Technology is putting the field artillery out of business, at least in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Strategypage.com, and the army is shifting the cannon cockers to patrolling, road blocks and other security details.
"Maybe a third of the guns and rocket launchers [in Iraq] are actually put to work. Most of the 155mm howitzers are self-propelled (the M-109, which looks like a tank), as are all the MLRS launchers. The MLRS has been particularly popular for the last six months, since the new GPS guided rocket became available. This fall, a GPS guided 155mm shell (the Excalibur) will enter service, giving the M-109s more to do. In most operations, unguided 155mm shells are too inaccurate to use because the fighting is in urban areas. The Excalibur is a different story…
"On the down side, the GPS guided shells and rockets mean that much fewer shells and rockets are needed. It’s pretty much, ‘one target, one shell.’ With these "smart shells," the number of rounds needed will decline by over 90 percent. That will result in fewer M-109 howitzers and MLRS launchers needed. So for the duration of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the artillery troops won’t be working much with artillery."
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 