Cdn. troops exchange fire with insurgents

[Blakey]

"They turned their cannons on the insurgents, first sending up flares to illuminate the area before dropping explosive rounds."
Why illuminate the area? When we have the night vision advantage it seems to me we should lose it by giving light to the enemy that has no night vision equipment. I don't understand.  ???

IMO, That is an assumption that could probably get you killed over there. What is it Zun Tsu said about never underestimating your enemy...
Correct me if I'm wrong here, (fellows that have been / are there now) but considering these "anti-coalition forces" (as some news outlets describe them) have/are funded from various terror organizations, it is easy to pick up night vision equipment civi side.

 

[vonGarvin]

I do not believe that we have handheld night vision binoculars.

We do.  And they are thermal.  Not all have them, but all have the Monocular Night Vision Goggles.  Need "some" ambient light for them to be effective.  Maybe it was an illuminate-coordinate mission

 

[Goober]

"They turned their cannons on the insurgents, first sending up flares to illuminate the area before dropping explosive rounds."
Why illuminate the area? When we have the night vision advantage it seems to me we should lose it by giving light to the enemy that has no night vision equipment. I don't understand.  ???

Reasons why the target was illuminated could be many fold. The first and foremost that comes to my mind is, adjustment. The OP has to see the rounds come in. Our night vision goggles offer no depth perception. Illumination can also cause the enemy to panic and become disorientated.

 

[vonGarvin]

What's to say our gunners haven't been out there with the infantry?
Move them.  They do have wheels.
The Bty is a part of the BG.  That sounds integral to me.

Not saying that the gunners haven't been out there with them.  Just saying that a group of mortars (or troop, if you will) out there with those beyond the reach of the guns pretty well puts to bed the question as to how to move a M777 that fast to respond to a multi-level and simultaneous call for fire
Yes, they have wheels, but so do the Mortar Bison variant (which is no longer used), and the mortar bison is quicker into action.  Much quicker.
Yes, the Bty is part of the BG, just as a Bty always has been.  The BG (or TF) level FSCC had a minimum of three fire units previously (two mortar groups and a battery).  Less is indeed less in this case.

 

[vonGarvin]

Reasons why the target was illuminated could be many fold. The first and foremost that comes to my mind is, adjustment. The OP has to see the rounds come in. Our night vision goggles offer no depth perception. Illumination can also cause the enemy to panic and become disorientated.

Yes, very much so.  So many reasons to illuminate.  Remember, illum can be used to assist in adjustment (if required, but MSTAR puts that to bed), or even marking for aircraft.  Who knows?  Illum ain't just for seeing anymore

 

[Clément Barbeau Vermet]

Reasons why the target was illuminated could be many fold. The first and foremost that comes to my mind is, adjustment. The OP has to see the rounds come in. Our night vision goggles offer no depth perception. Illumination can also cause the enemy to panic and become disorientated.

OK, thanks for illuminating me.  ;D

 

[Goober]

Not saying that the gunners haven't been out there with them.  Just saying that a group of mortars (or troop, if you will) out there with those beyond the reach of the guns pretty well puts to bed the question as to how to move a M777 that fast to respond to a multi-level and simultaneous call for fire
Yes, they have wheels, but so do the Mortar Bison variant (which is no longer used), and the mortar bison is quicker into action.  Much quicker.
Yes, the Bty is part of the BG, just as a Bty always has been.  The BG (or TF) level FSCC had a minimum of three fire units previously (two mortar groups and a battery).  Less is indeed less in this case.

Can you explain more about the Mortor Bison. I'm not mortor qualified, and would like to know a bit more. How fast can it get into action and recorded?

We had the M777 recorded, and ready to fire rounds in xxxxxxxxxxxxxx from when the truck stopped and "Halt! Action Front!" was called.

Mod note: Deleted time.....remember OPSEC troops!

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

"We had the M777 recorded, and ready to fire rounds in xxxxxxxxxx from when the truck stopped and "Halt! Action Front!" was called"

Is that good?

Same as above.....OPSEC!

 

[Gunner]

xxxxxxxxxxx is good, particularly for an action front.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Thank you.

 

[Goober]

"We had the M777 recorded, and ready to fire rounds in xxxxxxxxx  from when the truck stopped and "Halt! Action Front!" was called"

Is that good?

Very good. It takes about  xxxxxx to record a C3 105mm howitzer.

 

[Goober]

xxxxxxxxxx  is good, particularly for an action front.

For the M777 since its towed by the front, there is no manhandling of the gun like an Action Front with a C3, its like the Action Rear with the C3.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Thanks for elaborating.

 

[Gunner]

Goober, ack!  :-[ I was thinking moving the gun tractor out of the way, etc. 

 

[Goober]

Goober, ack!  :-[ I was thinking moving the gun tractor out of the way, etc. 

Oh sorry, my bad. Yea, the gun tractor has to pull around behind the gun, then when its ready to hook in, pull back in front, and back up. So there is more fooling around with the gun tractor on a M777, as opposed to the C3.

 

[MJP]

p.s.  Good on the boys for returning fire...any word as to whether we used Excalibur rounds or std 155?

Talking to the FOO attached to us they don't have the excalibur rounds yet either in Canada or in country with us, some kind of problem with the testing according to them.

 

[armchair]

If I under stand it right Canada is the the first to deploy the new M777 overseas so this action would be the first time this gun system
was fired in anger? Correct me if I'm wrong

 

[vonGarvin]

Can you explain more about the Mortor Bison. I'm not mortor qualified, and would like to know a bit more. How fast can it get into action and recorded?

We had the M777 recorded, and ready to fire rounds in xxxxxxx from when the truck stopped and "Halt! Action Front!" was called.

Hi Goober.  I checked but could not find the assessment guides for the 81 (Bison).  For the ground mounted role, I believe from the time "Rounds Action" is called that they have xxxxxxx to do it in (some are better, some don't make it).  Also, the bedding in is a detriment when in the dismounted role; however, the C120 makes it easier as the C120 is basically a shotgun round (fires pellets in the air, so that you don't give yourself away to counter mortar radar, etc).  You just lay on centre of arc, elevetion of 1100, and when ready as a group, fire two rounds bedding in: no need to wait for the first call for fire.  Of course, with the bison, there is no need to bed in (a big plus)

I'll keep checking!

 

[CdnArtyWife]

Hey all, just wanted to say...

YAY 1 Horse! Some of those arty guys are good friends of ours...and we just recieved this pic of the "babies" from one of them last week...

I, too, get that "warm and fuzzy" feeling from reading this thread.

 

[Goober]

Nice pic CdnArtyWife. I wonder how the guns are doing in the Afghan weather, probably pretty damn good. In warm weather, I'd rather be on a M777 det as opposed to a C3 det, but in Shilo winters... I'd rather be on a C3 det.

In December, when we had the guns in the field in Shilo, took us about 50 some minutes to record one gun. 45 of those minutes was digging it in with a jackhammer and a concrete saw.