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An AS90 returning fire on Tallil's insurgents. Photoby Cpl. Rob Nyffenegger, Australian Defence Force.An AS90 returning fire on Tallil's insurgents. Photoby Cpl. Rob Nyffenegger, Australian Defence Force. BASRA — When Coalition forces came under heavy attacks from insurgents in Iraq, the flames of the British Army gunners' 155mm AS90s proved to be the showstopper. Packed off from the gun lines on the Contingency Operating Base (COB) in Basra, a team from D Battery, 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, deployed north to Tallil. As well as delivering munitions back at the insurgents' door, the Gunners' 155mm self-propelled weapon,capable of firing 96lb...

American and Canadian troops have begun using the Excalibur shell in Afghanistan earlier this year. A year ago, American troops began using Excalibur in Iraq. This was just timely, because Islamic warriors tend to use civilians as human shields, and that means you have to be precise when you go after the bad guys with artillery. A typical situation has enemy gunmen holding out in one building of a walled compound or village. In nearby buildings, there are women and children. While killing the enemy is good, killing the civilians can be a very bad thing. Smart bombs should be...

BURLINGTON COUNTY, N.J. - In South Jersey, the discovery of unexploded artillery shells from World War II has stalled plans to develop a new expo center. The sheer number of artillery shells staggered the mayor. It was found at the now closed Palmyra Drive-In Theater on Route 73. "We were hoping, hoping to only find one or two or three maybe. We're now up to nearly 200, or 181 as reported to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, but there's since been another 20," Palmyra Mayor John Gural, Jr. said. The Army was anxious to develop new anti-tank rounds...

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2008 – Army Spc. Pastor Paul Durano, originally from the Philippines, joined the ranks of his comrades and became an American citizen during a naturalization ceremony here earlier this month. Army Spc. Pastor Paul Durano became an American Citizen in Baghdad’s Al Faw Palace on April 12, 2008. Durano, a native of Cubu City, Philippines, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, participated in a naturalization ceremony for 259 deployed soldiers. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Durano, a member of 10th Mountain Division’s Headquarters and Headquarter Battery, 5th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, participated...

Jefferson Township, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- A piece of artillery that was apparently misfired by the military crashed through the roof of a home miles away Friday and injured a young girl's cat, which had to be euthanized, officials said. No people were injured when the 2-pound piece hit the Jefferson Township home about 2 1/2 miles from the Picatinny Arsenal and landed in the girl's bed, said Peter Rowland, arsenal spokesman. She wasn't home, but her cat was sleeping on the bed. Excerpt

An M109A6 Paladin fires its 155mm Howitzer from Badoush prison, just outside Mosul, Iraq, in support of ground forces in Mosul, Iraq, on March 29. The Howitzer, belonging to Howitzer Battery, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment from Fort Hood, Texas, is firing illumination rounds to expose enemy movement in Mosul. Photo by Spc. John Crosby. MOSUL — The urban terrain of Operation Iraqi Freedom limits the use of large cannons and field artillery units. The days of all out destruction and artillery raining down from the skies seem to be over. But there are still uses for these Soldiers and instances...

OTTAWA — Canadian army gunners in Afghanistan are now cleared to fire GPS-guided artillery shells at Taliban militants - at the cost of $150,000 a round. The Excalibur shell could very well be the most expensive conventional ammunition ever fired by the military. Supporters argue that the weapon, which has the ability to correct itself in flight, has pinpoint accuracy. They predict that will cut down on the mounting civilian death toll from air strikes in a war-torn region, where insurgents often hide among the population. "It lands exactly where you want it to land," said Lt.-Col. Jim Willis, a...

"Use simulated velocity and elevation controls to destroy enemy targets with indirect fire"

Light Weight Towed Howitzer (LWTH) 155mm M777A1 — MERX LOI NoticeA request for Letters of Interest has been issued for the planned procurement of 34 new 155mm howitzers. The new artillery pieces would not be ordered until after the current Afghan deployment. Deliveries of the new guns would not commence until 2012. As expected, this LOI was written around the in-service M777 howitzer. Despite mentioning the in-service M777, the LOI does not specifically require that the winning bid be for that BAE Systems gun. However, the winning LWTH must closely match the M777’ characteristics, accept its targeting system, and match...

