Summary and What You Need to Know: The M777 Howitzer, a lightweight yet powerful artillery system, has proven vital on the Ukrainian battlefield and could play a crucial role in Taiwan's defense against China.

-Its mobility, precision, and ability to fire GPS-guided munitions like Excalibur make it a game-changer. Ukraine’s success in evading Russian counterattacks by quickly repositioning the M777 has highlighted its strengths and vulnerabilities, especially against drones. With U.S. supply chain issues delaying shipments to Taiwan, the need for mass production of the M777 is critical.

-Both Ukraine and Taiwan demonstrate the M777’s value in countering powerful adversaries.

The M777 Howitzer is One of America’s Most Important Weapons

In 2022, as the Ukraine War was underway, multiple news outlets reported that a shipment of critical M777 Howitzer cannons from the U.S. Army that had been promised to Taiwan was being diverted to Ukraine. The Pentagon further told the Taiwanese, who desperately need these systems for their defense from China, that it’d be years before Taipei ever received the promised shipment. 

Manufactured by BAE Systems, the M777 Howitzer is a new spin on an old weapon. In this case, the use of titanium and other advanced materials in its construction has created a truly lightweight system that can punch well above its weight. The lightweight design of the M777 Howitzer allows for greater mobility in combat than its heavier predecessors. 

What’s more, the M777 is known for its precision, especially when popping off Excalibur GPS-guided munitions. (These munitions are more accurate at longer ranges which only amplifies the M777’s effectiveness in targeted strikes).

This is a highly coveted weapons platform for nations that sit on the frontline of aggressive great powers, like China or Russia.

Ukraine Loves the M777 Howitzer

Ukraine swears by the M777 Howitzer, notably in counter-battery fire and supported ground offensives. Ukrainians have perfected the ability for these systems to change positions after firing, thereby reducing the initial threat that Russian counterattacks posed to the M777 emplacements.

An M777 fires a towed 155mm artillery piece which can be helpful in evading counter-artillery fire that the Russians routinely deploy to better defend their forces from Ukrainian attacks. 

The Ukrainian Army has successfully perfected the art of attacking Russian artillery positions and munitions dumps with the M777 Howitzer. Specifically, the Ukrainians like to fire Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions to accomplish these missions. These attacks have been known to produce devastating secondary explosions.

What’s more, the operational tempo of the Ukraine War has truly tested the durability and longevity of these systems. The barrels of the M777 Howitzers currently serving in Ukraine have endured as many as 7,000 rounds being lobbed from them before needing replacement. That’s a lot of rounds, my friends. In fact, these numbers far surpass design expectations, meaning that the Americans need to prioritize the mass production of the M777 Howitzer for its own Army and those of its allies, like Taiwan. 

Too bad the US defense industrial base is shadow of its former self. Scratch that, it’s a broken entity in dire need of complete revitalization. Toward that end BAE Systems has restarted the production for parts to the M777.

This should highlight for you the broader importance of the M777 Howitzer.

The Vulnerabilities of the M777

Of course, no system is without its vulnerabilities, and the M777 Howitzer has them. The Russians have been able to do significant damage to the M777 arsenal Ukraine has by deploying drones against these systems. 

Ukrainians are good at quickly repositioning the Howitzer to avoid Russian attack. But these systems are most vulnerable when being relocated. Therefore, the Russians have been able to stymie the rapid relocation by launching drones against the Howitzer as it is being moved. 

As a response to the Russian drone threat, Ukrainian forces have started shrouding the Howitzers in camouflage, metal nets, and the Ukrainians have even started employing trench systems with folding roofs to better protect the M777s from those Russian drones. 

Here again are important lessons that will be applied to future combat situations involving the M777.

The M777 Howitzer has redefined and reshaped the modern battlefield. At the strategic level, Ukraine is not going to win. But at the tactical level their innovative use of the M777 has bought them time. Taiwan should learn from the Ukrainian experience and prepare to apply it, because eventually, China will come knocking for the embattled island democracy, and the island will likely stand alone when China comes. The M777 could be a primary weapon in that war of defense. 

Author Experience and Expertise: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, the Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is due October 22 from Encounter Books. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock. 

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