Artillery: February 16, 2003

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American artillery has also taken advantage of new technology and is a lot more effective than it was during the 1991 Gulf War. Forward observers use laser range finder/GPS equipment to locate targets precisely. In as little as two minutes (or as much as seven minutes) 155mm shells will fall on the target. In 1991, that call for fire would have taken fifteen minutes or more. The M-109 self-propelled 155mm howitzer has a range of 30 kilometers and current shells will fall with 20 meters of the aiming point at maximum range. Against infantry and unarmored targets (trucks, radars), each shell will cause damage within 50 meters of where it lands. The M-109 and the MLRS rocket system are the mainstays of American artillery and both make heavy use of computers, GPS and more effective radio communications.