XBradTC

Perfect is the enemy of good enough.

One of the few bright lights in the Army’s acquisition of land combat vehicles has been the Palladin Integrated Management program, fielding the new M109A7 155mm self propelled howitzer.

The original M109 was fielded in 1963, and has been routinely updated since. The currently fielded M109A6 has been in service since 1994. The primary problem with the A6 model was its lack of mobility, and inability to keep pace with Abrams and Bradley units.

To address this, and to simplify logisitics, the PIM office worked with industry to rebuild the hull of the A6 to utilize the engine, transmission, suspension and tracks of the Bradley. The Field Artillery, and big Army in general, is delighted with the update, and have placed the A7 in limited production, and are seeking to sign a contract for full rate production.

But the DoD IG says not so fast.

The Paladin M109A7 PIM — the latest in America’s line of tracked artillery pieces — has an automated fire-suppression system known as an AFES. But during survivability tests, the AFES “did not protect the entire crew compartment” and that “howitzer crews are at increased fire risk” according to a report by the Pentagon’s Inspector General released in August.

Oil, lubricants and the heating system inside the Paladins are all potential fire hazards. And for obvious reasons, there is a risk of fire if the vehicles take a big enough blow. And that’s big trouble for the crews.

Well, now, that is a problem, isn’t it?

The Abrams and the Bradley have automatic fire suppression systems. Optical sensors in the troop compartment sense a fire, and automatically discharge fire bottles. The idea isn’t so much to extinguish the fire, but rather to suppress the fire long enough for the crews to get out. In my day, the agent was Halon. I have no idea what they use today.

So the DoD IG thinks the A7 shouldn’t be cleared for production until the AFES is up to what it believes is snuff.

The only  problem is, the fielded M109A6 doesn’t have an AFES system at all. And after over 20 years of hard use, the A6s are in desperate need of replacement.*

 

 

*In actuality, rebuild- the A7 is really a kit of components that A6s will be rebuilt using.