2001 War in Afghanistan

M777 in the 2001 War in Afghanistan

U.S. Army and Marine units used M777 155 mm howitzers in Afghanistan for indirect fire support, including Helmand fire missions and Camp Dahlke artillery support for U.S. and Afghan forces.

Weapon profileM777
SideUnited States, NATO, and Afghan government forcesRoleFire SupportLong-Range Strike
M777, 155 mm towed howitzer, Artillery - 2001 War in Afghanistan
Image source: M777 Light Towed Howitzer image

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
U.S. soldiers used M777 howitzers at Camp Dahlke in eastern Afghanistan for artillery support to U.S. and Afghan forces.

Sources: Video: Things That Go Boom!

U.S. Marines used M777 howitzers in Helmand province for fire-support missions from Fire Base Fiddlers Green and Firebase Saenz.

Sources: A different fight in Helmand at Fiddlers Green, Combat engineers tear down patrol bases throughout Helmand province

A February 2012 Afghanistan Excalibur fire mission was tied by a defense-industry interview to a Marine Corps M777 at Forward Operating Base Zeebrugge.

Sources: US Marines fire Excalibur from record range in Afghanistan, Project Manager Towed Artillery Systems Gains an Expanded Portfolio

M777 howitzers remained part of U.S. Marine fire support during the 2014 Helmand drawdown at Camp Bastion.

Sources: Sacramento Marine keeps artillery unit primed during Afghan drawdown

Timeline

M777 In 2001 War in Afghanistan

  1. M777 fire-support posture documented at Fire Base Fiddlers Green

    Marine Corps reporting placed Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment beside M777 howitzers in Helmand province for rapid fire-support missions.

    Sources: A different fight in Helmand at Fiddlers Green

  2. Firebase Saenz M777 support role reported

    II Marine Expeditionary Force reported that Firebase Saenz had housed Marine M777 units providing indirect fire support for coalition ground forces in northern Helmand.

    Sources: Combat engineers tear down patrol bases throughout Helmand province

  3. Excalibur record-range firing reported

    Raytheon reported U.S. Marines firing two Excalibur 155 mm projectiles in theater at 36 kilometers; Defense Media Network later identified the firing platform as a Marine Corps M777 in Afghanistan.

    Sources: US Marines fire Excalibur from record range in Afghanistan, Project Manager Towed Artillery Systems Gains an Expanded Portfolio

  4. Camp Bastion drawdown fire support described

    I Marine Expeditionary Force reported three M777 howitzers at Camp Bastion ready for fire missions and protecting remaining U.S. and coalition personnel during the Helmand drawdown.

    Sources: Sacramento Marine keeps artillery unit primed during Afghan drawdown

  5. Camp Dahlke M777 support video published

    The Department of Defense published video metadata identifying soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment using M777 howitzers at Camp Dahlke in eastern Afghanistan to support U.S. and Afghan forces.

    Sources: Video: Things That Go Boom!

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The M777 is directly documented in the 2001 War in Afghanistan through U.S. military media and Marine Corps reporting. A Department of Defense video page published on January 28, 2019 identifies soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment training on M777 howitzers while deployed to Camp Dahlke in eastern Afghanistan, where the unit provided artillery fire for U.S. and Afghan forces.

Marine Corps reporting also places M777 howitzers in Helmand province. In October 2011, Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment at Fire Base Fiddlers Green was described as living beside its M777 howitzers so it could answer fire-support calls quickly. A December 2011 II Marine Expeditionary Force article says Firebase Saenz had housed Marine artillery units with M777 Lightweight Howitzer cannons that provided indirect fire support for coalition ground forces in northern Helmand.

Sources: Video: Things That Go Boom!, A different fight in Helmand at Fiddlers Green, Combat engineers tear down patrol bases throughout Helmand province

Dated use and precision-fire milestone

The Afghanistan record includes both routine base fire support and a documented precision-artillery milestone. Raytheon reported on June 11, 2012 that the U.S. Marine Corps fired two Excalibur 155 mm precision-guided projectiles in theater at a range of 36 kilometers. The same release says those shots were the longest-distance combat firings of Excalibur since the projectile was fielded in 2007.

A 2012 Defense Media Network interview with Marine Corps towed-artillery program leadership tied that event to a Marine Corps M777 at Forward Operating Base Zeebrugge firing an M982 Excalibur round in February 2012 against insurgents in Kajaki, Musa Qala district. That secondary source adds the M777-specific platform detail absent from Raytheon's short release.

Sources: US Marines fire Excalibur from record range in Afghanistan, Project Manager Towed Artillery Systems Gains an Expanded Portfolio

Operational role

In Afghanistan, the M777's documented role was coalition indirect fire support from fixed or forward artillery positions. The sources identify U.S. soldiers and Marines as users and connect the howitzer to support for U.S., Afghan, and coalition ground forces rather than Afghan-government ownership or Taliban use.

The Helmand reporting shows the weapon used to support coalition forces operating near Marine bases and during the drawdown period. In August 2014, I Marine Expeditionary Force described three M777 howitzers at Camp Bastion as ready for fire missions and safeguarding remaining U.S. and coalition forces while advisers worked with Afghan security forces at Camp Shorabak.

Sources: Sacramento Marine keeps artillery unit primed during Afghan drawdown, A different fight in Helmand at Fiddlers Green, Video: Things That Go Boom!

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Sources