The Department of Defense has taken possession of a 1960’s era self-propelled howitzer from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department. The Arizona Army National Guard transported the M-109 via flatbed truck to its facilities at 52nd Street and McDowell in Phoenix. The 27- ton armored weapon will be demilitarized and its future use is to be determined by DOD. The howitzer was not fully militarized or battle functional while in MCSO’s possession.
When acquired in 1999, Maricopa County taxpayers paid $64,000 for a tractor to pull the trailer and to replace the trailer’s tires and wheels. The tires and wheels were no longer manufactured and had to be custom made. At one time, MCSO displayed the howitzer from its flatbed tractor and trailer at community events and in parades where it was incorrectly called a “tank.”
By 2017, the 1999-era tires and wheels had deteriorated to a point that the trailer could no longer be used to transport the vehicle and the howitzer was essentially grounded in a parking lot at MCSO Enforcement Support.
Early in 2017, as required by its agreement with the Department of Defense, MCSO contacted DOD and asked if the agency would take it back. DOD agreed to do so at no cost to MCSO. Arizona National Guard personnel arrived on May 25 and over a four-hour period, with assistance from MCSO facility maintenance staff, moved the enormous war machine from its MCSO trailer to their vehicle. Per Maricopa County procedures, the MCSO trailer and the tractor that pulled it will be auctioned next week.
The M109 self-propelled howitzer could carry a crew of six into battle and was used extensively in Vietnam, the 1991 Persian Gulf War, and the Iraq War of the early 2000’s. It was a staple of mechanized infantry and has been adapted and used by Israel, Canada, Great Britain, and Saudi Arabia. Modern versions are currently in operation in conflicts in Syria and Yemen.