First LRIP M109A7 howitzer delivered
The first M109A7 155mm self-propelled howitzer was delivered to the US Army on 9 April that represented the beginning of Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP).
Formerly called the Paladin Integrated Management (PIM), under the M109A7 programme existing M109A6 Paladin howitzers are disassembled at Anniston Army Depot, Alabama, with the turret structures torn down with selected subsystems rebuilt or replaced.
Meanwhile, new hull structures are manufactured at BAE Systems in York, Pennsylvania. The company secured the contract in December 2014.
Turrets and hull structures are then shipped to Elgin, Oklahoma, where they are reassembled. Although the M109A7 program utilizes the cannon from
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