Konstrukta's new Diana self-propelled gun is a turret with a 155/52 Zuzana 2 cannon of the same company, installed on the upgraded UPG-NG chassis of the Polish company Bumar-Labedy.
Recent developments by the United States and its allies mark the emergence of a growing number of new and upgraded 155mm self-propelled artillery systems in a market once dominated by the tracked M109
Developed by Nexter on its own initiative, the CAESAR 155-mm howitzer (CAmion Equipé d'un Système d'Artillerie is a truck-mounted artillery system) with a 52 caliber barrel in calibers, that is, in this case 155/52), installed on a truck chassis, over the past decade has been sold in significant quantities both to the French army and to foreign customers. The French army appreciated the advantages offered by the CAESAR self-propelled howitzer (SG) in the form of better tactical mobility and survivability compared to the towed 155mm TRF1 cannons, as well as better strategic mobility and lower operating costs compared to its 155mm tracked SG GCT AUF1.
CAESAR SG can be transported by C-130 Hercules or A400M transport aircraft and has a fuel range of 600 km. The howitzer in service with the French army is based on the Renault Trucks Defense Sherpa 10 6x6 chassis; a crew of six is housed in an armored cabin. The crew dismounts to work with a howitzer, which can take position and open fire and withdraw from position in less than a minute.
CAESAR was first introduced in June 1994, and in September 2000, the French Defense Procurement Authority awarded the company a contract for the first five systems for evaluation tests. In 2004, an order was issued for the manufacture of 72 howitzers, deliveries began in July 2008. French CAESAR howitzers first took part in hostilities in Afghanistan in August 2009. They were also deployed in a peacekeeping operation in Lebanon, and a CAESAR howitzers division participated in Operation Serval in Mali in 2013-2014.
Nexter was awarded a nine-year supply contract for CAESAR Army Howitzers worth $ 133 million in October 2013. The French army has a declared need for 64 more systems to replace the remaining tracked and towed 155mm cannons, although funding has not yet been allocated for this.
Customers
Saudi Arabia is the largest foreign customer, purchasing 136 CAESAR howitzers mounted on a Mercedes-Benz Unimog U2450 6x6 chassis for its National Guard. Saudi systems are equipped with Thales ATLAS fire control system, Sagem Sigma 30 inertial navigation system, muzzle velocity radar, Exelis radios and a power control unit. Saudi Arabia also bought Nexter's Bonus II armor-piercing ammunition and more than 60 new autonomous ballistic computers from Nexter.
CAESAR howitzer mounted on a Mercedes-Benz Unimog U2450 6x6 chassis
Thailand became CAESAR's first overseas customer in 2006, ordering six systems for its army; deliveries of 37 systems to Indonesia began in September 2012. The Lebanese Armed Forces will soon become the fifth operator of the CAESAR howitzer, as Saudi Arabia signed a $ 3 billion contract with France in November 2014 to supply military equipment and weapons to Lebanon, including 24 CAESAR howitzers. In early 2014, Nexter teamed up with Indian companies Larsen & Toubro and Ashok Leyland Defense to offer the Indian Army a CAESAR system mounted on Ashok Leyland Defense's Super Stallion 6x6 chassis.
The Brazilian army plans to purchase a howitzer mounted on a 155/52 self-propelled chassis as part of its strategic Guarani project, which provides for the purchase of up to 2044 VBTP-MR 6x6 amphibious armored vehicles from Iveco Latin America, as well as armored vehicles in 4x4 and 8x8 configurations. In June 2014, Nexter and Avibras announced that they had signed a cooperation agreement to develop a system based on the CAESAR howitzer mounted on the Tatra T815-7 6x6 truck chassis, which is also used as a carrier for the Avibras ASTROS II Mk 6 military MLRS. … The T815 truck series includes an 8x8 configuration.
At DSEI 2015 in London, Nexter showed off the CAESAR howitzer mounted on the Tatra T815 8x8 chassis, which has better handling and more ammunition compared to the 6x6 version. Nexter also offers a system mounted on truck chassis from Renault Trucks Defense, Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles and Sisu Trucks. The Tatra has a 410 hp diesel engine coupled to an automatic transmission, and the front four-wheel steering is hydraulically assisted.
