Photo By Spc. Christopher Grammer | The Paladin is the most advanced artillery system currently in use by the Army today....... read more read more
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By Pfc. Christopher Grammer
50th Public Affairs Detachment
KUWAIT - "As a unit we provide accurate and responsive fire support for units out there on the ground and make sure they get all the fire support they need to accomplish the mission," said 2nd Lt. Daniel Duffy, a fire direction officer for the 4-27th Field Artillery Regiment.
The 4th Battalion., 27th FA Regt., used the U.S. Army Central ranges near Camp Buehring, Kuwait, to calibrate the 155mm guns of its Paladins before moving north into Iraq.
"We have several different types of charges and propellants that we use," Duffy said. "Each propellant is manufactured in different lots so they respond differently, therefore we have to determine how much variance there is between lots so that we can account for that during fire missions and provide more accurate fire."
The Paladin is the most advanced artillery piece currently in use by the U.S. military today. The development of the M109 series was in answer to the need to have a faster, more reliable, highly mobile and extremely lethal replacement for the Howitzer.
The Soldiers of 4th Bn., 27th FA Regt., have the ability to perform many different fire missions due to the versatility and mobility of the Paladin, and its ability to fire different types of rounds.
Besides conventional munitions the Paladin can fire high explosive, illumination and white phosphorous rounds from a distance of about 30 kilometers away, said Sgt. Christopher L. Brown, a Howitzer crewmember with the unit.
Using "shoot and scoot" methods the artillerymen can lay down heavy fire on an enemy position and move out to another position in a manner of 30 seconds thus protecting the crew.
There are four different crew positions in the Paladin. The section chief who is in charge of the vehicle; the gunner, who verifies everything the chief does; the cannoneer, who loads the rounds and cleans the powder chamber; and the driver who operates the vehicle and records all the data, Brown said.
"I just hope that we accomplish whatever mission is given to us so that we can all go home safe," Brown said
| Date Taken: | 04.17.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 04.29.2008 07:48 |
| Story ID: | 18866 |
| Location: | KW |
| Web Views: | 316 |
| Downloads: | 214 |
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