U.S. Soldiers assigned to Field Artillery Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, with support from 12th Combat Aviation Brigade CH-47 Chinook helicopter crews, conduct M777A2 howitzer air assault training at the 7th Army Training Command’s Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, May 7, 2020. The 12th Combat Aviation Brigade is a Combat Aviation Brigade of the United States Army. The brigade is currently based around Ansbach, Bavaria, in Germany, and headquartered in Katterbach Kaserne, with subordinate units at Katterbach Army Airfield, Grafenwoehr Army Airfield, and Wiesbaden Army Airfield.
The M777 howitzer is a towed 155 mm artillery piece. It succeeded the M198 howitzer in the United States Marine Corps and United States Army in 2005. The M777 is also used by the ground forces of Australia, Canada, India and Saudi Arabia. The M777A2 is manufactured by BAE Systems’ Global Combat Systems division. The M777 can be transported by helicopter sling-load, transporter aircraft such as the C-130, or towed by air-braked vehicles weighing over 2.5 tonnes (2.8 short tons), such as the FMTV and MTVR. The minimal gun crew required is five, compared to a previous nine.
