US Army’s Old School Howitzer Gets A South Korean Replacement

The U.S. Army unveiled the XM1776 Monday, a modern replacement for its tired, aging M777 howitzers designed to give American troops more firepower and mobility on the battlefield.

Lt. Gen. Frank Lozano announced the XM1776 designation alongside Hanwha Defense CEO Michael Coulter at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington on Monday. The Army has already received its first prototype of the wheeled, self-propelled artillery system, which is intended to replace aging M777 towed howitzers in select formations, according to the Army.

Unlike the M777, which requires a separate vehicle to transport it, the XM1776 can move under its own power, potentially allowing American artillery crews to fire and relocate before enemy drones or precision-guided weapons can destroy their positions.

“Our adoption of South Korea’s innovative Mobile Tactical Cannon design is part of a broader strategy of upgrading our military capabilities with the best technologies available and doing it rapidly,” Robert Wilkie, co-chair of American Security Policy at the America First Policy Institute, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “This Administration is pushing our own defense contractors toward the same goal and streamlining procurement to make it possible.”

The new weapon is based on Hanwha’s K9 artillery family, although the American prototype uses a diesel-powered, wheeled Czech-made Tatra Force 8×8 chassis, Warsight reported, citing Hanwha. The chassis supports several diesel engine configurations, although Hanwha has not publicly identified the specific engine powering the American prototype.

“The new system will ultimately be manufactured in the United States,” James Hewitt, the director of strategic communications at Hanwha, told the DCNF. “Currently, the prototype systems will be produced in Korea and final integration will be done at Hanwha Defense USA’s facility in Alabama.”

The Pentagon referred to the U.S. Army, which did not respond to a request for comment.

The difference could prove critical in a war against Russia or China, where drones, surveillance systems and precision weapons threaten artillery crews that remain exposed for too long.

The M777 has served the American military for roughly two decades and weighs about 9,300 pounds, making it considerably lighter than Soviet-era artillery still used by Russian and Ukrainian forces, according to the Army. The Soviet-built Msta-B weighs roughly 15,000 pounds, while the even heavier Giatsint-B tips the scales at more than 21,000 pounds, according to CSIS and Ukraine’s National Defense University.