Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The M119 howitzer is a lightweight 105 mm howitzer, used by the United States Army.It is the American licensed version of the British L119 light gun.The M119 is typically towed by the M1097 or M1152 High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), and can be easily airlifted by helicopter, or airdropped by parachute.
Work on 105 mm projectiles started in the late 1990s based around the M80 submunition. The eventual results were two shells, the M915 intended for use with the M119A1 light towed howitzer, and the M916 developed for the M101/M102 howitzers.
In British service, rotating the barrel for towing is optional. When being towed in the unfolded position, the A-frame is fitted to the front transom in order to support the elevating mass. A recent modification makes it possible to keep the gun in this position indefinitely at speeds up to 40 mph (64 km/h).
M901 ITV vehicle, improved TOW, full track M911 truck, tractor, commercial, heavy equipment transporter (C-HET), 22 1 ⁄ 2 -ton, 8 x 6 – HETT XM912 semitrailer, van: computer equipment, 10-ton, 4-wheel
An open bed was used for improved storage space and access with a winch for towing other vehicles (up to 4,200 pounds/1,905.088 kg). Armor plating and ballistic glass were also available to better protect the vehicle and its occupants.
Equipped with a Precision Far Target Locator (pFTL), Image Enhancement (IE), an HD color camera, and an Upgraded TOW Missile Launcher (UTML), it can detect, identify, and engage targets at ranges exceeding 4.5 km with TOW missiles. [138] [140] M1254A1 MEVVA1: an improved version of the M1133 MEV, with DVH-A1 upgrades. [141] [138]
The 17.2 kg (37.8 pound) missile is 690 mm (27.1 inches) long and has pop-out fins (with a 250 mm/69 girth span) that aid in guidance. The missile is guided by the modulated laser beam steered by the tank gunner. The missile has a maximum range of 5,000 meters at a speed of 350 meters per second (17.69 seconds max flight time).
The TOW missiles give the vehicle a strong antiarmor capability. The value of anti-tank missiles had been well established in the 1973 Yom Kippur war. The added political advantage was that the TOW missiles made it an easier sell to Congress, as it was a new capability not possessed by the M113. [11] General Donn Starry wrote: