
BAE Systems has been given the green light and a hefty check by the Army to upgrade the final lot of M109 Paladin self-propelled guns to the modern A7 configuration, a move that all but clears the vehicle for full-rate production, according to a company executive.The Army on Dec. 21 awarded BAE a $227 million contract for 228 sets of M109A7 Paladins and M992A3 ammunition carriers under the Paladin Integrated Management (PIM) program. According to BAE, the contract for low-rate…