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Topic: Land Warfare Blog Brand: The Buzz Region: Middle East Tags: Gaza War, Howitzers, Israel, Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and Self-Propelled Artillery Shoot, Scoot, Survive: Israel’s New Self-Propelled Howitzer January 10, 2026 By: Brandon J. Weichert
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The SIGMA 155 self-propelled howitzer includes multiple new innovations—including an autoloader, speeding up reload times and allowing it to more easily reposition after each shot.
As the regional order of the Middle East is fundamentally shifting—with the Islamic Republic of Iran on the verge (possibly) of internal collapse—the Israelis must now prepare for a wider war.
The Middle East Is (Again) Sliding Toward Regional War
Although the protests in Iran have been steadily growing, representing a dire threat to the country’s clerical rulers, the fact remains that the Islamic Republic of Iran does have a massive missile complex as well as swarms of advanced drones and hypersonic weapons. Israel must have the defenses required to counteract that threat.
Thus far, the Israelis do possess a coterie of advanced weapons—both defensive and offensive in nature—but the question, as always, is whether Israel possesses enough of these systems for when the chaos begins?
Judging from the Russian evacuations of their diplomats in Israel, at least some of Iran’s allies believe that the big regional war is set to begin shortly.
Israel’s “SIGMA 155” Howitzer Could Dominate the Modern Battlefield
In this chaos, Israel has received its first domestically produced self-propelled howitzer. This is part of a larger bid by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) to replace their much older US-made M109 artillery fleet.
Known as SIGMA 155, or Ro’em (for “Thunderous”) in Hebrew, the indigenously produced self-propelled howitzer was built by Elbit Systems. SIGMA 155 will begin its initial test firings at the Tze’elim training range shortly, according to The Defense Post, an online industry publication. The first battalion equipped with the new self-propelled howitzer will be part of the 282nd Artillery Brigade. Israel intends for all IDF artillery units to be employing this system by the end of the decade.
In terms of its capabilities, the SIGMA 155 possesses a 155mm/52-caliber gun capable of hitting targets around 25 miles (or 40 kilometers) away. A wheeled chassis allows for greater strategic mobility as well as faster relocation time than with tracked systems.
There’s an automatic shell loader, too—allowing for Israel’s newly indigenized self-propelled howitzer to pop off as many as eight rounds per minute. Therefore, the crew size is much smaller than previous howitzer systems. It has been reduced from seven on older platforms to just three. This not only cuts manpower requirements. It simplifies logistics as well.
“Shoot-and-Scoot” Tactics Are Essential for the Howitzer’s Survival
As a result of these dynamic changes, the so-called “shoot-and-scoot” cycle is expedited, meaning it is harder for enemy counter-batteries to locate and destroy the SIGMA 155. Then there’s the impressive digital networking, the kind of advances you’d expect to see in an Israeli platform.
This networking for command-and-control purposes ensures that the SIGMA 155 can conduct a coordinated attack and integrate with other Israeli units. In fact, this system could be used in ongoing engagements involving indirect fire support if a battalion is certified ready and called upon.
Given the IDF’s complex security situation—with a security crisis in Gaza, concerns in the West Bank, threats from Hezbollah in Lebanon—it is likely this will be used in a counter-fire support mission set.
Early fielding tests of this system and live-fire exercises have already taken place as part of training and evaluation ahead of full operational capability. Undoubtedly, this system will come in handy in the wars to come.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest. Recently, Weichert became the host of The National Security Hour on America Outloud News and iHeartRadio, where he discusses national security policy every Wednesday at 8pm Eastern. Weichert hosts a companion book talk series on Rumble entitled “National Security Talk.” He is also a contributor at Popular Mechanics and has consulted regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including The Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, and the Asia Times. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock / Oleg Znamenskiy.
The post Shoot, Scoot, Survive: Israel’s New Self-Propelled Howitzer appeared first on The National Interest.
Источник: nationalinterest.org