With a minimal emergency crew, the rate of fire is decreased. The minimum gun crew required is five, compared to a previous nine. The M777 can be transported by helicopter sling-load, transport aircraft such as the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, or towed by air-braked vehicles weighing over 2.5 tonnes (5,500 lb), such as the FMTV and MTVR medium tactical vehicles.
The gun barrel serves as the towing bar, with the connecting ring forged as a projection of the muzzle brake. Much of the weight reduction is due to the extensive use of titanium. The M777 now uses about 70% US-built parts including the gun barrel (designated M776), which is manufactured at the Watervliet Arsenal. Upon taking over responsibility for the weapon, BAE "Americanized" to a large degree the construction and assembly through its US-based BAE Systems Land and Armaments group.
VSEL was bought by BAE Systems after the UFH prototypes had been manufactured and demonstrated, and consequently BAE became responsible for future design refinements and renamed the gun "M777".
The M777 began in 1987 as the Ultralight Field Howitzer (UFH), developed by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering's (VSEL) Armaments Division in Barrow-in-Furness, UK. M777 Light Towed Howitzer in service with the 10th Mountain Division in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Logar Province, Charkh District, Afghanistan
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