In medieval times, the Paladin was a noble bodyguard (originally Charlemagne's fabled twelve peers) later revived in the Arthurian cycle. The regular army designation always has been officially "M109 self-propelled howitzer". The name "Paladin" corresponds to the actual version in service in the US (and previous reference upgrade program), M109A5+ or A6. The first production model standardized as the M109 was accepted in 1963, and since more than 7,700 had been delivered and improved through the years. Meanwhile, the XM109 was tested and improved, leading to the model developed by the Ground System Division of United Defense LP. Ultimately the light version M108 Howitzer was built and tested in the Vietnam War, but failed to impress and was discarded. The M109 became the medium variant of a common chassis to be adopted for all self-propelled artillery types and calibers. In the 1950s a program geared towards the modernization of the type was launched. Their main problem was their complete lack of protection. But alongside, self-propelled heavy howitzer in the 155 mm to 203 mm range were also built in small quantities. Self-propelled howitzers have been in use with the US Army in abundant types during ww2.
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