India invites proposals for 2.5 billion-dollar artillery contract (AFP) 14 January 2008 NEW DELHI - India on Monday said it had invited proposals from global weapons manufacturers for the purchase of 140 medium calibre artillery guns worth 2.5 billion dollars. ‘The RFP (request for proposals) for the procurement of 140 ultra-light howitzer guns has been issued,’ Indian army chief Deepak Kapoor told reporters on the sidelines of a military function. ‘The army will issue global tenders shortly for the procurement of the 155-millimetre (six-inch) howitzers,’ he said and added a separate bid for 155 ‘advanced guns’—or heavy weaponry—would be also...

The M777A2 Light Weight 155 mm Howitzer made its debut at Camp Taji, Iraq, Jan. 2. The Soldiers from Battery B "Banditos," 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, "Warrior," 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, first Army unit to field and fire the cannon system in Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti. CAMP TAJI -- The Soldiers from Battery B, “Banditos,� 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, “Warrior,� 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, made history, Jan. 2, when they were the first Army unit to...

QALAT, Afghanistan, Jan. 9, 2008 – A smiling jester grins down from their ballcaps, but the soldiers who wear them are all business. And when they go looking for a fight in Afghanistan’s Zabul province, the big guns that cover them are no joke either. Sgt. Roholluh, from the 4th Kandak of the Afghan National Army’s 205th Corps, sights a D-30 howitzer. The howitzer is part of a three-gun battery on forward operating base Wolverine, which supports Afghan National Army and coalition military operations against insurgents in Afghanistan’s southern Zabul province. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class David M....

BAGHDAD — When one thinks of a police force, he may think of a two-man team, patrolling through a neighborhood in their white-Chevy Monte Carlo, with blue and red lights, and the word “police” written on the side. They move throughout talking with local citizens at the diner, coffee shop, or on the streets corners. No matter what community, country or religious sect, policemen are there to “protect and serve.” Take away the type of vehicle, re-write it in Arabic, from right to left, and an average policemen in Iraq is no different. One of the biggest areas of focus...

LOGISTICS SUPPORT AREA ANACONDA — Every military operation begins with security. The 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery (FA) is charged with terrain denial, which is an essential piece of this mission. The villages and farms surrounding Logistics Support Area Anaconda were at one time home to countless insurgents, and the townspeople and farmers were either powerless or too frightened to do anything about it. The result was frequent and well aimed indirect fire attacks which earned the camp its infamous nickname “Mortaritaville.” In order to disrupt these attacks it is necessary to find out the location where the mortars are...

Analysis: China artillery force seeks to strike aircraft carriers HONG KONG, Sep. 21 ANDREI CHANG Column: Military Might In the event of conflict in the Taiwan Strait, if the United States were to send an aircraft carrier to the scene, it would likely remain in an area 800-1,000 kilometers from the spot of engagement. This is what happened in 1999 when China sent a series of air sorties over the island and the United States sent two aircraft carriers to the area as a warning. This distance poses very complicated and difficult challenges for detecting, positioning and tracking the target...

Army News video: RCA training for gun line defence SHILO, Manitoba - Royal Canadian Artillery provides fire support and defence from advancing enemy.

WASHINGTON - A Raytheon Co. satellite-guided artillery shell, the first weapon of its kind, killed a top al- Qaeda leader in Iraq, the U.S. military said. The firing of two new 155mm “Excalibur” shells was part of a combined Army and Air Force assault July 14 on a meeting house in Arab Jabour south of Baghdad directed against the leader, Abu Jurah, and 14 associates, U.S. forces said today. Raytheon, the world’s biggest missile maker and Southern Arizona’s largest employer, developed the Excalibur with Bofors Defence of Sweden. The statement e-mailed from Baghdad said Abu Jurah was “the top target”...

