Spc. Jonathan Hughes, cannon crewman, Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, inspects the fins on a Precision Guidance Kit during a fielding training initiative event at Udairi Range Complex, Kuwait, Aug. 11, 2015. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Grady Jones)
By Staff Sgt. Grady Jones
3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
UDAIRI RANGE COMPLEX, Kuwait — Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, trained on employing the precision guidance kit (PGK) at the Udairi Range Complex, Kuwait, Aug. 10-12, 2015.
The PGK is a GPS-guided fuse, which attaches to a conventional 155 mm artillery round, allowing it to be guided and hit targets more accurately.
Maneuver commanders must consider the presence of civilian noncombatants and infrastructure when involved in contingency operations in order to mitigate collateral damage. Recent technology has been developed to improve accuracy of artillery on the battlefield.
“We’re learning how to integrate the PGK and how it makes artillery rounds more precise,” said Spc. Jonathan Hughes, cannon crewman, Battery A, 3rd Bn., 29th FA Reg.
Improved accuracy in artillery fires makes for more effectiveness, explained Maj. Kenneth Fowler, assistant project manager, Guided Precision Munitions And Mortar Systems, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey.
“Previously, artillery rounds could land up to 300 meters away from their target,” said Fowler. “With the PGK that area of acceptable error is reduced to 20-30 meters. That is a lot more devastating when engaging enemy targets.”
Sgt. Michael DiFrancia, artillery gunner, Battery A, 3rd Bn., 29th FA Reg., explained how the new technology of the PGK will help to keep the collateral damage to a minimum.
“We’re all about getting the bad guys and only the bad guys,” said DiFrancia.
The PGK also helps artillery units maintain the element of surprise and negate enemy counter-artillery attacks.
“With the PGK, we can put steel on steel with the first shot,” said DiFrancia. “The enemy won’t see it coming.”
A team of military and civilians from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, provided training to forward observers, fire direction specialists and cannon crewmembers as they learned how to employ the PGK from the different perspectives in artillery.
Currently, this training is being given to units in forward environments with later plans to train units Armywide.
As the “Pacesetter” Battalion and 3rd ABCT continue their theater reserve and partnership mission in addition to providing support to ongoing operations in support of U.S. Central Command, the Soldiers continue building on their level of sustainable readiness as an expeditionary ready force.