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New at Ft Bliss a pair of very strange 155mm Sp's

#1: New at Ft Bliss a pair of very strange 155mm Sp's Author: Roy_A_Lingle, Location: El Paso & Ft Bliss, Texas

Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 4:21 am
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Hi Folks!
This is a new vehicle at the Ft Bliss musuem. The serial number is 204.

The Post CSGM also has a second M109 like this one. It should be showing up as a gate guard in the future. Both vehicles are ex-White Sand Missile Range targets. Why the ? mark in my title. I know the short barrel ones are plain M109s (or M109A0) and the long barrel ones are A1, A2, A3, A4(?) or A5s(?). I know what a Palidan M109A6 looks like.

????????Updated Feb 6, 2011 with more photos and some questions!?????

Anyone see anything out of place with the below picture? Missing headlights, brown paint job, and odd bumper markings don't count.

Notice that the above vehicle doesn't have any recoil spades. Something that the M-108s didn't have but all M-109s did.

In the photo above, notice the cheap travel lock for the 155 barrel and the M108 type gun matel and the travel lock for a 105mm gun barrel.

The above vehicle is the PCSM's future gate guard. Note it has the same travel lock and same gun matel as the museum's vehicle. The recoil spades are also missing.

What type of M-109s are these beasts?

Spot Report!
Sgt Scouts Out!

Last edited by Roy_A_Lingle on Mon Feb 07, 2011 5:48 am; edited 1 time in total

#2: Re: New at Ft Bliss M109A? 155mm Sp Author: Doug_Kibbey, Location: The Great Satan

Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 8:32 pm
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- Roy_A_Lingle

Hi Folks!

I know the short barrel ones are plain M109s (or M109A0)
Spot Report!
Sgt Scouts Out!

Now, how would you happen to know that with any certainty? Wink

#3: Re: New at Ft Bliss M109A? 155mm Sp Author: Roy_A_Lingle, Location: El Paso & Ft Bliss, Texas

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:27 am
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Hi Doug! Hi Folks!

- Doug_Kibbey

- Roy_A_Lingle

Hi Folks!

I know the short barrel ones are plain M109s (or M109A0)
Spot Report!
Sgt Scouts Out!

Now, how would you happen to know that with any certainty?

Well, let's see. A long, long, long time ago in a land far, far, far away there was a unit called The Blackhorse and that little outfix had 18 of those short barrel thingies! So long ago......

What?
Sgt, Scouts out!

#4: Re: New at Ft Bliss M109A? 155mm Sp Author: Doug_Kibbey, Location: The Great Satan

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:36 am
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- Roy_A_Lingle

Hi Doug! Hi Folks!

- Doug_Kibbey

- Roy_A_Lingle

Hi Folks!

I know the short barrel ones are plain M109s (or M109A0)
Spot Report!
Sgt Scouts Out!

Now, how would you happen to know that with any certainty?

Well, let's see. A long, long, long time ago in a land far, far, far away there was a unit called The Blackhorse and that little outfix had 18 of those short barrel thingies! So long ago......

What?
Sgt, Scouts out!

I think we were down to six by your second tour. Wink

#5: Re: New at Ft Bliss a pair of very strange 155mm Sp's Author: tanker2010, Location: Kansas City, Mo.

Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 6:53 am
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It's a M108. Someone tried to vismod it or whatever to make it look like M109A1.

#6: Re: New at Ft Bliss a pair of very strange 155mm Sp's Author: Tichenor, Location: Antwerp

Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 7:53 am
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Hi

Only the M108, M109 and the M109A1/A3 had the mounting points for the flotation screen on the bow, however the biggest clue is at the rear.
Only the M108 has a two peace rear door in the hull.
Turrets are interchangable between M108 and M109, so only a picture from the top or the inside could show the difference here.
In my opinion, its a lot more work to change the gun than to swap the turret. And again however the recoil pistons are missing from the gun (could this be a mock-up)
My conclusion: lower hull M108, turret ???

Michel

#7: Re: New at Ft Bliss a pair of very strange 155mm Sp's Author: Tichenor, Location: Antwerp

Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 3:13 pm
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The more I look at those pictures, the more I'm convinced those guns are fake. On a real gun there should be a collar on the muzzle brake, here seems the gun tube and the muzzle brake one piece.

Michel

#8: Re: New at Ft Bliss a pair of very strange 155mm Sp's Author: tanker2010, Location: Kansas City, Mo.

Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 7:44 pm
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My conclusion: lower hull M108, turret ???

It's a M108 turret. It has the gun mount of a M108 with a fake tube stuck in it. It also doesn't have the raised portion of the roof for the recuperator housing of a M109.

#9: Re: New at Ft Bliss a pair of very strange 155mm Sp's Author: Roy_A_Lingle, Location: El Paso & Ft Bliss, Texas

Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 2:42 am
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Hi Folks!

Thanks for all the feed back folks!

I can't wait until next Monday. The M109 VisMod is gone. I hope it is now inside the musuem and maybe, just maybe I can get a look inside the turret. Wouldn't it be wild if the 105mm how is still there, under all that!

Let you know is I learn anything new.
Sgt, Scouts Out!

#10: Re: New at Ft Bliss a pair of very strange 155mm Sp's Author: Roy_A_Lingle, Location: El Paso & Ft Bliss, Texas

Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 10:32 pm
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Hi Folks! Follow up update!

- Roy_A_Lingle

Hi Folks!

Thanks for all the feed back folks!

I can't wait until next Monday. The M109 VisMod is gone. I hope it is now inside the musuem and maybe, just maybe I can get a look inside the turret. Wouldn't it be wild if the 105mm how is still there, under all that!

Let you know is I learn anything new.
Sgt, Scouts Out!

It has been a year sense I posted the above! The vehicle has been cleaned up and repainted (outside only) and is now on display inside the building. Cannot open the rear hull hatch, the handle is broken off. But the TC's hatch is open.

A week ago last Monday I finally climbed up on the top and down through the TC's hatch. The 105mm is all there! One thing I was surpised to learn was the driver's position is connected to turret area. When the unit I was with at Ft. Riley, KS moved to Ft Bragg, NC I drove a M578 from the railhead over to the motor pool. The driver of a M578 cannot get into the turret and I guess I was thinking that was the way it was on the artillery vehicles.

Spot Report!
Sgt, Scouts out!

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