The Second World War and the subsequent armed conflicts around the world marked the beginning of a victorious march on the battlefields of self-propelled artillery. This led to the fact that many experts began to predict the imminent disappearance of towed artillery as a type of weapon. Numerous conclusions of experts boiled down to the fact that towed artillery is too vulnerable on the battlefield, it takes a lot of time to transfer from a transport position to a combat position and vice versa, and any movement of it depends on vulnerable tractors. However, with all the shortcomings, according to weapons experts Eric H. Bayass and Terry J. Gander, towed artillery will still remain in service for a long time for many reasons. Its first and most important advantage is ease of transportation over long distances, which favorably distinguishes towed artillery from self-propelled ones. This is especially important when you need to quickly deploy units and conduct a local operation.
In addition to mobility, there are several other factors that allow us to conclude that this type of artillery will be in demand for a long time. The main advantage is cost. In most cases, various types of towed artillery are cheaper to manufacture and further maintain than more expensive and complex self-propelled platforms. This type of artillery weapon is easy to transport and does not load the transport network like self-propelled types (recall that the mass of some self-propelled guns approaches the mass of main tanks). In addition, in the mountains or during amphibious operations, the use of self-propelled artillery is practically impossible. It is important to add that the main samples of towed artillery are easily transported by air, allowing for operational transfer, for example, by helicopters or military transport aircraft.
Towed artillery has become widespread throughout the world, so the question of its significance and further development remains relevant. Foreign military experts, comparing towed and self-propelled artillery, consider, first of all, the basic requirements for modern types of these weapons. The main condition that guarantees the demand among the military for any type of modern weapons is the maximum possible firing range.
In addition, minimizing the total weight of the artillery system remains an important direction in the development of modern gunsmiths. This is important because in extreme situations, towed artillery relies heavily on the physical strength of the crew. As you can see, the firing range and weight are the main characteristics that modern designers are puzzled with. In their work, they have to maintain a certain balance. So, the use of longer barrels and reinforced charges provides the gun with a greater firing range. However, this increases the mass of the weapon. And the lightening of the barrel and gun carriage leads to a loss of structural strength.
Modern artillery, including towed ones, has a wide range of calibers - from 75 to 155 mm. Currently, calibers over 155 mm or less than 105 mm are rarely used. These are mainly guns that were used on the battlefields in the last century and remain in service to perform any special tasks. However, the need for their use arises very rarely. So today there are three main caliber ranges. The first is 105 mm, the second is from 122 to 130 mm and the third is from 152 to 155 mm.
The 105 mm caliber is widespread for a simple reason: it is capable of delivering a fairly effective projectile at a decent distance. Guns of this caliber are in service with many countries of the world. Moreover, many samples date back to the period 1939-1945. It is also important that the 105 mm guns are lightweight. In the course of numerous operations in which light units had to operate in difficult or remote terrain, the 105-mm guns were the heaviest of those that could be used in such conditions. That is why 105-mm artillery is still in the arsenal of many of the world's leading armies. For the armies of developing countries, the caliber of 105 mm is the maximum that they can afford. These factors were the main reason for the commercial success of the British 105mm Light Gun.
In modern weapons production, calibers 122 and 130 mm are no longer a priority. The main samples in service were created several decades ago. Nevertheless, the Soviet design 122 mm M-30 howitzer (model 1938) is widespread. In addition, in many countries of the world, the 130-mm M-46 field gun, created in the USSR in the early 1950s, is used.
The main attention of designers from all over the world today is focused on systems of caliber 152 and 155 mm. These guns are the main component of the towed artillery of the field batteries. At the same time, the division between 152 mm caliber systems in the East and 155 mm in the West will remain in force in the near future. Meanwhile, Eastern European countries began replacing 152mm guns with 155mm NATO-standard guns. However, a complete transition to 155 mm caliber is hardly possible.
105 mm
The main advantage of 105-mm systems lies in the significantly lower weight and size characteristics of not only the gun, but also the ammunition. Due to the fact that the mass of the gun and propellant charge of the 105-mm round is less than that of the 155-mm samples, the 105-mm guns are characterized by a much lower recoil force and a higher rate of fire.
