M198 155mm Towed Howitzer

The M198 Medium Towed Howitzer is a 155mm field artillery howitzer that provides general support field artillery firing by providing both nuclear and nonnuclear firing. It is constructed of aluminum and steel, and is air transportable by CH-47/CH47D helicopter, and C-130 or larger fixed-wing aircraft.

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Pvt. Ryan Paris (top) and Spc. Ryan Harris (bottom) of Bravo Battery, 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery, 173d Airborne Brigade Combat Team, push a 155mm round into the tube of a M198 Howitzer during training, Grafenwoehr, Germany, April 2007
Pvt. Ryan Paris (top) and Spc. Ryan Harris (bottom) of Bravo Battery, 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery, 173d Airborne Brigade Combat Team, push a 155mm round into the tube of a M198 Howitzer during training, Grafenwoehr, Germany, April 2007.

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M198 155mm Medium Towed Howitzer

The M198 155mm Medium Towed Howitzer is deployed in separate corps- and Army-level field artillery units, as well as in artillery battalions of light and airborne divisions. In the USMC, the M198 provides field artillery fire support for all Marine Corps Air Ground Task Force organizations. The M198 provides increased range, and improved reliability and maintainability over the former standard towed 155mm howitzer, the M114A2 Howitzer. The use of rocket-assisted projectiles significantly extends the range, lethality, and counterbattery fires of the direct support artillery battalions. The M198 fires all current and developmental 155mm ammunition.

In the mid-2000s the M-777 and M-777A1 Lightweight Towed Howitzer will replace all of the Marine Corps’ M-198 towed howitzers and will be the artillery system for the Army’s Stryker Brigade Combat Teams.

The first Army M198 Howitzers were delivered to Ft. Bragg while the first M198 Howitzers were delivered to the 10th Marine Regiment in January 1982.

The M198 is manufactured at Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, IL by a contractor. The NSN is 1025-01-026-6648.

M198 155mm Medium Towed Howitzer Characteristics

Length in tow 40 feet, 6 inches (12.30 meters)
Length firing 36 feet, 2 inches (11.01 meters)
Width in tow 9 feet, 2 inches (2.79 meters)
Height in tow 9 feet, 6 inches (2.89 meters)
Weight 16,000 pounds (7.264 kilograms)
Max effective range w/conventional projectile 13.92 miles (22,400 meters)
Max effective range w/rocket-assisted projectile 18.64 miles (30,000 meters)
Max rate of fire 4 rounds/minute
Sustained rate of fire 2 rounds/minute
Crew 10

M198 Howitzer Manuals and Documentation

  • TM 9-1025-211-10 Operator's Manual (Crew) for Howitzer, Medium, Towed: 155-mm, M198
  • TM 9-1025-211-20&P Unit Maintenance Manual (Including Repair Parts And Special Tools List) For Howitzer, Medium, Towed: 155-MM, M198
  • TM 9-1025-211-34 Direct Support And General Support Maintenance Manual For Howitzer, Medium, Towed: 155-MM, M198
  • TM 9-1025-211-34P Direct Support And General Support Maintenance Repair Parts And Special Tools List (Including Depot Maintenance Repair Parts And Special Tools) For Howitzer, Medium, Towed: 155-MM, M198
  • TM 9-1025-211-14 Transportability Guidance For Howitzer, Medium, Towed: 155-MM, M198, By Air, Highway, Water, And Rail
  • MWO 9-1025-211-30-2 Modification Work Order: Adding automated lifting system to the M198 Towed Howitzer
  • MWO 9-1025-211-30-3 Modification Work Order: Adding two or four ½ inch drain holes to the bottom carriage of the M198 Howitzer in the area where ring gear attaches

M198 155mm Medium Towed Howitzer
M198 155mm Medium Towed Howitzer.

M198 155mm Howitzer
Howitzer, 155mm, M198. Photo: Courtesy of Bob Pettit.

M198 Howitzer fired by 11th Marines, the only Artillery Regiment in 1st Marine Division.
M198 Howitzer fired by 11th Marines, the only Artillery Regiment in 1st Marine Division.

Lance Cpl. Cody A. Morrison, Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division cannon crewman and native of Castroville, TX, checks High Explosive rounds before they are fired through a M198 Howitzer at Hijudai Training Area, Japan, 30 January 2006. Each round equals about 50 hand grenades.
Lance Cpl. Cody A. Morrison, Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division cannon crewman and native of Castroville, TX, checks High Explosive rounds before they are fired through a M198 Howitzer at Hijudai Training Area, Japan, 30 January 2006. Each round equals about 50 hand grenades.