The UK Authorities has bought and refurbished greater than 20 M109A4 BE self-propelled howitzers and can ship them to Ukraine. Ukrainian media outlet Ukrinform reported that UK’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace made a corresponding assertion after the assembly of NATO ministers in Brussels. The UK has bought and refurbished greater than 20 lengthy vary weapons – M109s – from a Belgian arms firm which it’s sending to Ukraine, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has mentioned. The heavy weapons fireplace 155mm rounds. Russia outnumbers Ukraine in artillery fireplace by 20 to 1 in some areas. Nevertheless, allies are beginning to give Ukraine the long-range artillery and rocket programs that may allow Ukrainian forces to win.
The Belgian M109A2/A3 have been upgraded in 2008 to M109A4 BE commonplace by way of the “MLU M109 program” (Mid-life Replace). Most necessary upgrades have been: Semi-automatic loader (SAL) with Breech Activating Machine (BAD) and Temperature Measurment System (TMS), Set up of 1,2 Kw diesel generator (APU), New stowage racks, Improved hydraulic system (MHS) for traversing mechanism, Improved NBC/RAM kits with airfilter, Generator 180 amp and Improved Ballistic Turret (IBC). In August 2016, Indonesia bought 38 second-hand M109A4 BE 155mm self-propelled howitzers from Belgium and some variety of artillery command submit utilizing the identical armoured tracked chassis.
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The M109 is an American 155 mm turreted self-propelled howitzer to interchange the M44. The M109 household is the most typical Western indirect-fire assist weapon of maneuver brigades of armored and mechanized infantry divisions. The M109 has a crew of 4: the part chief/commander, the motive force, the gunner, and the ammunition handler/loader. In August 1983, the Belgian Minister of Defence signed a contract with BMY for the acquisition of 127 M109A2 self-propelled howitzers. The older M109s have been upgraded to M109A3 commonplace by the Arsenal du Matériel Mécanique et de l’Armement, at Rocourt, close to Liège. The M109 is now not in service within the Belgian military.
In 2008, the Belgian military withdrew from energetic service 64 M109A4 BE 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers which have been utilized in a number of artillery battalions. In 2015, no less than a few of them have been offered to a personal firm of Tisselt, Flanders Technical Provide (FTS) based by two associates, specialised within the buy and sale of army surpluses everywhere in the world, for the quantity of 1.75 million euros together with spare components, which implies a VERY low worth for these utterly refurbished and upgraded M109s. Not too long ago, the Ukrainian authorities contacted the Belgian Protection as a result of they have been concerned about these howitzers (probably knowledgeable of their presence by undisclosed contacts).
