- Yes
- No
Hello, I remembered a friend had shared some history with me, so now I’m suggesting the M109s in Canadian service. This time, the final upgrade, the M109A4+
History:
Canada would procure the M109 in 1966. Well, they were primarily to be used overseas in West Germany; they would first be delivered to the Royal Canadian School of Artillery and RCEME school between the months of March and May of 1968, with the fleet’s service officially starting in July 1968 with deliveries to 1 RCHA, with the fleet split between West Germany and Canada under 4 CMBG.
Between November of 1976 and March of 1977, all 50 of Canada’s M109s would be upgraded to the M109A1 standard, under the M109A1 Modification Projects. 24 of them would be converted by 202 Workshop Depot located in Montreal, and the remaining 26 would be converted at CFB Lahr through modification kits. This would be followed up on by a purchase of 26 new M109A2s in 1984, to further supplement the existing fleet. These would replace all of the M109A1s in West Germany, with the M109A1s returned to Canada; these served in West Germany until 1992, with reductions to the CFE, which had 1 RCHA return to Canada.
An upgrade to the M109A4+ standard would happen in late 1992 after a Depot Level Inspections and Repair (DLIR) had been issued to overhaul 30 vehicles, these being 26 M109A2 and 4 M109A1. RDM Technology would win the contract, which resulted in the vehicles having to be shipped to the Netherlands for the upgrades to be completed by 1995. However, due to issues with RDM’s work, 202 Workshop Depot had to inspect and repair the vehicles after they were returned to Canada. A second DLIR would occur with an order for 46 more M109A1s to be upgraded to M109A4+ standard. This would be done by 202 Workshop Depot in two groups, one of 18 vehicles and another of 28, that was completed in 1996 and 199, respectively. However, these upgrades wouldn’t save the vehicles, as after this they would be retired in batches until February of 2005, when the last vehicles had been fully withdrawn from service.
Specs:
Length: 9.1 metres
Width: 3.1 metres
Height: 3 metres
Weight: 24, 948 kilograms (loaded)
Weight: 23,586 kilograms (empty)
Speed: 56 kilometres per hour
Crew: 6
Primary Armament: 155mm cannon
Rate of fire: 1 – 2 rounds per minute
Range: 18,000 metres
Secondary Armament: .
50 calibre M2B machine gun
Used by the Canadian Armed Forces
Changes from M109A2:
M109A2s and M109A3s improved with Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical / Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (NBC/RAM) improvements, including air purifiers, heaters, and Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) gear. The traversing mechanism’s clutch is hydraulic, as compared to the electric mechanism on previous M109s, and features a manual override in the event of an electrical failure. The A4 also adds an additional hydraulic filter, for a total of two. Also included is an improvement to the engine starting equipment, greatly improving the ability to start in an emergency. Ammunition amounts remain the same as two previous models.
Sources
RCAA Annual Report 1994-1995,
Jane’s Armour and Artillery 1999-2000,
Jane’s Armour and Artillery Upgrades 1995-96,
Jane’s Armour and Artillery 1994-95,
155 MM Howitzers in Canadian Service by John Davidson,
Guns of the Regiment by Doug Knight,
Land Technical Bulletin (Technique Terrestre) 1977 Issue 3,
LORE Technical Bulletin (Bulletin Technique Du GM Terre) 1977 Issue 4,
LORE Technical Bulletin (Bulletin Technique Du GM Terre) 1981 Issue 1,
EME Journal 1989 Issue 2,
EME Journal 1990 Issue 1,
EME Journal 1990 Issue 3,
EME Journal 1993 Issue 2,
EME Journal 2004 Issue 1,
RCEME Technical Bulletin Vol 13 No 2 Jun 1968,
RCEME Technical Bulletin Vol 13 No 3 Nov 1968
M109 howitzer - Wikipedia
https://en.rcamuseum.com/m109-a2-155mm-self-propelled-howitzer/
www.canadiansoldiers.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGJa5mmzeac
Canadian Artillery: 155-mm M109 SP Howitzer - SilverHawkAuthor Website Military History Materials
155mm SPH M109
M109A4+ Self-Propelled Howitzer Memorial Monument | Veterans Affairs Canada
ODIN - OE Data Integration Network