2001 War in Afghanistan

M198 155 mm Howitzer in the 2001 War in Afghanistan

U.S. Army units fired and fielded M198 155 mm howitzers in Afghanistan, with official records documenting Fox Battery firing near Khowst and FOB Salerno in January 2005, a 2009 air-drop to eastern Afghanistan, and firing at FOB Mehtar Lam in Laghman Province.

Weapon profileM198 155 mm howitzer
SideUnited States, NATO, and Afghan government forcesRoleFire Support
M198 155 mm howitzer, 155 mm towed howitzer, Artillery - 2001 War in Afghanistan
Image source: File:M712 Copperhead is fired out of a M198 howitzer.JPEG

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
U.S. Army Fox Battery, 7th Field Artillery soldiers fired a 155 mm M198 near Khowst, Afghanistan, on 9 January 2005.

Sources: DOW Fox Battery M198 Khowst

Battery F, 7th Field Artillery fired M198 155 mm howitzers at Forward Operating Base Salerno during a January 2005 show-of-force and fire-support exercise.

Sources: DVIDS Artillery Battery Shows Force

An Army and Air Force team delivered an M198 artillery piece by C-130 airdrop to an Army unit in remote eastern Afghanistan on 8 August 2009.

Sources: Air Force M198 Airdrop

Soldiers fired an M198 155 mm howitzer at Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam in Laghman Province in October 2009 to support forward maneuvering elements.

Sources: DVIDS M198 Mehtar Lam

The documented Afghanistan role was U.S. 155 mm artillery fire support and fielding under the United States, NATO, and Afghan government side.

Sources: DOW Fox Battery M198 Khowst, DVIDS Artillery Battery Shows Force, Air Force M198 Airdrop, DVIDS M198 Mehtar Lam

Timeline

M198 155 mm howitzer In 2001 War in Afghanistan

  1. Fox Battery fires an M198 near Khowst

    A Defense Department caption identifies Fox Battery, 7th Field Artillery soldiers firing a 155 mm M198 towed howitzer during an artillery training exercise near Khowst, Afghanistan.

    Sources: DOW Fox Battery M198 Khowst

  2. Battery F fires during a FOB Salerno show of force

    DVIDS reported that Battery F, 7th Field Artillery fired M198 155 mm howitzers during a show-of-force exercise at Forward Operating Base Salerno.

    Sources: DVIDS Artillery Battery Shows Force

  3. M198 air-dropped to eastern Afghanistan

    U.S. Air Force reporting documented a Bagram-based Army and Air Force team air-dropping an M198 artillery piece to an Army unit in remote eastern Afghanistan.

    Sources: Air Force M198 Airdrop

  4. M198 fired at FOB Mehtar Lam

    DVIDS image metadata records soldiers firing an M198 155 mm howitzer at Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam in Laghman Province to support forward maneuvering elements.

    Sources: DVIDS M198 Mehtar Lam

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The M198 155 mm howitzer is directly documented in U.S. service during the 2001 War in Afghanistan. A Defense Department photo caption identifies Fox Battery, 7th Field Artillery soldiers firing a 155 mm M198 near Khowst, Afghanistan, on 9 January 2005 during artillery training intended to maintain destructive, suppressive, and protective field-artillery fires.

DVIDS separately published a 1 February 2005 story from Forward Operating Base Salerno describing Battery F, 7th Field Artillery Regiment firing an M198 155 mm howitzer during a 29 January show-of-force exercise. The story ties the firing to local fire-support synchronization, base-defense context, and support to soldiers and Marines on patrol.

Sources: DOW Fox Battery M198 Khowst, DVIDS Artillery Battery Shows Force

Timeline

The public record shows M198 use and fielding in Afghanistan across several years rather than a single isolated event. The earliest dated item used here is a January 2005 Defense Department caption from near Khowst, followed by the FOB Salerno show-of-force exercise later that month.

In August 2009, U.S. Air Force reporting documented an Army and Air Force team air-dropping an M198 artillery piece from a C-130 to an Army unit in remote eastern Afghanistan. DVIDS imagery from October 2009 then documented soldiers firing an M198 at Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam in Laghman Province to support forward maneuvering elements.

Sources: DOW Fox Battery M198 Khowst, DVIDS Artillery Battery Shows Force, Air Force M198 Airdrop, DVIDS M198 Mehtar Lam

Operational role

In the sourced Afghanistan record, the M198 appears as a U.S. heavy indirect-fire system within the United States, NATO, and Afghan government side of the war. The documented operators are U.S. Army artillery personnel, including Fox Battery or Battery F, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, and the documented tasks are firing, show-of-force, fire-support readiness, and delivery to a remote forward operating base.

The sources separate firing from movement and fielding. The 2005 and 2009 firing records show M198 guns being used from established forward bases, while the Air Force report documents delivery of the weapon to eastern Afghanistan so the receiving Army unit could add heavier artillery support in Paktika Province.

Sources: DOW Fox Battery M198 Khowst, DVIDS Artillery Battery Shows Force, Air Force M198 Airdrop, DVIDS M198 Mehtar Lam

Images

Conflict Context

Soldiers firing an M198 howitzer at Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam in Afghanistan
Soldiers fire an M198 155 mm howitzer at Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam in Laghman Province, Afghanistan, in October 2009.

Sources: DVIDS M198 Mehtar Lam

Related Weapons by Role

M119, 105 mm lightweight towed howitzer, ArtilleryArtilleryM119105 mm lightweight towed howitzerThe M119 is the U.S. 105 mm lightweight towed howitzer derived from the British L119 light gun and built around air-mobile infantry fire support. The M119A3 variant adds digital fire control, self-location, and communications upgrades while retaining a light carriage that can be moved by trucks, cargo aircraft, or helicopter. U.S. Army sources place the type in Gulf War, Iraq War, and Afghanistan service, and Ukrainian forces later received American 105 mm howitzers during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.
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Sources