Self-Propelled Artillery Complete Guide

Self-Propelled Artillery Complete Guide Autoloading and 52 are the Trend The passing of the Crusader left many uncertainties in its wake. Many others, Defence equipment now in low rate pro- away from the US Army, were waiting to see how that project would emerge duction in the USA. It has been forecast that future CTD enhancements will and how it would impinge on their own future developments and require- include some features of the 155 mm 56- ments. In the meantime, self-propelled artillery equipment from past design calibre ordnance and mounting originally generations will have to be retained, with no immediate prospect of any far- intended for the Crusader. The ammuni- reaching changes in the immediate offing, other than a general trend towards tion load is initially planned as 30 rounds and 102 modular charges, with resupply greater mobility and less weight. back-up provided by trucks equipped with automated handling equipment. Extend- Eric H. Biass and less bulk and weight compared with what ed range will be catered for by firing stan- has appeared before. It is a virtual cer- dard enhanced range Nato projectiles, Terry J. Gander tainty that any future self-propelled including the still developmental XM987 artillery system will be based on the Excalibur providing a range of over 40,000 he American self-propelled artillery 155 mm calibre, most other existing cali- metres from a 39-calibre barrel. Some community was indeed plunged into bres, with the possible exception of the form of in-flight trajectory correction sys- T a state of uncertainty and semi- former Warsaw Pact Bloc 152 mm for tem will probably become involved. uproar by the demise of the US Army's legacy reasons, becoming outmoded. planned XM2001/XM2002 Crusader As one possible indication of what the 155 mm self-propelled artillery system future might bring, United Defense LP is «It is a virtual certainty during 2001. The US Army banked heav- currently constructing what is termed a ily on the Crusader as being the way Concept Technology Demonstrator that any future self- ahead and had planned much to follow its (CTD) to determine the exact form the propelled artillery system introduction, but the Crusader was axed. artillery component of the US Army's It simply got too heavy and complicated Future Combat Systems (FCS) will take. will be based on the for the type of operations for which the Although it is too early to make empiri- 155 mm calibre…» US armed forces expect to be called upon cal statements, it appears that the CTD in the years ahead. The circumstances will be more compact and self-contained and deployment factors inherent in the than the Crusader, and it will have to be Mechanically, the CTD will feature a recent campaign in Iraq merely empha- light and small enough to be air trans- newly designed chassis and hull, with sised the fact that the anticipated battle portable in a C-130 transport aircraft. power provided by a diesel-electric drive scenarios of the Cold War period seem The design intention of the CTD will system. Stabilisation during firing, which increasingly unlikely to reoccur.The Cru- have a crew of just two, driver and gun- is intended to include rapid fire at vary- sader therefore had to go – and it did. ner/commander, under armoured cover at ing angle of barrel elevation to provide An indication of some possible future the front of the vehicle. This manpower several simultaneous impacts on a target trends can be seen in one US programme saving will be offset by a high degree of area, will be assisted by two recoil spades currently underway, although it will be on-platform automation, including powered from the rear. The rate of burst many years before US Army gunners get remotely controlled ammunition handling fire is set initially at up to six rounds per their hands on any resultant practical and loading. The CTD will initially carry minute, the in-service intention being ten hardware. With the Crusader gone other an externally located 155 mm M777 39- rounds per minute. technological avenues are being calibre ordnance, recoil and mounting, all It has to be stressed that the CTD is a explored, the overall emphasis being on taken from the towed BAE Systems, RO technical concept venture. Many innova- armada INTERNATIONAL 4/2003 43 dismount to serve the gun-howitzer so they become vulnerable once dismount- ed, but on the other hand, this is amply compensated by the extreme speed at which the Caesar can be put into opera- tion and then removed.The Caesar carries 18 ready-to-use rounds with another 72 rounds carried on a matching