M 109 A3GN
Encyclopedia
The M109A3GN is the Norwegian
version of the M109
Self-Propelled Howitzer, designed in the United States
in the early 1960s.
were A3Gs (German
version of the American
M109A3) bought from Germany
and delivered throughout 1969. Norway then performed minor modifications, giving birth to the A3GN. 126 were bought. Most of these were assigned as mobilization
reserve and went to several mobilization storage facilities. The guns remained in their configuration until the 1990s, which saw a few minor improvements.
With the end of the Cold War
, mobilization storages lost their importance, and the amount of M109 howitzers were drastically reduced to 56.
force. Although most of the old towed artillery pieces had been retired, the backbone was still the 40-year-old M109A3.
Chance presented itself in 2002, when the Dutch admitted they had bought too many of the new PzH 2000
, and offered to give 18 of them to Norway in exchange for an excess unit of NASAMS
. The Norwegians agreed to the exchange and signed an agreement on June 23, 2003. But as the Norwegians started calculating, they discovered the budget did not allow a force of 18 Pzh-2000 to enter service, as each gun would cost the government 50 mill NOK
(830,000 USD). Instead, the government decided to use 40 mill NOK (660,000 USD) to upgrade 14 of the 56 guns in storage to modern standards. The upgrade is scheduled to be completed in the end of 2007.
The upgrade includes a new intercom
and, most importantly, new navigation
and positioning
equipment. This will enable the gun to automatically adjust elevation
and azimuth, making the old panoramic telescope system obsolete and fusing the gunner and assistant gunner positions into one. The new designation is M109A3GNM.
The future for the other 42 guns is uncertain. In the modern, professional army of Norway there is no place for a large artillery force lying idle in storage. In December 2008, the Army ordered 24 guns of the new ARCHER Artillery System
, jointly developed with Sweden
, with first delivery in 2011.. The M109 guns will most likely be phased out as the new guns enter service.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
version of the M109
M109 howitzer
The M109 is an American-made self-propelled 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It was upgraded a number of times to today's M109A6 Paladin...
Self-Propelled Howitzer, designed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the early 1960s.
The M109A3GN Programme
The first M109A3GNs to enter service in NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
were A3Gs (German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
version of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
M109A3) bought from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and delivered throughout 1969. Norway then performed minor modifications, giving birth to the A3GN. 126 were bought. Most of these were assigned as mobilization
Mobilization
Mobilization is the act of assembling and making both troops and supplies ready for war. The word mobilization was first used, in a military context, in order to describe the preparation of the Prussian army during the 1850s and 1860s. Mobilization theories and techniques have continuously changed...
reserve and went to several mobilization storage facilities. The guns remained in their configuration until the 1990s, which saw a few minor improvements.
With the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, mobilization storages lost their importance, and the amount of M109 howitzers were drastically reduced to 56.
Future
At the beginning of the 21st century, it was clear something had to be done about the artilleryArtillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
force. Although most of the old towed artillery pieces had been retired, the backbone was still the 40-year-old M109A3.
Chance presented itself in 2002, when the Dutch admitted they had bought too many of the new PzH 2000
PzH 2000
The Panzerhaubitze 2000 , abbreviated PzH 2000, is a German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall for the German Army. The PzH 2000 is one of the most powerful conventional artillery systems currently deployed...
, and offered to give 18 of them to Norway in exchange for an excess unit of NASAMS
NASAMS
NASAMS is a distributed and networked medium to long range air-defence system. NASAMS was the first surface-based application for the AIM-120 AMRAAM and the first surface-to-air missile system in the western world with active radar guidance...
. The Norwegians agreed to the exchange and signed an agreement on June 23, 2003. But as the Norwegians started calculating, they discovered the budget did not allow a force of 18 Pzh-2000 to enter service, as each gun would cost the government 50 mill NOK
Norwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
(830,000 USD). Instead, the government decided to use 40 mill NOK (660,000 USD) to upgrade 14 of the 56 guns in storage to modern standards. The upgrade is scheduled to be completed in the end of 2007.
The upgrade includes a new intercom
Intercom
An intercom , talkback or doorphone is a stand-alone voice communications system for use within a building or small collection of buildings, functioning independently of the public telephone network. Intercoms are generally mounted permanently in buildings and vehicles...
and, most importantly, new navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
and positioning
Positioning
Positioning may refer to:* Positioning , creating an identity in the minds of a target market* Positioning , reader context* Positioning , a technology to approximate where a mobile phone temporarily resides...
equipment. This will enable the gun to automatically adjust elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
and azimuth, making the old panoramic telescope system obsolete and fusing the gunner and assistant gunner positions into one. The new designation is M109A3GNM.
The future for the other 42 guns is uncertain. In the modern, professional army of Norway there is no place for a large artillery force lying idle in storage. In December 2008, the Army ordered 24 guns of the new ARCHER Artillery System
ARCHER Artillery System
The Archer Artillery System or Archer - FH77BW L52 is an international project aimed at developing a next-generation self-propelled artillery system for Sweden and Norway...
, jointly developed with Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, with first delivery in 2011.. The M109 guns will most likely be phased out as the new guns enter service.
External links
- http://militaryperiscope.com/mdb-smpl/weapons/artguns/selfprop/w0003617.shtml General information about the M109 and the holdings of the users
- http://www.dinesider.no/customer/002956/archive/files/befalsbladet/2005/befalsbladet_0405.pdf Norwegian study on how to modernize the artillery force (Befalsbladet, in Norwegian)
- http://www.mil.no/flo/btv/start/aktuelt/article.jhtml?articleID=97553 (In Norwegian)
- http://fofo.no/Gammelt+skyts+treffer+blink.-mwZfW3F.ips (In Norwegian) Regarding the new, upgraded howitzers