M777 Howitzer

The M777 is a towed 155mm howitzer developed by BAE Systems and built substantially of titanium, entering United States military service in 2005 as a much lighter replacement for the older, heavier M198 howitzer it superseded, weighing roughly 4,200 kilograms, nearly half the weight of comparable earlier towed artillery pieces of its caliber. Its light weight allows the M777 to be transported by medium-lift helicopters such as the CH-47 Chinook, giving artillery units the ability to reposition into terrain unreachable by heavier guns and to displace quickly after firing to avoid counter-battery fire, while later production incorporated digital fire-control systems that can lay the gun automatically and compatibility with GPS-guided Excalibur precision artillery shells. Used by the United States, Canada, Australia, India and other operators, the M777 gained wide international attention after the United States and allied nations began transferring howitzers of this type to Ukraine in 2022, where they became a mainstay of Ukrainian artillery in the Russo-Ukrainian War.