Jane’s is reporting that the Israeli Defense Forces have announced that they are in the advanced stages of selection a replacement for their 155 mm M109 self-propelled howitzer.  According to the Jane’s article, a senior source from the Israeli Artillery Corps said that the new howitzer system would have to have a longer range and smaller crew than the M109, as well as the ability to relocate positions more rapidly.  The new artillery system will be based on the Lockheed Martin M270 multiple launch rocket system chassis to maximize commonality with Israels existing inventory.  The gun component of the vehicle will be a system by either Israeli company Elbit Systems or a system based on the Artillery Gun Module by German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) optimized for the IDF by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries.