M198 howitzer vs TRF1: Specs Compared

M198 howitzer — licensed reference photograph

AArtillery

M198 howitzer

Towed howitzer

Credit

Staff Sgt. Vance · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · Modified

BArtillery

TRF1

Towed howitzer

Credit

Sgt. Alex C. Sauceda · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · Modified

First system

Second system

At a glance

Side by side

Length comparisonOne shared metre scale

M198 howitzerTravel

12.3 m

Length source ↗

TRF1Length

10 m

Length source ↗

Lengths retain their source configuration and measurement scope.

M198 howitzerlarger figure on 0 of 1

None

TRF1larger figure on 1 of 1

Mass+47%

Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.

Measured figures

Head to head

19 of 41 rows sourced on both sides

12.3mTravel

10m

Length

All recorded figures & sources

11 m

Combat

Single source

12.3 m

Travel

Single source

Combat: 11 m (36 ft 2 in) Travel: 12.3 m (40 ft 6 in)^[source]

10 m

Length

Single source

10.0 m (32 ft 10 in)^[source]

2.8mTravel

3.09mtraveling

WidthScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

2.8 m

Travel

Single source

Travel: 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)^[source]

3.09 m

traveling

Single source

3.09 m (10 ft 2 in) traveling^[source]

2.9mTravel

1.79mtraveling

HeightScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

2.9 m

Travel

Single source

Travel: 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in)^[source]

1.79 m

traveling

Single source

1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) traveling^[source]

7.2t

10.5t

Mass+47%

All recorded figures & sources

7,154 kg

Mass

Single source

7,154 kg (15,772 lb)^[source]

10,520 kg

Mass

Single source

10.52 t^[source]

9enlisted men

Crew

All recorded figures & sources

9 people

enlisted men

Single source

9 enlisted men^[source]

8 people

Crew

Single source

8^[source]

40kmMaximum; RAP and L/52 barrel

30kmEffective; with long-range ammunition

RangeScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

22.4 km

Maximum; Conventional

Single source

30 km

Maximum; RAP

Single source

40 km

Maximum; RAP and L/52 barrel

Single source

Conventional: 22.4km (14 mi), RAP : 30km (18.6 mi), RAP and L/52 barrel: 40km (25 mi)^[source]

24 km

Effective; with high-explosive shells

Single source

30 km

Effective; with long-range ammunition

Single source

24 km (15 mi) with high-explosive shells 30 km (19 mi) with long-range ammunition^[source]

6.09mL/39

6.2mL/40

Barrel lengthScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

6.09 m

L/39

Single source

6.09 m (19.98 ft) L/39^[source]

6.2 m

L/40

Single source

6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) L/40^[source]

155mmCaliber

155mmNATO standard

CalibreScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

155 mm

Caliber

Single source

155 mm (6.1 inch)^[source]

155 mm

NATO standard

Single source

155 mm (6.1 in) NATO standard^[source]

4rpmMaximum

3 shots in 15 s., 6 shots/min. (because it is necessary to let the tube cool down)

Rate of fire

All recorded figures & sources

4 rounds/min

Maximum

Single source

2 rounds/min

Sustained

Single source

Maximum: 4 rpm Sustained: 2 rpm^[source]

3 shots in 15 s., 6 shots/min. (because it is necessary to let the tube cool down)^[source]

684m/s

—

Muzzle velocity

All recorded figures & sources

684 m/s

Muzzle velocity

Single source

684 m/s (2,240 ft/s)^[source]

Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.

Configuration

Details

M198 howitzer and TRF1 configuration
Specification	M198 howitzer	TRF1
Type	Towed howitzer^[source]	Towed howitzer^[source]
Place of origin	United States^[source]	France^[source]
In service	1979–present^[source]	1990–present^[source]
Used by	See Operators^[source]	See Users^[source]
Wars	Lebanese Civil War Gulf War Somali Civil War War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Iraq War War in Iraq (2013-2017) Syrian Civil War 2025 Cambodia‒Thailand conflict 2026 Afghanistan-Pakistan war^[source]	Gulf War Russo-Ukrainian War^[source]
Designed	1968–1977^[source]	—
Manufacturer	Rock Island Arsenal (US)^[source]	Arsenal de Bourges^[source]
Unit cost	US$ 527,337^[source]	—
Produced	1978–1992^[source]	—
No. built	1,600+^[source]	—
Shell	Separate loading charge and projectile^[source]	—
Breech	Interrupted screw^[source]	—
Recoil	Hydro-pneumatic^[source]	—
Carriage	Split trail^[source]	wheeled Split-trail^[source]
Elevation	−5° to +72°^[source]	−6° to +66°^[source]
Traverse	45°^[source]	27° left / 38° right^[source]
Reported operators	Reported operator · Bahrain Reported operator · Ecuador Reported operator · El Salvador Reported operator · Honduras Reported operator · Iraq Reported operator · Kurdistan Reported operator · Lebanon Reported operator · Morocco Reported operator · Pakistan Reported operator · Saudi Arabia Reported operator · Tunisia Reported operator · Thailand	Reported operator · Saudi Arabia Reported operator · Cyprus Reported operator · Senegal Reported operator · Ukraine

FORCETALLY

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M198 howitzer

TRF1

Type

Towed howitzer^[source]

Place of origin

United States^[source]

France^[source]

In service

1979–present^[source]

1990–present^[source]

Used by

See Operators^[source]

See Users^[source]

Wars

Lebanese Civil War Gulf War Somali Civil War War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Iraq War War in Iraq (2013-2017) Syrian Civil War 2025 Cambodia‒Thailand conflict 2026 Afghanistan-Pakistan war^[source]

Gulf War Russo-Ukrainian War^[source]

Designed

1968–1977^[source]

—

Manufacturer

Rock Island Arsenal (US)^[source]

Arsenal de Bourges^[source]

Unit cost

US$ 527,337^[source]

—

Produced

1978–1992^[source]

—

No. built

1,600+^[source]

—

Shell

Separate loading charge and projectile^[source]

—

Breech

Interrupted screw^[source]

—

Recoil

Hydro-pneumatic^[source]

—

Carriage

Split trail^[source]

wheeled Split-trail^[source]

Elevation

−5° to +72°^[source]

−6° to +66°^[source]

Traverse

45°^[source]

27° left / 38° right^[source]

Reported operators

Reported operator · Bahrain
Reported operator · Ecuador
Reported operator · El Salvador
Reported operator · Honduras
Reported operator · Iraq
Reported operator · Kurdistan
Reported operator · Lebanon
Reported operator · Morocco
Reported operator · Pakistan
Reported operator · Saudi Arabia
Reported operator · Tunisia
Reported operator · Thailand

Reported operator · Saudi Arabia
Reported operator · Cyprus
Reported operator · Senegal
Reported operator · Ukraine