Unimog- based 6 ϫ 6 ammunition resupply vehicle. The combat weight of the Caesar is about 17,700 kg, so it is relatively light and compact, sufficient for air transport of the complete ordnance and chassis in one piece inside a C-130 type transport air- The instant of firing for a Giat 155 mm Caesar. (Giat) craft. To do this, a hatch is opened in the roof of the cab and the windscreen hinged tions and modifications will inevitably be will want as many artillery assets at his down over the bonnet, enabling the barrel introduced as testing continues, so the disposable as can be provided.Therefore, to be fully lowered. The Caesar’s mobility end product may emerge as very differ- the self-propelled artillery accent is now is not to be noticed only for the high agili- ent from the brief outline provided here. on light weight and portability, rather ty of its chassis and gun laying system but Complete Guide It seems unlikely that US gunners will get than on the heavily armoured platforms also on its Fast-Hit command and posi- their hands on fieldable CTD-based that populate many current gun parks.As tioning system. Very briefly, the Fast-Hit hardware before the end of this decade, a result, something has to suffer for these can be compared with a graphic e-mail at the earliest, with a high degree of mobility assets. Crew and system protec- device that enables a commander to per- probability that it will be some years after tion almost inevitably has to be reduced, manently know the status and position of then.That is, if the CTD programme does but not totally ignored. all his guns and re-despatch them with not undertake the same route as the unfortunate Crusader. In the meantime, the US Army will have to remain content with the 155 mm M109A6 Paladin for years to come. Wheels Until recently, most artillery systems depended on a relatively heavy tracked chassis to provide the degree of battle- field mobility demanded by full scale warfare, as well as providing protection for the system and its crew. Mobility and protection remain high on the require- ment list of any potential self-propelled artillery customer, but other considera- tions now intrude. What is going to be needed more and more in the future is the ability for artillery systems to become more flexible in their applications, plus An image of things to come – an artist's impression of a 52-calibre G5 ordnance on a they are expected to be more effective wheeled chassis – the Condor. (Denel) once in action. The increasing need to transport Clamped securely into the high mobil- new firing orders. The gun driver receives artillery by air at short notice means that ity bracket comes the French Giat 155 mm the information on his display and, once in most cases it is not possible to rapidly Caesar, with a 52-calibre barrel mounted on spot, positions the truck in the desired deliver many current self-propelled sys- on a truck chassis. The latter is a Mer- position. The system subsequently per- tems by air or sea, especially within limit- cedes-Benz Unimog 2450 6 ϫ 6 with an forms all the final bearing and elevation ed time scales and in the quantities that armoured cab for the driver and crew adjustments for each one of the firings. will be needed. Yet any gunner officer when travelling. Part of the crew has to Malaysia, where the gun underwent Table Key No System nomenclature No Caesar No Mobat No LWSPH No G6 (above: 52) Ma Manufacturer Ma Giat Ma RDM Ma STK Ma Denel Ca Calibre of the system Ca 155 mm Ca 105 mm Ca 155 mm Ca 155 mm Cc Crew complement Cc 6 Cc 4 Cc 4 Cc 6 Lo Length of ordnance Lo 52 calibres Lo 33 calibres Lo 39 calibres Lo 45 or 52 calibres Bl Length of barrel Bl 8.06 metres Bl 3.465 metres Bl 6.045 metres Bl 6.97 /8.06 metres Wt Weight in action Wt 17,680 kg Wt ca 10,000 kg Wt 7000 kg Wt 47,000 kg Me Max barrel elevation Me -3 to +66° Me -1 to +30° Me (est) 0 to +45° Me -5 to +75° Mt Max barrel traverse Mt 34° Mt 90° Mt (est) 45° Mt 80° Mr Max poss range Mr 39,000 metres Mr 19,200 metres Mr 30,000 metres Mr 39.3 or 53.6 km Pw Projectile weight Pw 43.25 kg Pw 14.30 kg Pw 43.50 kg Pw 45.3 kg 44 armada INTERNATIONAL 4/2003 30,000 metres firing Extended Range Full Bore Base Bleed (ERFB-BB) projectiles of local manufacture. Rear-located recoil spades are deployed to assist platform stabilisation during firing. The LWSPH is still in the prototype stage but has already aroused a great deal of inter- est, especially from Italy where Otobreda has announced that it is to join STK in developing a variant with a 155 mm 39- calibre barrel designed by Otobreda.

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