A 155mm shell screams through the air at supersonic speed, impacting its target with pinpoint accuracy. Behind this precision stands the M109 Paladin, a 27-ton mobile artillery platform that has revolutionized modern battlefield tactics. This self-propelled howitzer can deploy rapidly, unleash devastating firepower, and relocate before enemy counterbattery fire can respond—a capability that has made it the U.S. Army’s primary artillery system for over five decades.