Paladin was first fielded in 1994. The widely used M109 carries a 155mm howitzer and is the principal selfpropelled artillery support for U.S. Army divisions. It is a large tracked vehicle with a fully traversable turret and prominent bustle. Early variants had a short, 23caliber barrel. Later versions, including the M109A6 Paladin, have a 39caliber barrel.
The Paladin can operate independently, from on the move, it can receive a fire mission, compute firing data, select and take up its firing position, automatically unlock and point its cannon, fire and move out all with no external technical assistance. Firing the first round from the move in under 60 seconds, a "shoot and scoot" capability protects the crew from counterbattery fire. The M109A6 Paladin is capable of firing up to four rounds per minute to ranges of 30 kilometers.
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