CAESAR howitzer mounted on Tatra T815 8x8 chassis
The self-propelled howitzer shown at DSEI is equipped with a three-door cockpit, while Nexter is developing an armored five-door cockpit. The CAESAR 8x8 variant can carry 30 rounds, 12 more than the system on the 6x6 chassis. In order to increase platform stability during firing, the 8x8 variant is also equipped with a hydraulic opener at the rear of the platform. Compared to the 6x6 variant weighing 18 tons, the 8x8 variant, depending on the configuration, weighs from 28.4 to 30.2 tons. In order to increase the rate of fire and reduce crew fatigue, Nexter is developing a new semi-automatic loading system, and in the long term is considering the possibility of integrating a fully automatic loading system.
According to the strategic defense and security review of the British government, published on November 23, 2015, it is possible that new 155-mm artillery systems will be purchased for the introduction of two medium "strike" brigades, formed in accordance with the new concept of the British army. Heavy armored brigades, the number of which has been reduced from three to two, are armed with tracked SG AS90 155/39 manufactured by BAE Systems.
BAE Systems' towed 105-mm L118 cannon provides fire support for the rapid response air assault brigade, as well as the marines. The British Army previously considered the CAESAR and the M777 BAE Systems 155mm light towed howitzer as candidates for a more deployable 155mm system and will likely compete for any future demands.
New generation
The M109 tracked howitzer, which entered service with the American army in 1962, is the most common 155-mm SG, in service with the US NATO allies and not only. It remains in service with more than 30 countries, many of which have upgraded their systems from the original M109 and M109A1 standards.
The US Army after two failed attempts to replace the M109 with a new 155mm tracked system (the first XM2001 Crusader was closed in 2002; later the XM1203 Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon, a member of the Future Combat Systems family of systems, was closed in 2009) currently plans to keep the M109 howitzer in service until 2050. It will perform the tasks of the main indirect fire support system in the armored brigade combat team (ABCT). These plans will be implemented as part of the M109A7 project, formerly known as the M109A6 Paladin Integrated Management (PIM). This will be the most comprehensive upgrade of the M109, which, to the chagrin of the US military, has not yet begun. The Army has upgraded 975 old M109 howitzers to the 155/39 M109A6 Paladin configuration and plans to upgrade 580 to the new standard.
The M109A7 variant is designed to address issues related to combat readiness in the long term and the modernization of the M109 family of vehicles (including the M992 transport and loading vehicle) by creating a more reliable, tenacious and responsive fire support system from closed positions. The M109A7 variant retains the main armament - the 155/39 M284 cannon and the turret, but with a recently modified layout. In order to increase the combat stability and unification of the ABCT armored brigades, the outdated components of the chassis and suspension have also been replaced with the corresponding subsystems from the M2 / M3 Bradley BMP.
The program is being implemented as a public-private partnership between the US Army Armored Vehicle Projects Department, Anniston Army Depot and BAE Systems. In October 2013, the Army awarded the first contract for the initial production of 19 M109A7 howitzers and 18 M992A3 tracked transport and loading vehicles. The first system was delivered in April 2015. In October 2014, the Army awarded a $ 141.8 million contract for 18 kits, each consisting of an M109A7 and an M992A3. In October 2015, the Army awarded a $ 245.3 million contract to BAE Systems for 30 kits, with deliveries starting June 2018. The army intends to buy 37 kits in 2017 and increase annual purchases to 60 kits from next year.
Elbit can mount its Soltam ATMOS 155mm 39, 45 or 52 barrels on any suitable 6x6 or 8x8 heavy truck to meet customer specific requirements
Replacement needs
After the US Army, the Israeli armed forces are the largest operator of the M109 howitzers, although not all of the 600 purchased howitzers are in service. The artillery corps is looking for a replacement for part of its M109s in the form of a new 155/52 self-propelled howitzer equipped with an automatic loader, which allows to reduce the number of crews and ensure the MRSI mode (multiple round simultaneous impact - simultaneous impact of several shells; the angle of inclination of the barrel changes and all shells fired) for a certain time interval arrive at the target at the same time). With the receipt of a more powerful cannon, the Israeli army plans to reduce the size of its artillery battalions from 18 to 12 howitzers (a battalion - three batteries of four howitzers).