UK and Afghan artillery units are working closely together to deter attacks by the Taliban on NATO units in Afghanistan's Helmand province. Artillery gunners from the Afghan National Army are providing vital support to Afghan and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers from their desert operating base near Garmsir, Helmand Province. The 4th Combat Support Artillery Kandak plays a key role in helping the troops manning the bases in and around Garmsir to defeat the regular attacks mounted on them by the Taliban. Living and working in the hot, windswept and dusty conditions, the Afghan National Army soldiers are mentored...

India’s big-bang shopping gun booms SUJAN DUTTA New Delhi, April 4: India has reopened an artillery competition for global armament manufacturers for an order that could be worth more than Rs 15,000 crore. The defence ministry has re-floated two global tenders — called Requests for Proposals (RFP) — inviting bids from 12 makers of 155mm/52 calibre self-propelled guns, a source told The Telegraph here today. This signals the beginning of a fresh round of big-ticket defence procurements for Indian military orders running into billions of dollars. An RFP for 126 multi-role combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force (for an...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE UNION III, Iraq, April 3, 2007 — Since arriving in Iraq, the soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, have demonstrated their wide-ranging abilities by taking on missions atypical for field artillery. Until recently, the majority of the battalion’s soldiers have been responsible for providing VIP escorts for officials around Baghdad. Now the battalion is taking on a new mission and their own area-of-operations -- an area of Baghdad known as Qadisiyh. “We’re just going to try to give them some of the things that we sometimes take for...

Sgt Albert Cook runs out of a M109A6 Paladin, a Self-Propelled Howitzer, to retrieve canisters for indirect fire missions at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, in the Diyala Province of Iraq. The artillery Soldier is a member of A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. BAQUBAH --If any one knows what it means to adjust fire, it is the Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. Instead of sending rounds down range, these Fort Hood Soldiers served as infantrymen, and even called for fire support during...

Park to limit howitzer use during winter By MIKE STARK Of The Gazette Staff Controlled avalanches along Yellowstone National Park's Sylvan Pass will be triggered more from helicopters this year than by shooting the aging 105mm howitzer on the hill. Park officials for years have been looking to reduce their reliance on the howitzer because it's unsafe for employees and has a long record of shooting duds that could later detonate. "If this was an easy problem to be solved, it would've been solved a decade ago," said Steve Swanke, Yellowstone's acting health and safety manager, who has been involved...

On Dec. 4, 1983, 28 aircraft from the USS Independence Carrier Battle Group attacked Hezbollah and Syrian anti-aircraft positions in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Two U.S. Navy A-7s were lost on the mission and a third aircraft was damaged. One of the downed pilots died of wounds in captivity and the other, Lt. Robert Goodman, was taken prisoner and paraded before the cameras. Though Lt. Goodman was eventually released, the U.S. Navy had learned a hard lesson. Ten days later, U.S. reconnaissance flights were fired on again -- but this time the response was different. Instead of launching air strikes, the...

Smerch: an heir to Katyusha 22:38 | 06/ 09/ 2006 MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Viktor Litovkin) - Multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRSs) stand out among the weapons and military equipment produced by the Russian defense industry. The 300mm Smerch, which is sometimes called an heir to the Katyusha, is the most powerful of them all, and this is not some journalistic exaggeration. Russia has pioneered these launchers. The first patent, numbered 3603 and dated April 9, 1939, for "The Mechanized Unit for Firing Rocket Projectiles of Different Calibers" was granted to Soviet inventors Andrei Kostikov, Ivan Gvai and Vasily Aborenkov....

PARIS, July 21, 2006 (AFP) - Saudi Arabia has ordered 76 artillery howitzers from the French armaments manufacturer Giat Industries, sources close to the purchase told AFP Friday. Giat Industries announced a sale of its 155-millimetre Caesar artillery systems but did not give the name of the client nor the amount of money to change hands. The order came as Saudi Arabia's defence minister Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz was in France on a two-day visit. He saw President Jacques Chirac on Thursday and was to hold talks with his counterpart Michele Alliot-Marie later Friday.

