When Howitzers Explode

**RRonning1984** · #1 (**permalink**) 08-12-2009, 07:42 PM

These are pics that I took down at the school house maintenance shop on FT Sill. I had an M777 Big Gun in the shop I was cheaking on and saw this pile sitting in the corner.

73 round of the day and some how it exploded in the chamber. Havent found one piece of the tube bigger then a bottle of pop. All four crew were injured, one pretty bad but at least none of them died. Thank god there alive.

The first pic is a complete gun, the rest are of the blown gun!

For those of you wandering this is what the new M777 "Big Guns" look like!

**stump0331** · #2 (**permalink**) 08-12-2009, 07:44 PM

damnit boy

**RRonning1984** · #3 (**permalink**) 08-12-2009, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stump0331

damnit boy

Thats one way to put it!

***TuRBoWHiNe*** · #4 (**permalink**) 08-12-2009, 08:01 PM

Those Triple 7's suck. They should have refurbished the M198's and kept using them!

**RRonning1984** · #5 (**permalink**) 08-12-2009, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TuRBoWHiNe

Those Triple 7's suck. They should have refurbished the M198's and kept using them!

I have just started working with them this last month (I am a mechanic by the way) and so far I see them as being way over complicated but we will see if it pays off.

***TuRBoWHiNe*** · #6 (**permalink**) 08-12-2009, 08:13 PM

They used the wrong metallurgy in the sight mounts. It won't keep it's FCA in extreme temps(i.e. Iraq/Afghanistan). The digital fire control rarely woks the right way(doesn't deadline the gun, but should work anyways). It will still take a couple years for them to pay off...

**choctaw** · #7 (**permalink**) 08-12-2009, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RRonning1984

I have just started working with them this last month (I am a mechanic by the way) and so far I see them as being way over complicated but we will see if it pays off.

Gotta justify the cost, somehow.