To date, the most widely used model of towed artillery remains the American 105-mm M101 howitzer. She is one of the veterans of the world's artillery systems: the first talk about her creation came in 1919. It is officially in service with more than 60 countries. Most of these time-tested guns in service date back to 1940-1945. However, their robust and reliable design is already approaching the development of its resource. In the future, this type will undergo modernization, which includes the installation of longer barrels to increase the firing range, as well as the corresponding recoil mechanisms. Strengthening the gun carriage remains another option for modernization. Manufacturers often provide custom retrofit kits that are installed locally.
The leading player in this market remains Rheinmetall DeTec, which has modernized the M101 in service with the West German Bundeswehr by installing longer barrels. Thus, the maximum firing range of standard projectiles was increased from 11.270 to 14.100 meters.
There are two other 105mm artillery pieces that dominate the market today. RO Defense continues to produce its 105mm Light Gun, while Giat offers the LG1.
It should be added that more than a thousand British Light Guns are in service with at least 17 countries. The largest user is the US Army, with more than half of the guns used being licensed in the US under the designation M119A1. The Light Gun has been in production since 1973, but due to its advanced design and manufacturability it is not going to leave the scene yet. Various upgrade options are offered for the Light Gun, including the latest digital fire control systems. The Indian Ordnance Factory Board offers a Light Gun clone known as the 105/37 Light Field Gun E1.
The Italian 105-mm "pack" howitzer Model 56 manufactured by Otobreda, produced by order, is in service with many armies of the world. Lightweight and easy to use, the Model 56 remains a masterpiece of artillery design, but is beginning to become obsolete due to its short firing range - no more than 10,575 meters. This is the price you have to pay for a lightweight and transportable howitzer that can be transported disassembled with pack animals (which is especially convenient in mountainous terrain).
122 mm vs 130 mm
The 122 mm and 130 mm calibers, a legacy of the former Warsaw Pact countries, are rooted in Russia.
When evaluating 122 mm guns, the D-30 (2A18) howitzer should be mentioned first.
The D-30 delivers a 22 kg high-explosive fragmentation projectile to a range of 15,300 meters. This is very good performance for a 122mm howitzer weighing just over 3 tons. The D-30 has proven to be highly adaptable, with its latest version, the 2A18M, incorporating changes to allow for faster towing and some maintenance improvements.
Another 122 mm howitzer, which can be found almost everywhere, is also Russian-made. This is more constructively traditional M1938 (M-30). Despite the fact that this howitzer is many years old, it is not going to leave the stage yet. The M1938 has long been discontinued in Russia, but it is still offered by the Chinese company Norinco as a 122 mm Type 54-1.
In addition to howitzers in the 122 mm caliber, there is also the D-74 field gun, developed in the late 1940s as an alternative to the 130 mm M-46. Over time, the M-46 gained more acceptance, but the D-74 was still produced in noticeable quantities. It is no longer in service with the advanced units of the Russian army, but is produced by Norinco under the designation Type 60 and is exported to Nigeria, Cuba, Peru and some other countries.
152 mm
The 152 mm caliber has long been the standard in the USSR and has remained as such in Russia. The towed models in service are designed in such a way that the carriage from the previous model is used to install a new barrel. A departure from this practice was made with the creation of the 152-mm 2A36 cannon, intended to replace the 130-mm M-46. Today 2A36 is also used in the CIS countries, but in very limited quantities. The main distinguishing features of the 2A36 are a long barrel (49 calibers), two wheels on the sides of the gun, which bear a load of about 10 tons, and the ability to deliver a 43 kg projectile at a range of 27,000 meters. When using an active-rocket projectile, the firing range increases to 40,000 m.
Modern trends in Russian artillery are better represented by the 152-mm 2A65 howitzer cannon, better known as the MSTA-B. This traditional sliding carriage design was developed in the mid-1980s. The firing range of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile weighing 43.5 kg is 24.700 meters. Combat weight 2A65 - about 7 tons. This is much more than the mass of the 152-mm 2A61, which weighs 4, 35 tons.
