Army and Marine Corps M198 Howitzer: Maintenance Problems are Not Severe Enough to Accelerate Replacement System.

Active and reserve Marine Corps artillery units use the M198 howitzer for all direct support, general support, and reinforcing artillery missions. Army light cavalry units use the M198 for direct support, whereas airborne and airmobile infantry units use the M198 only for general support and reinforcing missions. The M198 howitzers, first delivered to the services in 1979, are approaching the end of their 20-year service life. Marine Corps and Army users of the M198 want to replace the 15,600-pound howitzer with a lighter-weight weapon to ease the operational burden on crews and to improve air and ground mobility. The Marines have found it difficult to tow the M198 over soft terrain, and only their heavy-lift helicopter can move the weapon by air. With the Marine Corps leading the development of a new light-weight howitzer, in September 1995, the two services signed ajoint operational requirements document calling for a 155-mm howitzer that 1 weighs 9,000 pounds or less and 2 fires munitions at least 30, but preferably 40, kilometers. Initially, the Marine Corps wanted to accelerate development of a light-weight howitzer to enable fielding by 2001 or earlier but found that acceleration would be too costly. The Marine Corps now plans to field the first light-weight howitzers in fiscal year 2002, and the Army in fiscal year 2005. The Marine Corps wants to buy 598 of the light-weight howitzers and the Army 347. Development and procurement of these weapons is estimated to cost about 1.4 billion.