M145 Systems Alliance Howitzer

"Like all artillery systems in the Alliance Military, the M145 Howitzer is incredibly accurate, it's one hundred fourty five milimeter shell always hits the ground."

- Anonymous artillery commander on the M145 Howitzer.

The M145 Systems Alliance Howitzer was a 145mm Howitzer artillery gun in service with the Systems Alliance Military from 2174 CE to 2189 CE. Firing a massive 145mm high explosive artillery shell, the M145 was an incrediby dangerous weapon. Having an effective range of up to two and a half miles away, the M145 was capable of delievering high explosive ordnance with deadly accuracy.

The M145 was coordinated by a cheaper VI system inside it's targeting computer which used available GPS systems, satelilte images, and recon footage gathered by soldiers in the field when available, the M145 could also be manually aimed but was proven to be less effective when such was done.

Due to it's large size and weight of two tons, it was an immobile construct and could only be transported via dropship, towed by a ground vehicle, or pulled by around a platoon of men. Due to this all M145's were equipped with an overload system which allowed it to detonate the shell inside it to destroy the piece or the ability to permanently disable the gun's electronic systems via manual command to avoid hacking to disrupt Alliance artillery.

Costing around two hundred and thirty five thousand credits per piece, the M145 was almost always guarded by at least four squads of soldiers and manned by a team of around five, usually operators from the EODC, who were also trained in explosive weapon handling, the use of a single battery was always overseen by at least a Warrant Officer.

Deployed far behind the lines of Alliance soldiers, the M145s could deliver their ordnance up to two miles away in around eight seconds but took an average of thirty five seconds to reload. Because of this, M145 Howitzers were almost always deployed in groups of around six, allowing the batteries to provide constant fire and a salvo if needed.

The M145 fired a small arsenal of weaponry, using five different types of shells throughout it's history the M145 was able to effectively handle most situations. It's average shell was it's standard 145mm explosive shell. However it also fired a high explosive shell infused with napalm, a chemical ordnance shell that fired anthrax and other chemical and biological weaponry, a less lethal shell that exploded over it's target and deployed high concentrations of tear gas, and a highly dangerous and controversial nuclear shell which literally fired a nuclear warhead with a fourteen kiloton blast radius which was used in highly dangerous situations.

These groups were referred to as "installations" due to their dug in and immobile nature and always commanded by a Lieutenent Colonel and above. In most scenarios transport ships were near the batteries so if needed, the Howitzers could be evacuated, something that most in field soldiers would recognize as a sign of iminent defeat.

Given to the Marine Corps, Rangers, EODC, ASAHWC, Army, and militia units, the M145 proved to be a reliable artillery system that was easily capable of shelling and effectively destroying heavily fortified positions and demoralizing enemy soldiers.