The Spanish military plans to procure over 200 self-propelled howitzers to replace its aging fleet of M109 guns.
The planned acquisition will be of both wheeled and tracked artillery units and associated vehicles under two separate subprograms for over 3 billion euros ($3.51 billion).
Under the first subprogram, a total of 128 tracked howitzers will reportedly be procured for both the Spanish Army and the Spanish Marine Infantry for 1.82 billion euros ($2.12 billion).
Expected Features
The platform should be highly mobile and automated and require a low crew size and response time, according to a Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism document.
It should have a barrel of 47 to 52 caliber and a range of over 40 kilometers (25 miles) with base-bleed rounds.
The acquisition includes 128 ammunition vehicles, 21 recovery vehicles, 48 command vehicles for the army and 11 for the marine infantry, and 7 optional maintenance vehicles.
Under the second subprogram, a total of 86 wheeled howitzers will be procured for the army, in addition to an equal number of ammunition vehicles, 14 recovery vehicles, and 7 optional maintenance vehicles for 1.18 billion euros ($1.38 billion).
The howitzers could be in 8×8 or 10×10 configurations.
Spanish Artillery Fleet
The Spanish Army operates a fleet of 96 M-109A5E self-propelled howitzers, 158 M-548 tracked ammunition vehicles, and 18 wheeled M-548s.
Meanwhile, the Spanish Marine Infantry operates a battery of six M-109A5Es and six M-992 FAASV tracked ammunition vehicles.
A variant of the M109 Paladin family of self-propelled howitzers, the M-109A5E was acquired in late 1990s and early 2000s.
