Howitzer

A howitzer is a type of artillery, either self-propelled or towable. The smallest howitzers can be towed by a utility vehicle such as a HMMWV; most are towed by five-ton or larger trucks. They are used to fire explosive shells at ground targets up to about 10-15 kilometres away. Modern howitzers fire 105 or 155 millimetre diameter shells at a maximum rate of approximately 10 per minute. Recent developments favour self propelled artillery, equipped with shrapnel protection.

Howitzers used by the United States armed forces include:

• M102 howitzer (105mm, towed)
• M198 howitzer (155mm, towed)
• M109 howitzer (155mm, self-propelled)
• M110 howitzer (8-inch, self-propelled)