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| "king of artillery" Howitzer M777 cannon |
International Military - One of the most influential military aid packages in increasing Ukraine's survivability came from the US. That is a howitzer or M777 cannon, where he was dubbed the "king of artillery" by the US.
The US is the country that contributes the most artillery to Ukraine after sending 90 M777 cannons along with their 155 mm ammunition. This weapon system has increased the long-range firing capability of the Ukrainian army, citing Defense View.
The M777 howitzer is believed to have helped Ukraine push back Russian troops east and north of Kharkiv. And with this system too, Ukraine put up a fight in the Donbas. Defense experts believe that with howitzers will provide benefits for Ukraine, especially in Kharkiv.
Apart from Kharkiv, this US aid package has also helped Zelensky's army recapture several territories, including the Donbas. A journalist named Yuri Butusov recorded Ukrainian troops using an M777 howitzer successfully destroying a Russian self-propelled 2S3 Akatsiya 152mm, also known as the SO-152.
"The combination of modern cannons and ammunition inflicted heavy losses on Putin's army. The M777 has undergone several modifications, such as the software and ammunition of the ultra-high-accuracy Excalibur has also been updated," Yuri Butusov said.
Howitzer M777 in Ukraine
The incident on the Severodonetsk River, shows Russian soldiers trying to cross it about last week. At that time, the Ukrainian army launched a series of artillery attacks and believed to be an M777 howitzer.
The attack destroyed about 83 tanks, armored personnel carriers and other infantry fighting vehicles, Defense View reported. On 21 May, a Russian 2S4 Tyulpan 240mm heavy mortar was destroyed by an M777 howitzer using Excalibur ammunition. And Wednesday 18 May, Ukraine used the M777 howitzer against the field headquarters of the Russian 810 brigade.
The incident killed three soldiers, injured 14 Russian officers, including a brigade commander, an official brigade commander, 2 battalion commanders, and an artillery commander.
M777 . Howitzer artillery king
The M777 is a howitzer designed and built by British military company BAE Systems, and acquired by the US in the early 2000s. The M777 howitzer has earned the nickname “the king of artillery” with a weight of 4.2 tons and a barrel length of more than 5 meters, reports Defense View. Needing about 7 to 8 people to operate it, the M777 has a rate of fire of about 7 rounds per minute.
The gun is equipped with a digital control system to guide and locate its target, increasing its firing accuracy. The M777 can fire various types of ammunition, but the most famous is the M982 Excalibur.
The greatness of the Excalibur type ammunition is that it is guided by GPS, which provides very high accuracy, it can even reach targets as far as 40 km.