The M119 howitzer was designed and produced by the British Royal Ordnance Factories as the L118 light gun. Weighing some 4,270 pounds, the L118 entered service with the British Army in 1976 in its parachute and commando field artillery regiments. The design was licensed to the US in 1987, and 382 howitzers were produced in England and at Rock Island Arsenal through 1995. The gun was put back into production at Rock Island between 2007 and 2012, when an additional 441 howitzers were built. Over the years, Picatinny Arsenal was instrumental in developing many improvements to the M119, culminating in the addition of a digital fire control system in 2013, which resulted in the howitzer being designated the M119A3. The M119 saw extensive use in both Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.