Army’s M109A7 Self-Propelled Howitzer (PIM) Deploys with Modernized Weapons Package

File Video Above: Army Builds New Self-Propelled Howitzer – Cannon Will Hit 70-Kilometers

By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

The Army’s new M109A7 self-propelled howitzer, also known as the Paladin Integrated Management (PIM) vehicle, entered full-rate production in early 2020 and is currently fielding across the Army.

The PIM is an upgraded vehicle engineered to fire precision rounds that can destroy enemy trucks, combat vehicles and force concentrations at long ranges. It has been under development for many years. 

The PIM has improved power and mobility that support survivability upgrades and the capacity for further upgrades. Additionally, the system has a digital backbone, a six-hundred-volt onboard power system capable of supporting and sustaining a new generation of electronics, and targeting and computing technologies.

Brig. Gen. Glenn Dean, Program Executive Officer, Ground Combat Systems told Warrior that the M109A7 variant will complete fielding to its seventh Field Artillery Battalion next year and has fielded to both Active Duty and National Guard units.

M109A7 Self-Propelled Howitzer | Paladin Integrated Management (PIM) Vehicle: Weapons 

The vehicle fires 155-millimeter artillery rounds, including GPS and inertial measurement unit-guided Excalibur rounds. Excalibur is designed to hit moving targets. Some rounds are capable of changing course in flight as needed to destroy hidden, obscured or otherwise unreachable enemy targets. The Army is also developing a highly lethal “shaped charge” round tailored for specific explosive effects.