Current ABC news web site has photo of large Israeli field artillery piece firing. (Be patient, picture set rolls.) In foreground there are two pallets of either 155mm 175mm or 203mm (8 inch) rounds. One set is a typical olive drab/green. Assume they are HE projectiles. Other are a very bright neon green, like safety green. Very diferent from the OD. What does the bright neon green color on projos signify these days?

Thanks for nothing Bill Clinton!

While sticking to its demand for the establishment of an independent inquiry into a blast on a Gaza beach 10 days ago that killed seven Palestinian civilians, the Human Rights Watch conceded Monday night for the first time since the incident that it could not contradict the IDF's exonerating findings. On Monday, Maj.-Gen. Meir Klifi - head of the IDF inquiry commission that cleared the IDF of responsibility for the blast - met with Marc Garlasco, a military expert from the HRW who had last week claimed that the blast was caused by an IDF artillery shell. Following the three-hour...

MINNEAPOLIS, June 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK - News) announced today that it successfully tested its advanced, 155mm precision projectile -- Saber. Saber offers the U.S. Army a design capability and a low per unit cost for the Block 1B upgrade to the Excalibur program. Saber was fired from a 155mm cannon, using a Zone-5 charge, the most powerful charge configuration used by U.S. forces. Saber will give artillery batteries a precision-fire capability with significantly more stand-off range than current 155mm artillery. It is designed for compatibility with all existing and future 155mm cannons. "The relatively simple design...

U.S. Army   Sgt. 1st Class Javier Molina Artillery Sergeant Takes Aim at Education By Staff Sgt. Nicholas Lutton 345th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan, June 12, 2006 — On a day full of wind and dust here, education might be the furthest thing from most soldiers’ minds. However, for Sgt. 1st Class Javier A. Molina, a Salerno Education Center teacher, it is at the forefront of most of his work today. “The soldiers are very excited about classes being held on the gun-line, “ said Molina, gunnery sergeant for 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery...

The sound and smell of the brutal cannon barrages at the Battle of Fredericksburg must have been overwhelming. The deep, rich booming of the 12-pound, smoothbore Napoleons. The high-pitched "crack, crack" of Parrott rifles. And the acrid, sulfuric stench of black powder at each explosion. "A chicken could not live on that field when we open on it," said a Confederate cannoneer atop Marye's Heights to Lt. Gen. James Longstreet as they looked down upon advancing wave after wave of blue-coated Union soldiers. Soon, visitors to the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park will get a taste of what it...

The U.S. Army has run into technical problems with its 155mm Excalibur “smart shell.” In recent testing, the shell performed as expected (using GPS guidance to land within 20 feet of the aiming point.) But there were times when the shell was unable to get the GPS signal, and just followed a normal (ballistic) trajectory. This can be a problem with Excalibur, because the justification for the $50,000 shell is its ability to hit a target in situations where friendly troops are nearby. If the Excalibur shell does not get the GPS signal, you have to make sure it’s unguided...

For those of you unfamiliar with cannon artillery talk, a 12 pound Mountain Howitzer cannon was a small cannon used during the Civil War. The early mt howitzer cannons were originally designed to be disassembled and packed into the mountains on horseback, hence the name, Mountain Howitzer. 12 pound Mountain Howitzer Cannon For those of you unfamiliar with cannon artillery talk, a 12 pound Mountain Howitzer cannon was a small cannon used during the Civil War. The early mt howitzer cannons were originally designed to be disassembled and packed into the mountains on horseback, hence the name, Mountain Howitzer. The...

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq (Army News Service, Jan. 18, 2006) – Service members gathered on Camp Victory Jan. 17 to witness the Transfer of Authority between the 18th Airborne Corps Artillery and the 5th Corps Artillery. The 18th Airborne Corps Artillery arrived in Iraq in January 2005 and served on Camp Victory as the Effects Coordination Cell and Force Field Artillery Headquarters for Multi National Corps – Iraq and has now transferred these responsibilities to the service members of the V Corps Artillery. During the TOA, MNC-I Commander Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, thanked the outgoing Soldiers and the Coalition Forces...

