not a frigging Mercedes Benz. Geez

[31R1O]

NVM the Panther had a different 75mm.