These purchases will be financed in part from the $ 3 billion military aid that the US government provides annually to Israel, and in this regard, at least part of the work will be carried out in the United States. BAE Systems, through the Israeli branch of BAE Systems Rokar, offers a solution based on the M109A7 SG variant. IMI teamed up with Rheinmetall to offer an upgrade to the M109 with the installation of a 155/52 barrel, which the German company supplied to the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) PzH 2000 SG.
In turn, the Israeli IAI has teamed up with KMW and Lockheed Martin in order to offer a system consisting of an AGM (Artillery Gun Module) artillery mount from KMW and a chassis from Lockheed (this chassis is equipped with a Multiple Launch Rocket System MLRS).
Elbit Systems, which bought Israeli artillery systems maker Soltam Systems in 2010, offers a “local spill” solution. Elbit Systems' Autonomous Truck MOunted howitzer System (ATMOS) 2000 is a 155mm TIG 2000 Soltam cannon in 39, 45 or 52 calibers mounted on any 6x6 or 8x8 heavy truck of your choice. While driving, the crew is housed in a cab providing basic protection in accordance with STANAG 4569 Level 1; the crew leaves the cockpit for firing. ATMOS SG was supplied to four foreign buyers; including Thailand bought 18 systems, the first deliveries of which took place at the end of 2014.
The ATMOS system was reportedly the leader in the Danish army's competition to replace the M109A3, ahead of the main contenders: the CAESAR and K9 howitzers from Samsung Techwin. Denmark wanted to buy 15 systems with options for another 9 and 21 howitzers, but the project was canceled in April 2015. The program was restarted in November and the local press speculated that Denmark might start working with Norway, which also plans to replace its M109A3 howitzers.
Both countries withdrew from the BAE Systems Archer 155/52 6x6 SG project, leaving the Swedish army, which started the program, as its sole customer. Following the delivery of four pre-production howitzers in 2013, the Swedish army received its first production system in September 2015. The installed automatic loader with a magazine for 21 shots allows the crew to fire from the Archer howitzer without leaving the armored cabin.
SG Archer by BAE Systems
Korean thunder
Samsung Techwin (acquired by the Hanwha Group in June 2015) developed the 155/52 K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer (thunder) to complement and replace the 155/39 M109A2 howitzers of the Korean army. At one time, this company was the prime contractor for the production of 1,040 M109A2 howitzers in Korea. The first XK9 prototype was manufactured in 1994, and the first production systems in 1999. The Korean army expects to have up to 1,136 K9 howitzers and 179 K10 transport and loading vehicles.
South Korean K9 howitzer with the K10 transport and loading vehicle
The calculation of this weapon system is five people; the system of automatic loading and processing of ammunition makes it possible to achieve a rate of fire of three rounds within 15 seconds. Over the next three minutes, six to eight shells are fired, and for an hour the rate of fire is maintained at two to three rounds per minute. The K9 howitzer is powered by an MTU MT 881 Ka-500 eight-cylinder diesel engine with an output of 1000 hp. and hydropneumatic suspension; the mass of the system is 46 tons, the maximum speed on the highway is 67 km / h and the range is 360 km. The K10 transport-loader is based on the K9 chassis and carries 100 rounds to replenish the 48-round howitzer.
The K9 howitzer first took part in hostilities on November 23, 2010, when six Marine Corps howitzer installations returned fire to North Korean shelling of Yeongpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea.
Howitzers for export
Samsung Techwin has received two major export contracts for the supply of its K9 self-propelled howitzers and is in talks on a third at the beginning of 2016. In 2001, the Turkish army signed a contract with Samsung to supply K9 howitzer subsystems to integrate with locally made components in Turkey, such as Aselsan's fire control system (FCS). Component shipments began in 2004 and it is estimated that more than 250 systems have been manufactured.