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Jan. 17, 2006 – Servicemembers witnessed the transfer of authority between the 18th Airborne Corps Artillery and the 5th Corps Artillery here today. The 18th Airborne Corps unit arrived in Iraq in January 2005, and served as the Effects Coordination Cell and Force Field Artillery headquarters for Multinational Corps Iraq. These responsibilities now go to 5th Corps Artillery. Army Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, MNCI Commander, thanked the outgoing soldiers and the coalition forces for their hard work and dedication to the mission, and welcomed the new troops. "This is an historic time for the people of...

Ever since a fellow freeper noticed that the photo of a supposed "missle" was actually a 155mm artillery shell, it appeared something was just not right. At the same time in the same province the Pakistani military was shelling a villiage. Is it possible that allies in the war on terror are offering political cover for one another? To see what a real missle looks like- In early December, another missle attack occured in Pakistan and remnants of that missle appear in this photo

Earlier today a thread was started possibly debunking a photo supposed to be a remnant of a "missle" that hit Pakistan. It contended that it was actually an artillery shell. This thread was pulled and my thread asking what happened was also pulled with the note "no getty images". The story is important IMHO, are all news photos getty images? The same photo is from AFP under yahoo news photos. If it is a copyright issue, can we not leave the thread and just link to the photos in question? Thanks!

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Jan. 9, 2006 – Fighting the war in Iraq has transformed artillerymen into light infantrymen, a job filled with cordon-and-search operations, motorized convoys and dismounted patrols. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, have accepted and excelled in their nontraditional role. The field artillery soldiers have dominated a large area throughout the city and rich farmland of Taji, performing in the role of the light infantryman and securing peace for the people of the region. "We've captured 109 insurgents; 41 have gone to Abu Ghraib," said Lt. Col. Rafael Torres, the battalion's commander. "We've discovered 15...

FORT SILL, Oklahoma -- The new M777 155mm howitzer coming into service with the Artillery in November will extend the range and lethality of fire missions supporting ground operations. Captain Jeffrey Pederson (left), takes part in war games at the U.S. Army Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The Triple 7, as gunners call it, is a lightweight 155mm towed howitzer that is air-portable and air-droppable. The design is the result of a joint British-American project, with the guns being manufactured in the United States. Firing conventional munitions, the gun has a range of 30 km. With precision munitions,...

    The feast of Saint Barbara falls on December 4th The legend of Saint BarbaraPatron Saint of the ArtilleryThe feast of Saint Barbara falls on December 4th    According to legend, Saint Barbara was the extremely beautiful daughter of a wealthy heathen named Dioscorus, who lived near Nicomedia in Asia Minor. Because of her singular beauty and fearful that she be demanded in marriage and taken away from him, he jealously shut her up in a tower to protect her from the outside world.    Shortly before embarking on a journey, he commissioned a sumptuous bathhouse to be...

Gunners fired four new howitzers in 10-second bursts — the first time the guns have been fired in Canada. (MATT GOERZEN/BRANDON SUN) One of four M777 towed howitzers is given a blessing by two CFB Shilo padres during a military ceremony yesterday. (MATT GOERZEN/BRANDON SUN) CFB SHILO — Canadian military institutions have long been criticized for the use of aging and outdated equipment, mainly due to a lack of investment by the federal government. But the purchase of a half-dozen new high-tech guns — four of which sounded off yesterday at CFB Shilo in front of local media and...

The anti-war "Amerikkka Sucks" crowd has found a new cause, kids. A new 'chink' in the U.S, armor that can be exploited in order to embarass their ideological enemies: President "Chimpy McHitler" Bush and the eeevil neocons. Yes, I'm dramatizing, but how can anyone take this seriously? The issue that is being brought out now is the aforementioned "shake and bake" tactic used by our artillery assets in the assault on Falluja last year. This consisted of firing a White Phosphorus munition, in order to get entrenched insurgents out of their holes, and then dropping HE (High-Explosive) rounds to finish...

