The name M109A4 BE is no stranger to defense equipment observers in Indonesia, because this is the latest and most advanced self propelled tracked howitzer in the Indonesian Army's armed field artillery line.
The “BE” label implies that this is the M109A4 variant produced by Belgium. A total of 64 M109A4 BEs are in service with the Belgian Army, all of which were retired by the Belgian Army in 2008.
Of the 64 stock units of M109A4 BE in Belgium, then 36 of them were purchased by Indonesia in 2018. So the stock of M109A4 BE in Belgium is now only 28 units. And recently there was news, that the remaining stock of the former Belgian Army M109A4 BE will be sold to Ukraine.
Quoted from Defense Express (5/6/2022), from information published on the website of the Belgian National Television “RTBF” on June 1, 2022, the Belgian private company Flanders Technical Supply (FTS) will send to Ukraine the remaining stock of the M109A4 BE howitzers that have been bought by the company from the Belgian military in 2015.
In 2008, the Belgian military retired 64 M109A4 BE 155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzers used in several artillery battalions.
Later in 2015, several of the M109A4 BE units were sold to private Belgian company Flanders Technical Supply (FTS) located in Tisselt-Willebroek, which specializes in purchasing surplus military weapons worldwide. The purchase of the remaining stock of the M109A4 BE along with the interest rate is valued at 1.75 million Euros.
According to the Belgian Ministry of Defense, the M109A4 BE howitzer will be delivered to Ukraine and the Belgian Ministry of Defense has started discussions with the FTS to smooth out negotiations and permits related to the arms sale.
As the axis of NATO's power in Europe, Belgium does have hundreds of M109 units consisting of the A2/A3 and A4 series, if in total there are 127 units. Of these, 64 have been upgraded to the A4 version, and 36 of them have been sold to Indonesia.
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| With TNI AD camouflage color. |
From the aspect of fire power, the M109A4 adopts the L/39 Howitzer M185 caliber 155 mm barrel type. The conventional firing range is 18 km, while using RAP (Rocket Assisted Projectile) the projectile can reach targets as far as 30 km. The angle of elevation of the barrel can be moved from -3 to 75 degrees.
The distinguishing feature of the M109A4 compared to the A1, A2 and A3 series is the addition of an anti-nubika filter (nuclear, biological and chemical).
In the RAM (reliability, availability and maintainability) project, subsystem performance was also improved, including engine air filter, engine cooling fan, dome rotation mechanism, protective cover for various sensors on the body and the addition of a starter circuit relay.
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