The supply command of the Turkish Armed Forces has developed a HARV (Howitzer Ammunition Resupply Vehicle) ammunition replenishment vehicle for the K9 howitzer, which uses suspension components from decommissioned M48 tanks in order to obtain an economically viable solution. HARV carries 96 shells and 96 charges; with the help of the Aselsan automatic ammunition processing system, it can transfer a full 48 rounds of ammunition to the K9 howitzer in 20 minutes. Production of the HARV transport and loading vehicle began in mid-2015, and the Turkish army plans to equip each battery of the four K9 SGs with one HARV system.
In October 2015, Samsung Techwin and the Indian company Larsen & Toubro were selected to fulfill the requirements of the Indian army for the tracked SG 155/52. They are awaiting a contract with an initial value of 750-800 million dollars for the supply of 100 K9 howitzers, which will be given the local name Vajra (thunderbolt). In accordance with the plan for the modernization of the field artillery of the Indian army, published in 1999, the army intends to acquire 2820 155/52 wheeled and tracked SG, as well as towed systems for artillery regiments armament. However, to the chagrin of the applicants, who submitted their systems for numerous rounds of tests over 15 years, things did not get off the ground and the contract for the K9 howitzer will become the first contract for the serial production of a howitzer with a 155/52 barrel.
The K9 howitzer was also chosen to give impetus to the Polish army's protracted Krab program. The project began back in 1999, when the Polish Ministry of Defense decided to install the AS90 Braveheart turret from BAE Systems, armed with a 155/52 L31A1 ERO cannon, on the UPG-NG tracked chassis developed by the local company Bumar Łabędy. The main contractor Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW) in May 2008 received a contract for the supply of the first battery of eight Krab howitzers.
"New" Krab howitzer on the Korean K9 chassis
Following extensive testing and evaluation of the first Krab battery in 2012-2014, which identified chassis problems, the Department of Defense awarded Samsung Techwin a $ 267 million contract in December 2014 to supply 120 K9 chassis. The first chassis was delivered in June 2015 and the second in September. On August 24, the Polish company HSW officially unveiled the "new" Krab howitzer before embarking on an extended test and evaluation program, which is scheduled for completion in mid-2016. The serial systems will be armed with a 155/52 cannon manufactured by Rheinmetall.
Samsung will supply another 22 kits and 12 partially assembled chassis, with the remaining 84 chassis being manufactured in Poland in 2018-2022, with South Korea transferring all technical documentation and technology to its howitzer. For this system, MTU will supply its MTU 881 Ka-500 engine. The Army plans to deploy 120 Krab howitzers in five battalions, each with 24 systems; the first battalion will receive its Krab SGs in 2017.
BAE Systems has begun production of the M109A7 howitzer for the US Army, which plans to upgrade 580 M109A6 systems to the latest standard
Polish wheels
The Polish army also wants to purchase 72 wheeled SGs to equip three battalions. At MSPO 2014, HSW showed off the Kryl prototype, which is a modified 155/52 ATMOS 2000 cannon from Elbit Systems mounted on a locally made Jelcz 663.32 6x6 truck chassis. Kryl weighing 23 tons can be transported in a C-130 transport aircraft, has a cruising range of 500 km and a maximum speed of 80 km / h. A crew of five is housed in an armored cabin, and dismounts to work with the system; the system can be ready to fire and removed from position in less than a minute. The Kryl howitzer has 18 rounds of ammunition and can reach a rate of fire of 6 rounds per minute. Extended testing of the newly manufactured prototype is slated to begin this year.
SG Kryl at MSPO 2014
The Slovak company Konsrukta Defense showed in 2015 two new self-propelled howitzers 155/52, which used the technology (including the cannon itself) of creating the Zuzana 2 8x8 howitzer of the same company. The Eva SG is a magazine-fed cannon mounted on the chassis of a Tatra 6x6 truck, although it can also be mounted on an 8x8 chassis. A crew of three people works with a gun while sitting in an armored cabin mounted in front of the vehicle. The automatic loading system accommodates 12 shells and 12 charges ready to fire, another 12 shells and charges are placed in the chassis. In order to increase stability when firing, there are hydraulically driven stop coulters at the rear of the machine. The Eva SG can be transported in a C-130 aircraft, has a range of 700 km and a maximum speed of 80 km / h.
