Artillery battery calibrates big guns

Courtesy Photo | CAMP LIBERTY, IRAQ -- Soldiers from A Battery, 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division's artillery battalion, conduct a calibration exercise Oct 1 at Camp Liberty, Iraq. (Courtesy Photo)  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

10.17.2005

Courtesy Story

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1st Lt. John R. Shea

1/10th Mountain Division PAO



CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq " The early-morning calm on Victory Base Complex was shattered Oct. 1 by thunderous booms as a Task Force Baghdad artillery battery calibrated its howitzers.

Soldiers from A Battery, 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery fired rounds to calibrate their 105-millimeter howitzers in order to measure the velocity of rounds fired from the weapon tubes. It's an essential component of establishing ready and accurate firing capability.

"In the artillery, we are always trying to achieve accurate first round effects," said Sgt. Chad Mastbergen, chief of 1st Platoon's Fire Direction Center.

Due to factors like tube wear, the velocity at which a given round is fired will vary from howitzer to howitzer, Mastbergen said.

Calibrating an ammunition lot enables the battery's fire direction center to compute more accurate firing data for that lot.

"Especially in this war, where the fight is close and the risks of collateral damage are significant, this calibration helps us ensure that our rounds land where they are supposed to," Mastbergen said.

The calibration exercise also gave A Battery Soldiers a chance to refresh their artillery skills.

"We've been doing a lot of patrolling," said Staff Sgt. Jack McCarthy, a section chief in A Battery. "It's great to get back on the guns and send some rounds down range."

Battery Commander Capt. Edward Keel also said he was happy to be firing the guns.

"This demonstrates the vast capabilities of our Soldiers," he said. "They are equally proficient at conducting mounted and dismounted patrols in our area of operations and at providing timely and accurate fires at precisely the right place and time on the battlefield in support of our maneuver forces."

• Date Taken: 10.17.2005
• Date Posted: 10.17.2005 12:53
• Story ID: 3376
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