A National Guard artillery unit was the first to conduct a live-fire test with the new M109A7 Self-Propelled Howitzer System last week, the Army announced.

The 1st Battalion, 113th Field Artillery Regiment [1-113th FA], 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team worked with the newly-fielded artillery at Fort Bragg, N.C., for two weeks before a demonstration of the weapon, known in various iterations as the Paladin.

Built by BAE Systems, the howitzers resemble lightly-armored tanks, and specialize in long-distance aerial bombardment. All systems can be controlled by a crew of four.

The M109A7 upgrade uses chassis components taken from larger Bradley vehicles, and features electric, instead of hydraulic, action for travel and direction of its 155 mm, M284 gun.

The 78,000-pound vehicle can fire standard 100-pound munitions 13.6 miles, and rocket-propelled munitions up to 18.6 miles.

"The new weapons system allows us to do it a little bit faster," SSgt. Cody Fields of the 113th Regiment said in a press release.

"Everything went from hydraulic to electric. It allows us to mitigate some of the maintenance issues we had in the past," Fields said.

The vehicle has been upgraded several times since its introduction in the 1960s, and the Army is seeking to incorporate its XM1113 rocket-assisted projectile, which could travel 25 miles, employing a ramjet for propulsion with a less volatile munition.

The field tests at Fort Bragg were performed by members of the 1-113th Regiment, which recently returned from the Middle East, and their reactions were positive.

"We're really excited to be given that honor and get to shoot these first," Fields said. "To actually shoot artillery and send that 100 pounds downrange in support of our brothers downrange, it's a great feeling."

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