Artillery Battery Fire Direction

[Old Sweat]

Something about those numbers seems wonky.

My memory is getting weak, and Old Sweat could give me a reality check here, but it strikes me that in the early seventies we were burning up old war stocks and we were firing around ten thousand rounds plus of 105 mm per year in each of 2 RCHA and 3 RCHA alone. I know after I left there that Militia Area Prairie's annual  allotment was somewhere in the area of 5,000 rds per year.

150,000 rds 155mm for the whole US Army is a pitiful amount.

:cheers:

In my opinion 150,000 rounds is pitiful for an army of that size. I once saw the number of 155mm of various genres (remember the Americans use both various marks of the M109 and the M777) in the US Army, but it has to be in the multiple zeros after the comma range. The figure cannot maintain any sort of operational capability, no matter how many simulators and fancy gimmicks pop up on readiness power points.

That's my opinion, and my data are incomplete, but I hope the figure is out to lunch.

 

[FJAG]

In my opinion 150,000 rounds is pitiful for an army of that size. I once saw the number of 155mm of various genres (remember the Americans use both various marks of the M109 and the M777) in the US Army, but it has to be in the multiple zeros after the comma range. The figure cannot maintain any sort of operational capability, no matter how many simulators and fancy gimmicks pop up on readiness power points.

That's my opinion, and my data are incomplete, but I hope the figure is out to lunch.

OK. I've just done a quick count of US Active and NG artillery units and it comes out like this (give or take in rough counts)

Active army - 25 Bns 155mm; 7 Bns 105mm organized within 10 Divisions; 5 MLRS Bns and 5 HIMRS Bns in 4 Separate Arty Bdes);

NG - - 25 Bns 155mm organized within 8 Divisions and 15 Bns 155mm and 8 HIMRS Bns in 8 separate Arty Bdes.

So in total there are approximately (very roughly) 25 Active and 40 NG 155mm Bns (at 18 tubes per Bn that's 450 Active Army and 720 NG 155mm tubes.)

So 150,000 rounds would work out to 2,307 rds per Bn or 127 rds per tube per year. (Not counting whatever their artillery schools etc need) I expect that, like here, the Active Army would get a considerably higher percentage of rounds per Bn/tube than the NG.

All in all its not that far out to lunch. Fun with numbers.

:cheers:

 

[Old Sweat]

I would also expect various commanders will take a slice for a reserve and/or demonstrations, training for aerial observers, etc. The final breakdown might be around 100 rpg for the battalion commander to use to train his unit.

:cheers:

 

[pbi]

I would also expect various commanders will take a slice for a reserve and/or demonstrations, training for aerial observers, etc. The final breakdown might be around 100 rpg for the battalion commander to use to train his unit.

:cheers:

And keep in mind that the USARNG batteries are not firing every monthly drill weekend: maybe just at annual camp and a few other times.

 

[Petard]

OK. I've just done a quick count of US Active and NG artillery units and it comes out like this (give or take in rough counts)

So 150,000 rounds would work out to 2,307 rds per Bn or 127 rds per tube per year. (Not counting whatever their artillery schools etc need) I expect that, like here, the Active Army would get a considerably higher percentage of rounds per Bn/tube than the NG.

All in all its not that far out to lunch. Fun with numbers.

:cheers:

Actually, I'd have to disagree with your main assumption that the 150k-ish rds represent the total number allotted for operational use for the next FY (anymore than the original 16,000ish did)

What I think it does represent is a reduced rate of consuming stock already built up, and introducing more modern types into that stock. For example buying up more M795 but using up more of the older stock M107 rds for training etc., and there's still a lot of that old stuff around

The total qty's available for operational use, plus a substantial reserve (war stock), are most likely well in excess of the 150k amount

 

[Old Sweat]

Actually, I'd have to disagree with your main assumption that the 150k-ish rds represent the total number allotted for operational use for the next FY (anymore than the original 16,000ish did)

What I think it does represent is a reduced rate of consuming stock already built up, and introducing more modern types into that stock. For example buying up more M795 but using up more of the older stock M107 rds for training etc., and there's still a lot of that old stuff around

The total qty's available for operational use, plus a substantial reserve (war stock), are most likely well in excess of the 150k amount

I had read the 150,000 rounds figure as "bullets" to be fired in training. I have no idea how much is fired by the school in Fort Sill, one could assume it is a significant percentage of the total. It certainly is not a wartime figure.  Consider that five 18-gun battalions (a reinforced div arty) supporting a brigade attack with 100 rpg - which is not a lot - would send 9000 rounds down range. How many truck loads is that? 

 

[FJAG]

Actually, I'd have to disagree with your main assumption that the 150k-ish rds represent the total number allotted for operational use for the next FY (anymore than the original 16,000ish did)

What I think it does represent is a reduced rate of consuming stock already built up, and introducing more modern types into that stock. For example buying up more M795 but using up more of the older stock M107 rds for training etc., and there's still a lot of that old stuff around

The total qty's available for operational use, plus a substantial reserve (war stock), are most likely well in excess of the 150k amount

I didn't consider that the 150k (or the previous 16k) were for "operational use".

My thought--from the link that you posted above--was that the 150k was being purchased for training use for the next FY and that there were operational stocks over and above that.

My numbers were simply to try to calculate a number of rounds per tube/battalion based on the 150k number to see if that represented a realist "annual training" figure.

:cheers: