2-114th FA executes direct fire mission

Photo By Staff Sgt. Connie Jones | A cannon crew member with 2nd Battalion, 114th Field Artillery Regiment, Mississippi Army National Guard, prepares to direct fire a M109A6 Paladin 155 mm Howitzer July 30, 2015, at Camp Shelby. Camp Shelby supports a wide variety of training and logistical support activities, including heavy maneuver and collective gunnery, multiple battalion field artillery firing, air-to-ground combat training, and more. (Mississippi National Guard photo by Sgt. Connie Jones, 102nd Public Affairs Detachment/Released)  

CAMP SHELBY, MS, UNITED STATES

07.30.2015

Story by Sgt. Connie Jones 

102d Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. – Cannon crew members of the Starkville, Miss., based 2nd Battalion, 114th Field Artillery Regiment, Mississippi Army National Guard, conducted direct fire training using an M109A6 Palaldin Howitzer July 30, 2015, at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, near Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

The training was conducted for their artillery table certifications, which must be mastered before they can go on to the next level in artillery training, said Sgt. 1st Class Jason D. Renaud, an operator coach trainer with the U.S. Army's 2nd Battalion, 305th Field Artillery Regiment, located at Camp Shelby.

“It’s a live fire exercise, and it’s a part of the field artillery tables that they must accomplish in order to move on to the next echelon of training,” said Renaud.

The training is also to prepare the battalion to support the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team with another way to hit their targets, said Renaud.

“This training assists the 155th because provides an alternate means of engaging targets and destroying the enemy by using a M109A6 Paladin in a non-standard role," said Renaud.

Usually, the Paladin is an indirect fire system, firing rounds over the horizon. In this exercise, it fires directly at a target.

The 2-114 FA is a part of 155th ABCT, which is currently engaged in Exportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC) exercises at Camp Shelby.

Camp Shelby supports a wide variety of training and logistical support activities, including heavy maneuver and collective gunnery, multiple battalion field artillery fire ranges, realistic environmental training, air-to-ground combat training capabilities and theater-specific mobilization for reserve and active components of the Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy.

• Date Taken: 07.30.2015
• Date Posted: 07.30.2015 18:50
• Story ID: 171662
• Location: CAMP SHELBY, MS, US