Pvt. Matt Kyander, cannon crewmember, 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, fires an M777 howitzer during an exercise Jan. 27, 2016. The exercise included the use of a precision-guided kit fuse that improves the accuracy of standard high-explosive rounds. (Photo by Sgt. Nelson Robles)
By Sgt. Derick Call and Sgt. Nelson Robles
2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
With GPS technology becoming a part of everyday life, from simple route guidance to tracking fitness statistics, it is only natural that Army field artillery units use it to enhance the capabilities of a weapons system first fielded during the height of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005.
Soldiers with Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, fired the M777 155-mm howitzers Jan. 27, 2016, fielding a piece of equipment they had not used before.
The new equipment, first tested in 2013, is the precision guidance kit (PGK) that turns a normal high-explosive projectile into something much more effective, allowing modernization of traditional ammunition.
“The precision guidance kit is a GPS guidance kit that corrects the ballistic trajectory of the projectile, and turns our current stockpile of conventional high-explosive projectiles into near precision projectiles,” said Maj. Kenneth Fowler, Office of Project Management for Combat Ammunition Systems representative, Program Executive Office, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. “PGK technology provides greater precision and lethality for
American troops, but it also reduces the potential for collateral damage to friendly troops and noncombatants by incorporating a fail-safe option.”
This fail-safe option can deactivate the explosive charge if the round ends up off target due to environmental or other factors, and these advantages over conventional ammunition will be vital as 2nd Bn., 77th FA Reg., prepares for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.
“It’s essential that the Soldiers are proficient because of the responsibility the artilleryman has on the battlefield to support the maneuver units, whether it’s with illumination rounds or these PGK rounds,”said Command Sgt. Maj. Erick Macher, 2nd Bn., 77th FA Reg. “The Soldiers aren’t only doing dry fire here, they are getting the feel, the smell and the pain of doing live fire. In Afghanistan that is what they will be using.”
Battery A was originally an M119 105-mm howitzer-equipped unit, but recently upgraded to M777 howitzers to meet the demands of the mission they are facing in Afghanistan.
“I’m proud of my Soldiers. They are learning to use the new fuses while also certifying on new weapons systems,” said Macher. “They have all done really well; they’re learning and adapting.”
“It really gives me confidence on how they will perform downrange,” he said.