- Marines supporting US-backed forces against ISIS in Syria fired more rounds than any artillery battalion since Vietnam.
- The intensity of their fire support also knocked out two of their own howitzers.
- ISIS in Iraq and Syria has rapidly waned in recent months, and its fighters only hold a few isolated pockets.
ADVERTISEMENT
Marines in Syria fired more rounds than any artillery battalion since Vietnam — and burned out 2 howitzers in the process
"In five months they fired 35,000 artillery rounds on ISIS targets, killing ISIS fighters by the dozens," an senior Army official said.
A Marine artillery battalion assisting Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIS in Raqqa, Syria, with 24-hour support fired with intensity not seen more than 40 years — and burned out two howitzers in the process.
"They fired more rounds in five months in Raqqa, Syria, than any other Marine artillery battalion, or any Marine or Army battalion, since the Vietnam war," Army Sgt. Major. John Wayne Troxell, senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Marine Corps Times at the end of January.
The M-777 Howitzer is 7,500 pounds and highly maneuverable. Its sustained rate of fire is two rounds a minute, but it can fire four rounds a minute for up to two minutes, according to its manufacturer, BAE Systems.
ADVERTISEMENT
A former Army artillery officer told Military Times in November that the number of rounds it takes to burn out a howitzer depends on the range to target and the level of charge, the latter of which can vary based on the weight of the shell.
"I've never heard of it ― normally your gun goes back to depot for full reset well before that happens," the former Army artillery officer said. "That's a s---load of rounds though."
The M-777's maximum range is 18.6 miles. Video emerged in summer 2017 showing Marines firing 155 mm artillery shells with XM1156 Precision Guidance Kits,accordingto The Washington Post.
That kit turns the shell in to a semi-precision-guided munition that, on average, will hit within 100 feet of the target when fired from the M-777's maximum range. The XM1156 has only appeared in combata few times.
The US military is currently working on two systems to increase the accuracy of artillery — the handheld
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng
ADVERTISEMENT