page_title: M109 howitzer
section_title: Operators
hierarchical_section_title: M109 howitzer / Operators
caption_attribution_description: English: an Egyptian Soldier gives signals to his tanker while moving on shore after dismounting a U.S. Navy vessel during the Amphibious Landing Exercise on the Mediterranean Sea, Sept 15. The exercise is one of six major events conducted during the Central Command directed, Coalition Land Forces Component command/Third U.S. Army run Bright Star exercise.
context_page_description: The M109 is an American 155 mm turreted self-propelled howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s to replace the M44. It has been upgraded a number of times, most recently to the M109A7. The M109 family is the most common Western indirect-fire support weapon of maneuver brigades of armored and mechanized infantry divisions.
  The M109 has a crew of four: the section chief/commander, the driver, the gunner, and the ammunition handler/loader. The chief or gunner aims the cannon left or right and up and down.
  The British Army replaced its M109s with the AS-90. Several European armed forces have or are currently replacing older M109s with the German PzH 2000. Upgrades to the M109 were introduced by the U.S. and by Switzerland. With the cancellation of the U.S. Crusader and Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon, the M109A6 will remain the principal self-propelled howitzer for the U.S. for the foreseeable future until the new M1299 will enter service.
caption: M109 of the Egyptian Army during Operation Bright Star
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