Konsrukta developed the Diana self-propelled howitzer and in September 2015 showed it at the MSPO exhibition in order to compete for the requirements of the Indian army for a tracked SG. Diana is a Zuzana 2 turret mounted on an UPG-NG chassis, which was originally developed by the Polish Bumar Łabędy for the Polish Krab howitzer. Konsrukta chose a chassis that uses many of the components (including the power unit) from the Russian T-72 tank, as this may interest the Indian army, as it is armed with T-72 tanks.
The original UPG-NG chassis has been redesigned to eliminate the problems encountered during the Krab SG tests. The tower is equipped with an inertial navigation system and a radar for measuring the initial velocity of the projectile, as well as a television camera, a thermal imager, and a laser rangefinder for direct fire. The Diana howitzer turret holds 40 ready-made shells and charges, and another 40 are placed in the turret. The Diana SG has a mass of 50 tons, a cruising range of 650 km and a top speed of 60 km / h.
German metal
KMW developed its Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH 2000) howitzer in the mid-1980s in order to replace the outdated M109 systems of the German army. Deliveries of 185 PzH 2000 SGs took place in 1998-2002, and the German army became the first army to receive the 155/52 system. Orders from other countries Greece (24), Italy (70, of which 68 are local production) and the Netherlands (57) increased the number of systems produced to more than 330 units. SG PzH 2000 participated in the hostilities in Afghanistan as part of the Dutch and German contingents.
Konstrukta's new 155/52 SG Eva has a magazine-fed ammunition system and is serviced by a crew of three
The calculation of the howitzer is five people, and the high level of automation allows the PzH 2000 to fire a burst of three rounds in 9 seconds and 10 rounds in 56 seconds. This 55-ton howitzer is powered by the MTU MT881 Ka-500 diesel engine, which allows it to reach a speed of 60 km / h on the highway and has a range of 420 km. In December 2013, Raytheon and the German army completed a compatibility test with the M982 Excalibur guided artillery shell. SG PzH 2000 fired ten Excalibur shells at a range of 9-48 km with an average circular deviation of three meters.
In July 2015, Croatia received the first PzH 2000 howitzer out of 12 purchased from the presence of the German army in December 2014 for $ 13.1 million. In September 2015, Lithuania bought 21 systems also from German stock. 16 howitzers will be used in day-to-day operation, one for shooting training, one for driving training and three for spare parts. These weapons systems will be delivered in 2016-2019.
German self-propelled howitzer PzH 2000
Production of the PzH 2000 howitzer was resumed after receiving an order from Qatar in 2013 for new installations. SG demonstrated its ability to fire a 155-mm M2005A1 Assegai projectile of the VLAP type (Velocity-enhanced Long-range Artillery Projectile) manufactured by Rheinmetall Denel Munition at a range of 56 km. Qatar funded the qualification tests of the VLAP and the Rheinmetall Nitrochemie DM92 charging module for firing the PzH 2000 howitzer. The "freshly delivered" PzH 2000 SGs were shown for the first time on December 18, 2015 at the Qatar National Day parade.
AGM module installed on Boxer 8x8 multipurpose armored vehicle
KMW developed the AGM artillery module on its own initiative in order to obtain a lighter system with the same firepower as the PzH 2000 howitzer. operational bases. The AGM weighs 12 tons and houses 30 155 mm rounds and charges. At Eurosatory 2014, KMW showed the AGM module installed on the ARTEC Boxer 8x8 multipurpose armored vehicle. The AGM module is also offered on a new tracked chassis developed by General Dynamics European Land Systems-Santa Barbara Sistemas; this system was designated Donar. The weapon system can be carried in an A400M transport aircraft. KMW believes AGM and Donar will appeal to buyers looking for replacements for their M109 howitzers.
