The M109 is a U.S.-origin 155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer family built for mobile indirect fire with armored and mechanized forces. The family spans early Vietnam-era vehicles, M109A2/A3 export and upgrade lines, the digitally modernized M109A6 Paladin, and the current M109A7 program; catalog evidence here centers on direct conflict use by Ukraine, U.S.-led coalition forces, and Israel.
Norway publicly announced the donation of 22 M109 155 mm self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine in 2022, and DVIDS documented Ukrainian personnel training with U.S. and Norwegian M109 howitzers in Germany before battlefield employment.
U.S. Army M109A6 Paladins fired support missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, including 2008 illumination fire from Badoush prison outside Mosul and a Camp Taji Paladin battery reported to have fired thousands of rounds during the 2006-2008 rotation.
U.S. Army M109A6 Paladin howitzers supported the anti-ISIS campaign in Iraq, with DLA imagery documenting Paladin fire missions from Al Taqaddum Air Base in June 2016.
Operation Inherent Resolve 2014-present imagery from U.S. Central Command and DLA documents U.S. Army M109A6 Paladin howitzers firing in Iraq from Al Taqaddum Air Base and Qayyarah West in 2016.
U.S. Army M109 howitzers deployed with armored units for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; DVIDS records an M109 crewman in the initial push to liberate Kuwait, and a National Archives image documents 24th Infantry Division M109s loaded for Saudi Arabia.
Israeli M109 howitzers were documented in the 2023 war, including IDF 405th Battalion M109s used on the northern front after earlier Gaza fighting and open-source verification of M109 155 mm howitzers positioned near Sderot in October 2023.
The conflict rows use direct transfer, fielding, firing, deployment, or verified-position evidence. Broader operator lists and unsourced war lists were not used as conflict-use rows unless a source connected the M109 family to that exact conflict.
| Evidence type | How it is used here |
|---|---|
| Ukraine transfer and training | Norwegian government and DVIDS sources support Ukrainian M109 fielding and preparation during the Russia-Ukraine War 2014-present. |
| U.S. coalition firing records | DVIDS, DLA, and CENTCOM imagery support M109A6 firing rows for the Iraq War 2003-2011 and Operation Inherent Resolve 2014-present. |
| Verified positioning | For the Israel-Hamas War 2023-present, the entry distinguishes verified M109 positioning and documented battalion use from claims about individual rounds fired by a named vehicle. |
The M109 record is a family page rather than a single production block. It covers the original M109, A1 through A5 upgrades, the linked M109A6 Paladin, and the current M109A7 modernization line.
| Family branch | Reader-facing distinction | Catalog handling |
|---|---|---|
| Original M109 to A5 | Tracked 155 mm howitzers with successive gun, stowage, and reliability upgrades. | Covered in this family record. |
| M109A6 Paladin | Digitized U.S. variant with automatic fire-control, navigation, communications, and protection changes. | Linked to the separate Paladin record. |
| M109A7 | Current U.S. modernization using substantial Bradley-family chassis and powertrain commonality. | Covered as an unlinked family variant until a separate sourced page is needed. |
This page covers the M109 family as a long-running 155 mm self-propelled howitzer line. The separate M109A6 Paladin record is linked for the digitally modernized U.S. variant.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Longer-barrel early upgrade | The M109A1 introduced a longer 155 mm cannon and greater range than the original short-barrel M109. Sources: M109 howitzer - Wikipedia, M109 155mm Self-Propelled Medium Howitzer |
| A2 / A3 | New-production and rebuilt improved models | The A2/A3 line represents improved late-Cold-War vehicles, with A3 conversions rebuilt from earlier M109A1 vehicles. Sources: M109 howitzer - Wikipedia, M109 155mm Self-Propelled Medium Howitzer |
| A5 | M284-cannon upgrade | The M109A5 brought the M284 155 mm cannon into the pre-Paladin family and forms part of the bridge to later Paladin armament. Sources: M109 howitzer - Wikipedia, M109 155mm Self-Propelled Medium Howitzer |
 | Digitized U.S. Paladin variant | The Paladin added onboard navigation, automatic fire-control, digital communications, and improved protection to the M109 family. |
| A7 | Current U.S. modernization | BAE Systems describes the M109A7 as the latest M109 family howitzer, using major chassis and powertrain commonality with the Bradley Fighting Vehicle while retaining a 155 mm cannon mission. Sources: BAE Systems M109A7 |
| A3GN | Norwegian upgraded variant supplied to Ukraine | Norway's 2022 transfer to Ukraine involved 22 M109 howitzers from Norwegian stocks; battlefield reporting and training imagery identify the Ukrainian lane with Norwegian M109-family vehicles. Sources: Norway has donated artillery to Ukraine, Armed Forces of Ukraine train with U.S. and Norway M109 howitzer |
M109-family howitzers fire separate-loading 155 mm ammunition, with compatibility depending on variant, fire-control integration, and projectile type.
| Ammunition | Ammunition type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 155 mm artillery ammunition family | The M109 is a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer family using separate-loading 155 mm ammunition; later variants remain part of the NATO-standard 155 mm artillery ecosystem. Sources: M109 155mm Self-Propelled Medium Howitzer, BAE Systems M109A7 |
 | 155 mm high-explosive projectile | The family range tables identify M107 high-explosive projectiles as a standard range reference for M109A1-A4 howitzers. Sources: M109 howitzer - Wikipedia |
 | 155 mm guided projectile | Raytheon identifies the M109 family among artillery systems compatible with the Excalibur precision-guided 155 mm projectile. Sources: Raytheon Excalibur Projectile |
 | 155 mm smoke and marking projectile | Amnesty International's evidence review placed M825/M825A1-series 155 mm white-phosphorus shells with IDF M109 155 mm howitzers near Sderot in October 2023; this supports observed artillery-shell compatibility and co-location, not a named-gun firing event. Sources: Amnesty Citizen Evidence Lab Israeli White Phosphorus Verification |
The original short-barrel M109 entered production and service as a U.S. 155 mm self-propelled howitzer for armored and mechanized formations.
The M109A1 introduced a longer 155 mm cannon and extended range compared with the original M109.
The M109A6 Paladin brought digital fire-control, navigation, communications, and protection improvements into U.S. service.
The M109A7 modernization line entered the current U.S. family, with BAE Systems describing it as the latest M109 variant.
Norway announced that it had donated 22 M109 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine.
Open-source evidence reviewed by Amnesty International placed IDF M109 155 mm howitzers near Sderot shortly after the October 2023 Hamas attack.