ASADABAD, Afghanistan — The Angel of Death floated through Afghan mountain valleys Tuesday morning — an imposing apparition to onlookers. In this case, the angel was a howitzer that had “Angel of Death” painted on its barrel and was slung to the undercarriage of a Chinook helicopter. Helicopters picked up several of the 4,289-pound howitzers effortlessly Tuesday at Forward Operating Base Asadabad. Mindful of security concerns, Army 1st Lt. Mike Breen was tight-lipped about the movement. Breen is 1st Platoon leader with Battery D, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade out of Vicenza, Italy, “We’re moving them somewhere,”...

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel launched missile strikes that knocked out power to thousands of Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday as it pressed an offensive against cross-border rocket fire two weeks after its withdrawal from the territory. No rocket launchings were reported during the day after a pledge by militant groups to halt attacks condemned by the Palestinian Authority (PA) as harming the national interest. The air raids took place just hours after Israel's army fired artillery shells into the Gaza Strip for the first time since the 1967 Middle East war, further aggravating tension on the fifth anniversary of a...

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, Sept. 23, 2005) — The newest addition to the Army’s artillery arsenal was successfully fired this month during Operation Restoring Rights in Tal Afar, Iraq, and Operation Sayaid in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province. The Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System destroyed two insurgent strongholds from a distance of more than 50 kilometers away. Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery Regiment fired eight guided rockets in Tal Afar Sept. 9 and 10, killing 48 insurgents, said Maj. Jeremy McGuire, deputy of operations, Force Field Artillery, Multi-National Corps – Iraq. Battery A, 3-13 FAR fired another six rockets...

BAGHDAD – Tips from Iraqi citizens led to the discovery by U.S. Soldiers of a weapons cache Aug. 23. Soldiers of D Company, 172nd Infantry Regiment, Task Force 1-118th Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade heard small-arms fire near their position while conducting security operations north of Baghdad. The Soldiers moved toward the sound of the gunfire but found a deserted fighting position that contained two mortar rounds, 12 mortar fuses, and a 155-millimeter artillery shell. While the Soldiers searched the area, Iraqi civilians approached and said they knew where to find more weapons. The men of D Co. found two 203-millimeter...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

AN NUMANIYAH, Iraq (Aug. 12, 2005) -- On June 9, 2005, the forward deployed 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing sent an 11-man Military Transition Team (MiTT), to An Numaniyah, Iraq, a training base in southeastern Iraq. The team’s mission is to stand up the 2nd Brigade of the 7th Iraqi Army Division and serve as advisory staff in the training of the 1st Battalion. The MiTT concept is modeled after the combined arms platoons that were employed in Vietnam from 1967 to 1974. Using this model, Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq formed three specialized teams to embed with the New Iraqi Army...

The original artillery was towed, primarily by horses. Towed guns bring some advantages as opposed to self-propelled guns. They are lighter, which makes it easier to deploy them via aircraft (thus ensuring that a light division will have support). They are cheaper, which makes the bean-counters happy. They are also simpler, which means much less can go wrong. That said, the low price, light weight, and simplicity comes with a trade-off in tactical mobility. Towed howitzers, which rely these days on trucks to move them, have a harder time keeping up with mobile units (like armor and mechanized infantry) than...

Friday, March 25, 2005 - 12:00 AM | UDOT admits it was at fault in backyard artillery accident Michael Rigert DAILY HERALD The Utah Department of Transportation said it was most definitely at fault when an artillery round that easily could have killed several people landed in a Pleasant Grove family's back yard Wednesday afternoon. The round was meant for avalanche control in Provo Canyon. Tom Hudachko, a Utah Department of Transportation spokesman, said crews were conducting avalanche control with the cannon in the vicinity of Slide Canyon and Lost Creek when the 105 mm howitzer projectile was launched over...