M777 howitzer

The M777 is a British-designed towed 155 mm lightweight howitzer, now manufactured by the Global Combat Systems division of BAE Systems. It began in 1987 as the Ultralight Field Howitzer developed by the Vickers Armaments Division at Barrow-in-Furness, and BAE later moved much of the work to the United States, so that about 70 percent of the parts are now American-built and the barrel is made at Watervliet Arsenal. Extensive use of titanium makes it 41 percent lighter than the 7.154 tonne M198 howitzer it replaced, at about 4.2 tonnes, and the gun can be sling-loaded by helicopter or carried by transport aircraft. The minimum crew is five, against nine before. It reached United States Marine Corps units from May 2005 and was first used in combat in the war in Afghanistan. Operators include Australia, Canada, India, Ukraine and the United States, and used with Excalibur guided rounds it can hit targets up to about 40 kilometres away.