It is also worth noting the 152-mm howitzer-gun D-20, manufactured in China under the designation Type 66. The designers who created the D-20 in the late 1940s used the experience gained during the Great Patriotic War. This is why the D-20 incorporates many proven solutions to improve structural strength. Today, the D-20 is in service with many countries, from Vietnam to Algeria.
155 mm
The main transition from smaller calibers to 155 mm began in the 1970s. The desire to fire heavy projectiles at longer ranges was realized with the introduction of long 39-caliber barrels. This solution was applied in the American M198, British-French-German-Italian FH-70, French Giat 155 TR, Spanish Santa Barbara SB 155/39 (remained at the prototype stage) and Swedish Bofors FH-77B (an early model of FH-77A needed ammunition that is not compatible with NATO standards). Around the same time, the Chinese company SRC, which was then headquartered in Belgium, seriously shook up the market with the introduction of a 45-caliber barrel and ultra-long-range projectiles with an optional bottom gas generator. These innovations made it possible to significantly increase the firing range - up to 40,000 meters compared to 30,000 meters for barrels with a length of 39 calibers. The advantages of the 45-caliber barrel became apparent, prompting other firms to join the race. This led to the fact that barrels with a length of 45 calibers actually became the standard for field artillery. At the request of potential customers, further extension of the barrel to 52 calibers and the introduction of more powerful charges opened up a lot of new opportunities in terms of using this type of guns. The G5 howitzer was one of the first examples of towed artillery, equipped with a 52 caliber barrel. This gun received the designation G5-2000. When using long-range projectiles with an increased speed (a combination of active-rocket technology and the use of a bottom gas generator), a firing range of over 53,000 meters is achieved. The G5-2000 uses a digital fire and maintenance control system.
Today, the modernized old and well-deserved American 155-mm M114 howitzer is widely used. Replacing the existing 23-caliber barrel with a 39-caliber one, as well as reinforcing the gun carriage in several places, makes it possible to increase the service life of this "veteran". Much of today's modernization is done locally using appropriate kits from the manufacturer.
Ammunition of the future
Artillery science regards the howitzer as a weapon designed for shooting across areas. Nevertheless, in recent years, designers have paid attention to two important directions in the development of artillery when carrying out R&D. The first and most important thing is the correction of the trajectory of the projectile in flight. This demand was born out of sheer necessity. The use of longer barrels, more effective propellant explosives and new projectiles (active-reactive or with a bottom gas generator) led to a significant increase in the firing range. In this case, projectiles with a trajectory correction in flight have a system of air or jet brakes. They are turned on either by a radio signal (which, in turn, is sent by the trajectory control radar), or a GPS receiver installed in the projectile. The main idea is to send the projectile to a distance slightly exceeding the distance to the target, after which the projectile is slightly slowed down and its trajectory is corrected.
The second direction in the development of artillery systems was the transformation of the howitzer into an anti-tank weapon. In the West, two systems have been developed: Smart, presented by Giws, and Bonus, developed by Giat and Bofors. Both Smart and Bonus work on the same principle. The container projectile carries two intelligent sub-projectiles. At a given height above the intended target, the container opens and releases sub-projectiles. They, in turn, reveal their asymmetric aerodynamic surfaces (Smart uses a parachute, Bonus uses small metal wings), which slow down the descent and give the projectile a rotational motion. As the sub-projectile descends, its internal radar “sweeps” the ground in a tapering spiral. As soon as an object corresponding to the template laid down in its algorithm enters the radar's field of view, a warhead with a shock "core" is fired at the target with the help of an explosive charge. Both Smart and Bonus are in production and do not require any changes to the existing howitzers for use.
Thus, in the development of towed artillery guns, two main trends can be traced: the first concerns a decrease in the mass of systems, the second - an increase in the accuracy of shooting. Combat weight has a direct impact on the ability to quickly transport weapons, including over long distances. Increased firing accuracy reduces the need for ammunition. Reducing the consumption of ammunition, in turn, reduces the load on the rear support agencies and increases the efficiency of the deployment of artillery subunits when operating at a considerable distance from the main forces.
