BAE Systems Land & Armaments has been awarded a $474 million U.S. Army contract for support of M109 artillery systems.

The deal covers system technical support, sustainment system technical support, depot maintenance support, field service representatives, systems engineering, program management, engineering management, quality management, configuration management, logistics support, and software management and maintenance for the M109 family of vehicles.

According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. Army Contracting Command has given BAE Systems a new $474 million contract to continue support for the M109 family of vehicles.

Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 21, 2025. 

The M109 is a large artillery system that can fire at enemies from distances of roughly 20 miles. The M109 family is the most common western indirect-fire support weapon of maneuver brigades of armored and mechanized infantry divisions.

The M109 self-propelled Howitzer, first produced in 1963 and improved upon numerous times over the past 40 years, is currently slated for a comprehensive overhaul.

The M109 upgrade shares many common components of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, allowing for more commonality with other Army vehicle systems and maximizing production savings, parts inventory and maintenance personnel while avoiding component obsolescence.

Furthermore, the U.S. Army also being tested longer-range artillery weapon called Extended Range Cannon Artillery, or ERCA, at the Yuma Proving Ground, according to the Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper.