Artillery is not in vain called the "god of war." It has long been one of the main and most important strike forces of the ground forces. Despite the rapid development of military aviation and missile weapons, modern gunners still have a lot of work to do, and this situation is unlikely to change in the near future.
It is believed that Europe got acquainted with gunpowder in the XIV century, which led to a real revolution in military affairs. Fire-breathing bombards were first used to destroy enemy fortresses and other fortifications, and it took several centuries for the guns to be able to move along with the army and participate in land battles.
For centuries, the best minds of mankind have been improving artillery pieces. In this article we will talk about the largest and most famous artillery pieces in the history of mankind. Not all of them turned out to be successful or even useful, but this did not prevent the giants from arousing universal admiration and admiration. So, what is the largest cannon in the world?
Top 10 largest artillery pieces in the history of mankind.
10. Self-propelled mortar "Karl" (Gerät 040)
This is a German self-propelled gun from the period of World War II. "Karl" had a caliber of 600 mm and weighed 126 tons. In total, seven copies of this system were built, which would be more correctly called a self-propelled mortar. The Germans built them to destroy enemy fortresses and other fortified positions. Initially, these guns were developed to storm the French Maginot Line, but due to the transience of the campaign, they were never used. The debut of these mortars took place on the Eastern Front, where the Nazis used them during the assault on the Brest Fortress, and then during the siege of Sevastopol. At the end of the war, one of the mortars was captured by the Red Army, and today anyone can see this self-propelled gun in the armored museum in Kubinka near Moscow.
9. "Mad Greta" (Dulle Griet)
In ninth place in our ranking is a medieval tool made in the 14th century on the territory of modern Belgium. “Mad Greta” is one of the few large-caliber medieval forged guns that have survived to this day. The cannon fired stone cannonballs, its barrel consists of 32 forged steel strips fastened with numerous hoops. The dimensions of the Greta are really impressive: its barrel length is 5 meters, its weight is 16 tons, and its caliber is 660 mm.
8. Howitzer "Saint-Chamon"
The eighth place in the ranking is occupied by a French 400 mm gun, created in 1884. This cannon was so large that it had to be mounted on a railway platform. The total weight of the structure was 137 tons, the gun could send shells weighing 641 kg to a distance of 17 km. True, in order to equip a position for Saint-Chamond, the French were forced to lay railroad tracks.
7. Faule Mette ("Lazy Mette")
In seventh place in our rating is another famous medieval large-caliber gun that fired with stone cannonballs. Unfortunately, none of these guns has survived to this day, so the characteristics of the gun can only be restored from the descriptions of its contemporaries. "Lazy Metta" was made in the German city of Braunschweig at the beginning of the 15th century. Its creator is the master Henning Bussenshutte. The cannon had impressive dimensions: weight about 8.7 tons, caliber from 67 to 80 cm, the mass of one stone core reached 430 kg. For each shot in the cannon, it was necessary to lay about 30 kg of gunpowder.
6. "Big Bertha" (Dicke Bertha)
The famous German large-caliber gun of the First World War. The gun was developed at the beginning of the last century and manufactured at the Krupp factories in 1914. "Big Bertha" had a caliber of 420 mm, its projectile weighed 900 kg, the firing range was 14 km. The gun was intended to destroy especially strong enemy fortifications. The gun was made in two versions: semi-stationary and mobile. The weight of the mobile modification was 42 tons; the Germans used steam tractors to transport it. During the explosion, the projectile formed a funnel with a diameter of more than ten meters, the rate of fire of the gun was one shot in eight minutes.
5. Mortar "Oka"
The fifth place in our rating is occupied by the Soviet self-propelled large-caliber mortar "Oka", developed in the mid-50s. At that time, the USSR already possessed a nuclear bomb, but had difficulties with the means of its delivery. Therefore, Soviet strategists decided to create a mortar capable of firing nuclear charges. Its caliber was 420 mm, the total weight of the vehicle was 55 tons, and the firing range could reach 50 km. The Oka mortar had such a monstrous return that its production was abandoned. In total, four self-propelled mortars were manufactured.
4. Little David
This is an American experimental mortar from World War II. It is the largest gun (in caliber) of modern artillery.
"Little David" was intended to destroy especially powerful enemy fortifications and was developed for the Pacific theater of operations. But in the end, this gun never left the range. The barrel was installed in a special metal box dug into the ground. "David" fired special cone-shaped shells, the weight of which reached 1678 kg. After their explosion, a funnel with diameters of 12 meters and a depth of 4 meters remained.
The dimensions of the gun are impressive: the length of the gun is 5.34 meters, the caliber is 890 mm, and the total weight is almost 40 tons. This weapon really deserves the respectful prefix "king".
The "Tsar Cannon" is decorated with intricate patterns, several inscriptions are engraved on it. Experts are confident that the gun was fired at least once, but historical evidence for this has not been found. Today, the Tsar Cannon is listed in the Guinness Book of Records; it is one of the main Moscow attractions.
The second place in our rating is occupied by a super-heavy German gun from the period of the Second World War. This gun was created by Krupp engineers in the mid-30s. She had a caliber of 807 mm, was installed on a railway platform and could shoot at 48 km. In total, the Germans managed to make two "Dora", one of them was used during the siege of Sevastopol, and possibly during the suppression of the uprising in Warsaw. The total weight of one gun was 1350 tons. The gun could make one shot in 30-40 minutes. It should be noted that the combat effectiveness of this monster raises doubts among many experts and military historians.
1. "Basilica" or Ottoman cannon
In the first place of our rating is another historical tool of the Middle Ages. It was made in the middle of the 15th century by the Hungarian craftsman Urban, specially commissioned by Sultan Mehmed II. This artillery piece had colossal dimensions: its length was approximately 12 meters, its diameter was 75-90 cm, and its total weight was about 32 tons. The bombard was cast in bronze; 30 bulls were needed to move it. In addition, the “calculation” of the gun included another 50 carpenters, whose task was to make a special platform, as well as up to 200 workers who moved the gun. The firing range of the Basilica was 2 km.
However, the Ottoman cannon did not come to the first place in our rating because of its size. Only thanks to this weapon, the Ottomans managed to destroy the strong walls of Constantinople and capture the city. Until that moment, the walls of Constantinople were considered impregnable, the Turks unsuccessfully tried to capture it for several centuries. The fall of Constantinople marked the beginning Ottoman Empire and became the most important moment in the history of Turkish statehood.
"Basilica" did not serve its owners for long. The very next day after the start of its use, the first cracks appeared on the trunk, and after a few weeks it fell into complete disrepair.
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For hundreds of years, artillery has been an important component of the Russian army. However, she reached her power and prosperity during the Second World War - it was not by chance that she was called the "god of war." An analysis of a long-term military campaign made it possible to determine the most promising areas of this kind of troops for decades to come. As a result, modern Russian artillery today has the necessary power both for effective combat operations in local conflicts and for repelling massive aggression.
legacy of the past
New samples of Russian weapons "lead a pedigree" from the 60s of the XX century, when the Soviet army leadership set a course for high-quality rearmament. Dozens of leading design bureaus, where outstanding engineers and designers worked, laid the theoretical and technical foundation for the creation of the latest weapons.
The experience of previous wars and the analysis of the potential of foreign armies have clearly shown that it is necessary to rely on mobile self-propelled artillery and mortar installations. Thanks to decisions made half a century ago, Russian artillery acquired a solid fleet of caterpillar and wheeled missile and artillery weapons, the basis of which is the “flower collection”: from the nimble 122-mm Gvozdika howitzer to the formidable 240-mm Tulip.
Barrel field artillery
The barrel artillery of Russia has a huge number of guns. They are in service with artillery units, units and formations of the Ground Forces and represent the basis of the firepower of the Marine Corps and Internal Troops. Barrel artillery combines high firepower, accuracy and accuracy of fire with simplicity of design and use, mobility, increased reliability, flexibility of fire, and is also economical.
Many samples of towed guns were designed taking into account the experience of the Second World War. In the Russian army, they are gradually being replaced by self-propelled artillery guns developed in 1971-1975, optimized for performing fire missions even in a nuclear conflict. The towed guns are supposed to be used in fortified areas and in secondary theaters of military operations.
Armaments
At present, the barrel artillery of Russia has the following types of self-propelled guns:
- Floating howitzer 2S1 "Carnation" (122-mm).
- Howitzer 2SZ "Acacia" (152 mm).
- Howitzer 2S19 "Msta-S" (152 mm).
- Gun 2S5 "Hyacinth" (152 mm).
- Gun 2S7 "Peony" (203 mm).
A self-propelled howitzer with unique characteristics and the ability to fire in the “flurry of fire” mode 2S35 “Coalition-SV” (152 mm) is undergoing active tests.
The 120-mm self-propelled guns 2S23 "Nona-SVK", 2S9 "Nona-S", 2S31 "Vena" and their towed analogue 2B16 "Nona-K" are intended for fire support of combined arms units. A feature of these guns is that they can serve as mortars, mortars, howitzers or anti-tank guns.
anti-tank artillery
Along with the creation of highly effective anti-tank missile systems, considerable attention is paid to the development of anti-tank artillery guns. Their advantages over anti-tank missiles lie primarily in their relative cheapness, simplicity of design and use, and the ability to fire around the clock in any weather.
anti-tank artillery Russia is coming along the way of increasing power and increasing the caliber, improving ammunition and sighting devices. The pinnacle of this development was the MT-12 (2A29) Rapira 100-mm anti-tank smoothbore gun with increased muzzle velocity and effective firing range up to 1500 m. 660 mm.
The towed PT 2A45M Sprut-B, which is in service with the Russian Federation, also has even greater armor penetration. Behind dynamic protection, it is capable of hitting armor up to 770 mm thick. Russian self-propelled artillery in this segment is represented by the 2S25 Sprut-SD self-propelled gun, which has recently been put into service with paratroopers.
mortars
Modern Russian artillery is unthinkable without mortars for various purposes and calibers. Russian samples of this class of weapons are an exceptionally effective means of suppression, destruction and fire support. The troops have the following samples of mortar weapons:
- Automatic 2B9M "Cornflower" (82 mm).
- 2B14-1 "Tray" (82 mm).
- Mortar complex 2S12 "Sani" (120-mm).
- Self-propelled 2S4 "Tulip" (240 mm).
- M-160 (160 mm) and M-240 (240 mm).
Characteristics and features
If the mortars "Tray" and "Sled" repeat the designs of models of the Great Patriotic War, then the "Cornflower" is a fundamentally new system. It is equipped with automatic reloading mechanisms, which allows firing with an excellent rate of fire of 100-120 rds / min (compared to 24 rds / min for the Tray mortar).
Russian artillery can rightly be proud of the self-propelled mortar "Tulip", which is also an original system. In the stowed position, its 240-mm barrel is mounted on the roof of an armored tracked chassis, in combat it rests on a special plate resting on the ground. In this case, all operations are carried out using a hydraulic system.
Coastal troops in the Russian Federation as a branch of independent forces of the Navy was formed in 1989. The basis of its firepower is made up of mobile missile and artillery systems:
- "Redoubt" (missile).
- 4K51 "Frontier" (missile).
- 3K55 "Bastion" (missile).
- 3K60 "Ball" (missile).
- A-222 "Coast" (artillery 130-mm).
These complexes are truly unique and pose a real threat to any enemy fleet. The newest Bastion has been on combat duty since 2010, equipped with Onyx/Yakhont hypersonic missiles. During the Crimean events, several "Bastions", defiantly placed on the peninsula, thwarted plans for a "show of force" by the NATO fleet.
The latest Russian coastal defense artillery A-222 "Bereg" effectively works on small-sized high-speed vessels moving at a speed of 100 knots (180 km / h), and medium surface ships (within 23 km from the complex), and ground targets.
Heavy artillery is always ready to support powerful complexes as part of the Coastal Forces: self-propelled guns "Hyacinth-S", gun-howitzer "Hyacinth-B", gun-howitzer "Msta-B", howitzers D-20 and D-30, MLRS.
Multiple launch rocket systems
Since the Second World War, Russian rocket artillery, as the successor to the USSR, has had a powerful group of MLRS. In the 1950s, a 122-mm 40-barrel system BM-21 "Grad" was created. The ground forces of the Russian Federation have 4,500 such systems.
BM-21 "Grad" became the prototype of the "Grad-1" system, created in 1975 to equip tank and motorized rifle regiments, as well as a more powerful 220-mm Uragan system for artillery units of the army level. This line of development was continued by the Smerch long-range system with 300-mm projectiles and the new Prima divisional-level MLRS with an increased number of guides and increased power rockets with a detachable warhead.
Procurement of a new MLRS "Tornado" is underway - a bicaliber system mounted on the MAZ-543M chassis. In the Tornado-G variant, it fires 122-mm rockets from the Grad MLRS, three times as effective as the latter. In the Tornado-S variant, designed for firing 300-mm rockets, it is 3-4 times superior to the Smerch in terms of combat effectiveness. "Tornado" strikes targets with a volley and single high-precision rockets.
Flak
Russian anti-aircraft artillery is represented by the following self-propelled small-caliber systems:
- Quadruple self-propelled installation "Shilka" (23 mm).
- Self-propelled twin installation "Tunguska" (30 mm).
- Self-propelled twin installation "Pantsir" (30 mm).
- Towed twin installation ZU-23 (2A13) (23 mm).
Self-propelled units are equipped with a radio instrumentation system that provides target acquisition and auto-tracking, generation of data for aiming. Automatic aiming of guns is carried out with the help of hydraulic drives. Shilka is exclusively an artillery system, while Tunguska and Pantsir are also armed with anti-aircraft missiles.
In the second half of the century before last, attempts by gunsmiths-gunners to increase the range of guns ran into a limitation created by the fast-burning black powders used at that moment. A powerful propellant charge created a gigantic pressure during detonation, but as the projectile moved along the bore, the pressure of the powder gases quickly dropped.
This factor influenced the design of the guns of that time: the breech parts of the guns had to be made with very thick walls that could withstand enormous pressure, while the barrel length remained relatively small, since there was no practical value in increasing the barrel length. The record holder guns of that time had an initial projectile speed of 500 meters per second, and ordinary specimens were even less.
The first attempts to increase the range of the gun due to multi-chamber
In 1878, the French engineer Louis-Guillaume Perreaux proposed the idea of using several additional charges. explosive located in separate chambers placed outside the breech of the gun. According to his idea, the undermining of gunpowder in additional chambers should have occurred as the projectile moved along the bore, thereby ensuring a constant pressure created by powder gases.
In theory gun with additional chambers it was supposed to surpass the classic artillery guns of that time both literally and figuratively, but this is only in theory. In 1879, (according to other sources in 1883), a year after the innovation proposed by Perrault, two American engineers James Richard Haskell and Azel S. Lyman embody Perrault's multi-chamber gun in metal.
The brainchild of the Americans, in addition to the main chamber, in which 60 kilograms of explosives were laid, had 4 additional ones with a load of 12.7 kilograms each. Haskell and Lyman counted on the fact that the explosion of gunpowder in additional chambers would occur from the flame of the main charge as the projectile moved along the barrel and opened fire access to them.
However, in practice, everything turned out differently than on paper: the detonation of charges in additional chambers occurred prematurely, contrary to the expectations of the designers, and in fact the projectile was not accelerated by the energy of additional charges, as expected, but was slowed down.
A projectile fired from a five-chamber cannon of the Americans showed a modest 335 meters per second, which meant a complete failure of the project. The failure in the field of using multi-chamber to increase the range of artillery guns made weapons engineers forget about the idea of additional charges before the Second World War.
Multi-chamber artillery pieces of World War II
During World War II, the idea of using multi-chamber artillery guns to increase the firing range actively developed by Nazi Germany. Under the command of engineer August Könders, in 1944, the Germans begin to implement the V-3 project, code-named (HDP) "High Pressure Pump".
Monstrous in its scope, a gun 124 meters long, 150 mm in caliber and weighing 76 tons was supposed to participate in the shelling of London. The estimated range of its arrow-shaped projectile was more than 150 kilometers; the projectile itself, 3250 mm long and weighing 140 kilograms, carried 25 kg of explosive. The barrel of the HDP gun consisted of 32 sections 4.48 meters long, each section (except for the breech from where the projectile was loaded) had two additional charging chambers located at an angle to the bore.
The weapon was nicknamed "Centipede" due to the fact that additional charging chambers gave the weapon a resemblance to an insect. In addition to range, the Nazis relied on rate of fire, since the estimated reload time of the Centipede was only a minute: it’s scary to imagine what would have been left of London if Hitler’s plans had come true.
Due to the fact that the implementation of the V-3 project involved the implementation of a huge amount of construction work and the involvement of a large number of workers - the Allied forces learned about the active preparation of positions for the placement of five HDP-type guns and on July 6, 1944, the forces of the British Air Force bomber squadron bombed the building under construction in stone galleries long-range battery.
After the fiasco with the V-3 project, the Nazis developed a simplified version of the gun under the code designation LRK 15F58, which, by the way, managed to take part in the shelling of Luxembourg by the Germans from a distance of 42.5 kilometers. The LRK 15F58 gun was also 150 mm caliber and had 24 additional charging chambers with a barrel length of 50 meters. After the defeat of Nazi Germany, one of the surviving guns was taken to the United States for study.
Ideas for using multi-chamber guns to launch satellites
Perhaps inspired by the successes of Nazi Germany and having a working sample in hand, the United States, together with Canada, began work on the High Altitude Research Project HARP in 1961, the purpose of which was to study the ballistic properties of objects launched into the upper atmosphere. A little later, the military became interested in the project, who hoped with the help multi-chamber light gas guns and probes.
In just six years of the project's existence, more than a dozen guns of various calibers were built and tested. The largest of them is a gun located in Barbados, which had a caliber of 406 mm with a barrel length of 40 meters. The gun fired 180-kilogram shells to a height of about 180 kilometers, while the initial velocity of the projectile reached 3600 meters per second.
But even such an impressive speed, of course, was not enough to put the projectile into orbit. The project manager, Canadian engineer Gerald Vincent Bull, developed the Marlet rocket projectile to achieve the desired results, but he was not destined to fly and the HARP project ceased to exist in 1967.
The closure of the HARP project was of course a blow to the ambitious Canadian designer Gerald Bull, because he was perhaps a few steps away from success. For several years, Bull unsuccessfully searched for a sponsor for a grandiose project. In the end, Saddam Hussein became interested in the talent of an artillery engineer. He offers Bull financial patronage in exchange for the post of project manager for the creation of a super weapon in the framework of the Babylon project.
From the scarce data available in the public domain, four different guns are known, of which at least one used a slightly modified multi-chamber principle. To achieve a constant gas pressure in the barrel, in addition to the main charge, there was an additional one fixed directly on the projectile and moving along with it.
Based on the results of testing a 350 mm caliber gun, it was assumed that a two-ton projectile fired from a similar 1000 mm caliber gun could launch small (up to 200 kilograms) satellites into orbit, while the launch cost was estimated at about $ 600 per kilogram, which is an order of magnitude cheaper than a launch vehicle.
As you can see, someone did not like such close cooperation between the ruler of Iraq and a talented engineer, and as a result, Bull was killed in 1990 in Brussels after working on the super-weapon project for only two years.
The development of foreign cannon artillery since the 60s was characterized by two features. On the one hand, the United States and its European allies in the NATO bloc - Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and, to a lesser extent, Spain and France, acted as the main center for the development and production of artillery systems. The most widely used 155-mm towed howitzers (BG) M114, M198 (USA), FH-70 (jointly developed by Great Britain, Germany and Italy), self-propelled howitzers (SG) of the M109 series (USA), MkF3 and GCT (France). The vast majority of these samples, especially systems such as M114, M109, M109A1 and MkF 3, became obsolete by the beginning of the 80s, which necessitated their comprehensive modernization.
The most modern of the existing cannon artillery systems have ballistic characteristics that meet the requirements of the agreement signed by NATO countries on the unified ballistics of 155-mm artillery guns (barrel length 39 klb, volume of the charging chamber 18 liters, etc.). The maximum firing range of such systems with conventional projectiles is about 24 km and with active-rocket projectiles (ARS) - up to 30 km. However, experts believe that these characteristics do not meet modern requirements. In the early 90s, it was decided to switch to a new system of ballistic characteristics (barrel length 52 klb, volume of the charging chamber 23 liters, etc.), which would increase the firing range and, accordingly, the depth of destruction of the enemy by cannon artillery fire.
On the other hand, already in the mid-70s, the ground forces of some non-NATO countries were armed with fairly simple and reliable artillery systems, which, in a number of characteristics, and especially ballistic ones, surpassed the existing American and Western European models at that time. . Their characteristic feature was the use of barrels with a length of 45 klb or more, which, depending on the type of projectile, ensured the ability to fire at a maximum range of 30-40 km.
To a large extent, this technical leap was initiated by the talented designer J. Bull and his colleagues in the Canadian company Space Research Corporation headed by him. To one degree or another, their developments were used by almost all major manufacturers of artillery weapons. Some of the most successful designs designed by J. Bull and their later counterparts are today considered one of the best artillery pieces in the world.
This process began in the 60s, when the Institute for Space Research, led by J. Bull, began work on the HARP program ( research project Upper Atmosphere Research Institute), which was funded by the governments of the United States and Canada. It was supposed to develop a cannon-type throwing device with the aim of launching small satellites into near-Earth orbit. In particular, three experimental samples of the "supergun" were created, for which barrels from 406 mm caliber guns taken from American battleships during the Second World War were used. The largest gun had a barrel about 50 m long, which ensured the delivery of a projectile weighing up to 2 tons to a height of 180 km.
However, the rapid development of rocket technology weakened the interest of the military circles of the United States and Canada in guns of this type, and since 1967, funding for the program has ceased. After that, J. Bull organized the Space Research Corporation already mentioned above, which, among others, also solved problems related to the development of cannon artillery. In the late 60s and early 70s, she began work on the creation of a new artillery system with an increased firing range and ammunition for it.
With the exception of the large volume of the charging chamber, deeper rifling of increased steepness and an elongated barrel, the rest of the design of the projected gun was traditional. The developed projectile had no analogues.
It was assumed that the projectile of improved aerodynamic shape would have an initial speed of 800 m / s or more, and a length of 6 klb. There is practically no cylindrical part in it, instead of a centering thickening, centering protrusions are made, the shape of the leading belt has been changed, which has increased strength. According to experts, such design improvements make it possible to reduce air resistance and, consequently, increase the firing range by 12-15 percent. To reduce bottom suction, bottom recesses can be used, which provides an increase in the firing range by another 5-8 percent. (projectile ERFB). The use of a bottom gas generator makes it possible to practically eliminate bottom suction and increase the firing range by about 15 percent. (projectile ERFB-BB). In the optimal variant, the total gain in increasing the firing range is 25-30 percent, but for this it is necessary to increase the barrel length to at least 45 klb. Otherwise, it is not possible to obtain a significant increment in the initial velocity of the projectile.
The main disadvantages of such projectiles include a decrease in barrel survivability and certain restrictions on the type of ammunition used due to an increase in overloads in the bore. Currently, high-explosive fragmentation and cluster shells of improved aerodynamic shape are used.
Initially, all work was carried out in Canada. However, in the early 80s, due to serious problems associated mainly with the violation of the embargo on the supply of military products from South Africa, the corporation announced its self-dissolution, but in 1982 it was restored in Belgium. Around the same period, a series of active consultations began with the main manufacturers of artillery products, as a result of which the corporation's branches appeared in South Africa, Switzerland, Spain, Chile and some other countries. As for the new gun, two samples of towed howitzers were assembled in Canada, components for the rest were supplied to the enterprises of the Austrian corporation NORICUM, where they were finally assembled. The towed 155-mm howitzer cannon, named GC-45, had a 45 klb barrel, providing a maximum firing range of ERFB-BB projectiles up to 39 km.
Despite the fact that the created 155-mm towed howitzer gun (BPG) was a fairly successful system, experts from a number of countries believed that some improvements would be required for large-scale production. The sample presented by the corporation did not meet all European standards for towed artillery systems and was not perfect in terms of ergonomic requirements. In total, only 12 GC-45 BPGs were produced, after which it was decided to consider it as the base model when creating new 155-mm guns with an increased firing range. The practical experience of the corporation was later used by specialists from Austria, South Africa, Spain, China and some other countries.
In this article, the reader is offered both existing artillery systems with an increased barrel length (45 klb and more), and those that in the near future (two or three years) may appear in the armament of the ground forces of various states under certain conditions.
Austria. The 155 mm GH N-45 towed gun-howitzer was produced by the Austrian company West-Alpin AG (later NORICUM) from 1979 to 1990. At different times, such countries as Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Thailand acted as customers of these products. The last deliveries were made in 1990 to Saudi Arabia. The Brazilian company ENGESA bought a license for the production of GH N-45 in the early 90s, so in the future it is possible that this system will appear in the ground forces of Brazil and some other countries. The BPG received a fairly high rating when used in the Iran-Iraq war and in the fighting of the Iraqi armed forces in the Persian Gulf. It is a significantly improved version of the 155 mm GC-45 artillery system. In particular, the lower machine was reconstructed (strength increased and weight reduced), additional base plates were added, a new rammer and a lightweight balancing mechanism were used, the dimensions were somewhat changed.
The barrel of the gun is made of high-strength steel obtained by electroslag cleaning, autofretted (autofrettage is a process of strengthening the inner walls of the barrel by creating residual stresses), has a length of 45 klb. It is possible to fire all standard NATO ammunition. The maximum firing range of ERFB-BB projectiles reaches 39.6 km. Barrel survivability 1500 shots on full charges. The median deviations of dispersion when firing at the maximum range are 0.35 percent. in range and 0.007 in direction.
The piston gun breech is equipped with semi-automatics, which allows firing at a rate of fire of 6-7 rounds per minute for 15 minutes at all elevation angles. According to the developers, when firing at the maximum range with the maximum rate of fire, it is possible to fire about ten shots before the first projectile reaches the target. Normal rate of fire 2 rds / min.
The maximum towing speed of the GHN-45 howitzer gun is about 90 km/h on asphalt roads, 50 km/h on dirt roads and 15 km/h on sand. For towing, a 10-ton vehicle with a 6x6 wheel arrangement is used.
In addition to the traditional towed version, Austrian specialists have developed a sample equipped with an auxiliary power unit with wheel drive. R as it is a four-cylinder Porsche engine with a power of 125 hp, mounted in front of the lower machine. The design of the gun provides for the possibility of using the power plant for the operation of vertical and horizontal aiming mechanisms, lowering the main and auxiliary base plates, as well as a mechanism for supplying ammunition to the charging tray. Motion control can be carried out both from a special remote control placed directly on the sample, and from the cab of a towing vehicle. When overcoming difficult terrain, in addition to the undercarriage of the vehicle, the undercarriage of the howitzer gun, powered by its own power plant, can be used.
Thanks to the presence of an auxiliary engine, the time for transferring the gun from traveling to combat position and back was significantly reduced, the procedure for this operation itself was simplified (if necessary, two crew numbers can be dispensed with), it also became possible to quickly change firing positions on its own. The maximum speed of movement is 35 km / h, the cruising range for fuel is 150 km in terms of movement on asphalt roads and 100 km - on rough terrain.
Israel. The Israeli company "Soltam", using the 155-mm towed gun-howitzer of its own design as the base model, in the early 80s introduced a new 155-mm artillery towed howitzer mod. Main Feature systems in comparison with the samples previously developed by the Israeli company Soltam is the use of an autofretted monoblock barrel 45 klb long with an ejector device, which allows firing projectiles of improved aerodynamic shape at a maximum range of up to 39.6 km.
When creating the sample, the carriage of the previously developed M-71 towed howitzer was used, some changes were made to the design of which made it possible to install an 80 hp diesel engine on the left frame. With. air-cooled, providing autonomous movement of the sample at distances up to 70 km at a speed of 8-17 km/h. The four main wheels are hydraulically steerable. In addition, the auxiliary power unit is used to remove the implement from the wheels and install it on the support platform, connect the beds to the tractor, spread the beds, raise the coulters, control the lifting crane and feed the projectiles.
Although under normal conditions all these operations are performed by the auxiliary power unit, if necessary, the drive can be carried out by a separate hydraulic electric pump, which is powered by two 12-volt batteries, recharged by the auxiliary power unit. In emergency situations, a manual hydraulic pump can be used to control these operations.
Otherwise, the design of the sample is largely traditional for systems of this class. At the beginning of 1994, BG mod.845R was in mass production.
In the early 1990s, the Soltam company introduced two new self-propelled 155 mm cannon artillery systems, which use a 45 klb barrel, which provides a maximum firing range of up to 39.6 km.
Self-propelled howitzer "Raskel" (Fig. 1), according to a number of foreign experts, was developed with the aim of exporting to countries in which the use of fairly heavy and bulky 155-mm artillery systems for a number of reasons (geographical conditions, lack of a well-developed road network and etc.) is not possible.
When creating the sample, it was decided to dispense with the turret or casemate installation of the main armament and return to the design variant of the American M107 and M110 self-propelled systems. At the same time, the overall level of security decreased, but in the end the howitzer turned out to be the lightest (20 tons) and the smallest of the existing 155-mm self-propelled systems.
The second sample of the howitzer - "Slammer" (Fig. 2) - was developed on the basis of a modified chassis of the main tank "Merkava" (Israel) with the installation of an artillery unit in a fully armored turret. The barrel and recoil devices are identical to those used in the mod.845R towed howitzer. Wedge-type shutter, with semi-automatic (the possibility of automatic feeding of ignition tubes is provided).
Due to the presence of an automatic loader for shells (the charge is supplied manually), the maximum rate of fire is 9 rds / min (the first three shots - in 15 s). To perform all operations, only two crew members are required, all systems have manual duplication, providing a rate of fire of 4 rds / min with three crew members. Ammunition capacity is 75 rounds (all types of 155 mm shells can be used). "Slammer" is equipped with a complex of electronic data processing equipment for controlling the loading process and performing navigational tasks, and protection against weapons of mass destruction is provided. According to the developers, if necessary, a 45-klb barrel can be replaced with a 52-klb barrel.
The final decision on the start of mass production depends on which howitzer (Slammer or the modernized version of the American M109) will be preferred, but in any case, there is a significant superiority of the first sample.
Saltam specialists propose to use the artillery part of the system, the automatic loader for the modernization of obsolete SG M44, M109A2 and A3 of American design.
Iraq. The industry created two self-propelled artillery systems with increased ballistics: the 155-mm self-propelled gun "Mainun" (Fig. 3) and the 210-mm self-propelled gun "El Fao". A feature of both systems is the use of a wheeled chassis (6 x 6) as a running gear. At the time of the creation of the sample, this was the third case of abandoning the tracked base for artillery systems of this class (the first two were the Czechoslovak 152-mm Dana SG and the South African 155-mm G-6 LNG). The 210-mm self-propelled gun is the only gun of this caliber in the world (Russian artillery systems are not considered), the development of which was dictated by the need to create an artillery system that is significantly superior in firepower to the 175-mm SP M107, which is in service with the Iranian ground forces. For the first time, both samples were shown at an exhibition of weapons in Baghdad in May 1989.
Some foreign experts claim that, in addition to the Space Research Corporation, Spanish specialists who worked on the assembly of the undercarriage and French designers took part in the creation of new systems, whose responsibility included a range of issues related to the problems of production of the guns themselves.
According to Western observers, Iraq did not use these artillery pieces during the military crisis in the Persian Gulf. While there is no information about the mass production of new systems. Some foreign experts believe that all further work in this area is frozen.
Both samples have identical chassis, the driver's seat is moved far forward, the propulsion system is located behind him (a Mercedes-Benz diesel engine with a power of 560 hp is used). Such a layout scheme provides a fairly wide field of view when controlling self-propelled guns. The driver's compartment is isolated from the combat one, where the main crew is located.
The turret is mounted at the rear of the hull, two access hatches are located on the left and right, one large hatch for loading ammunition is located in the rear of the turret. For the emergency exit of the crew, two small hatches are provided in the lower part of the hull. The self-propelled howitzer uses tires of type 21.00 XR25, there is also equipment for automatically maintaining the necessary pressure in them. Additional stabilization of samples with base plates or auxiliary coulters, according to the developers, is not needed.
Both howitzers differ from each other mainly in the artillery unit. The Mainun system has a 155 mm barrel with a length of 52 klb, equipped with an ejector device and a transverse slotted muzzle brake, while the main armament of the El Fao system uses a 210 mm gun with a barrel length of 53 klb, also equipped with an ejector device and a two-chamber single-row window muzzle brake. In both cases, the sight for direct fire is located to the left of the gun.
Both samples were designed to fire ERFB and ERFB-BB projectiles (155 mm caliber), which have been used in the Iraqi ground forces for a long period as the basis of the ammunition load for the GH N-45 and G-5 towed howitzer guns. The performance characteristics of the howitzers "Mainun" and "El Fao" are given in the table.
Comparative characteristics of howitzers "Mainun" and "El Fao"
| Characteristics | "Mainun" | "El Fao" |
| Wheel formula | 6x6 | 6x6 |
| Combat weight, kg | 43000 | 48000 |
| Dimensions, m: total length width height | 12 3,5 3,6 | 15 3,6 3,6 |
| Travel speed, km/h: maximum over rough terrain | 90 60-70 | 90 60-70 |
| Barrel length, m | 8,06 | 11,13 |
| Number of grooves | 48 | 64 |
| Pointing angles, degrees: in the horizontal plane in the vertical plane | 0-72 80 | 0-55 80 |
| Maximum rate of fire, rds / min | 4 | 4 |
| Caliber of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile, mm | 155 | 210 |
| Initial speed, m/s | 889-900 | 992-997 |
| Firing range, km | 30,2-38,8 | 45-57,3 |
The most interesting page in the activities of the Space Research Corporation is the history of the unfinished project "Big Babylon" - the creation of a supergun, with which it was originally supposed to shell the territory of Iran, and then Israeli cities. The author of the project was J. Bull. The length of the gun should be 160 m, and the caliber should be about 350 mm. Thus, after almost 30 years, J. Bull tried to complete the work begun in the early 60s as part of the HARP project. According to foreign experts, the main problems of creating a superweapon have been resolved. One could only argue about its expediency, but the ultimate feasibility of the project was beyond doubt. During the Persian Gulf War, the anti-Iraqi coalition forces discovered an unfinished model of a supergun 200 km from Baghdad. Apparently, Iraq did not have enough time or money to complete the work.
Spain. In 1985, the Spanish company SITEXA, with the active participation of the Space Research Corporation, began developing its own 155-mm artillery system with a barrel length of 45 klb. Firms from Austria, China, France and Yugoslavia were also involved in the research to a greater or lesser extent. A sample was developed, which received the name 155-mm towed gun-howitzer 155/45 ST (Fig. 4), which was supposed to be used either in the classic towed version or with an auxiliary power unit.
This system is seen as a much improved modification of the 155mm BPG GC-45. When creating a sample, the developers proceeded from the requirement of implementation the latest technologies in the design of the system, which at the same time should be as simple as possible. Compared to its analogue (GC-45), the number of components has been reduced by 30 percent.
The technological process of barrel production was significantly improved, autofrettage was carried out mechanically, uncharacteristic for Western-designed artillery systems. In addition, it was decided to abandon the traditional rifling of constant steepness and use the Soviet practice of progressive rifling (the depth of the rifling in this case is 1.6 mm, which is slightly more than that of the 155-mm gun barrels of NATO countries). Taking into account the use of new propellant charges designed specifically for the gun being created, the survivability of the barrel when firing at the maximum range increased to 3000-4000 shots.
The new 155 mm autofrettated 45 klb barrel allows firing both ERFB-BB improved aerodynamic shells and standard NATO ammunition. The maximum range when firing a high-explosive fragmentation projectile is 24 km, with an ERFB projectile - 30 km, ERFB-BB - 39.6 km.
Options for using two types of valves were studied: piston and wedge. At the moment, preference is given to a wedge-shaped breech with cartridge case obturation, similar to that used on the Soviet-designed 130 mm M46 towed gun and its licensed versions. According to experts, piston-type closures used on such 155-mm towed artillery systems as the FH-70, GC-45 and some others are less reliable when operating in adverse climatic conditions. As a basis for this statement, the experience of using artillery systems with both one and another type of shutters during the conduct of hostilities between Iran and Iraq was considered. Subsequently, as a possible option, a tool with a bayonet-type piston breech was proposed, if the customer, for some reason, is not satisfied with the wedge breech. The carriage design has also undergone certain changes, which mostly affected the upper machine. In particular, the balancing mechanism was replaced, due to which the torque on the flywheel of the hoist drive was significantly reduced. New recoil devices were developed, it is possible to change the length of the rollback depending on the elevation angle of the gun.
A pneumatic-type ramming mechanism, similar to that used in the American-designed 155-mm M109A2 / AZ self-propelled howitzer, is installed on the new gun and the rear of the cradle, and a compressed air cylinder is mounted on the left frame. The maximum rate of fire is 5 rds/min for the first 60 seconds of firing and 2 rds/min for extended periods of time.
When modernizing the lower machine, additional openers were installed to better stabilize the gun when firing from loose soil (sand), the design of the swivel mechanism was improved, and thanks to the installation of an auxiliary hydraulic drive, the procedure for expanding the beds was facilitated, which ultimately reduced the time to transfer from traveling to combat ( up to 4 min) and somewhat improved the ergonomics of the process.
After creating a prototype of the 155-mm BPG 155/45 ST, SITEXA specialists, as a separate development, proposed a variant of a new carriage for 155-mm artillery systems, on which it is possible to mount new recoil devices and barrels in the following versions: 39 klb long with a charging chamber volume of 18 l; 45 or 52 klb with a charging chamber volume of 23 l; 50 klb with a charging chamber volume of 32 l; piston valve with semi-automatic.
According to the developers, the time required to replace the barrel in the field with three people does not exceed 60 minutes. In order to rebuild the recoil devices for normal operation with a new barrel, no more than 5 minutes are required.
The design of the 155-mm BPG carriage provides, if necessary, the installation of an auxiliary power unit (125 kW air-cooled diesel engine) in front of the lower machine tool. In this case, according to SITEXA specialists, the sample will be able to move at a maximum speed of 35 km/h and overcome slopes up to 40°. In addition, the processes of spreading and bringing together the beds, as well as lowering the support platform, are mechanized.
Currently, SITEXA is working on the creation of a 203.2 mm towed system using a 155 mm BPG 155/45 ST carriage. At the same time, the developers are not embarrassed by the fact that the United States and most other NATO countries consider 203.2-mm guns as unpromising and are pursuing a policy of gradually withdrawing them from service.
It is assumed that the firing range of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile with a mass of about 88 kg using a 45 klb barrel will be 40 km, and for a projectile of optimal aerodynamic shape with a bottom gas generator - 50 km.
At the beginning of 1993, three experimental samples were created, one of which is described as a mechanized system capable of using wheeled and tracked carriage types.
(Ending to follow)
Senior Lieutenant M. Kurylev
"Foreign military review" No. 3 1994
10
The Archer self-propelled guns use the chassis of a Volvo A30D with a 6x6 wheel arrangement. The chassis is equipped with a diesel engine with a capacity of 340 horsepower, which allows you to reach speeds on the highway up to 65 km / h. It is worth noting that the wheeled chassis can move through snow up to one meter deep. If the wheels of the installation were damaged, then the ACS can still move for some time.
A distinctive feature of the howitzer is the absence of the need for additional calculation numbers for loading it. The cockpit is armored to protect the crew from small arms fire and ammunition fragments.
9
"Msta-S" is designed to destroy tactical nuclear weapons, artillery and mortar batteries, tanks and other armored vehicles, anti-tank weapons, manpower, air defense and missile defense systems, command posts, as well as to destroy field fortifications and impede the maneuvers of enemy reserves in the depth of his defenses. It can fire at observed and unobserved targets from closed positions and direct fire, including work in mountainous conditions. When firing, both shots from the ammunition rack and those fired from the ground are used, without loss in rate of fire.
Crew members are talking with the help of intercom equipment 1V116 for seven subscribers. External communication is carried out using the R-173 VHF radio station (range up to 20 km).
TO additional equipment self-propelled guns include: automatic PPO 3-fold action with control equipment 3ETs11-2; two filtering units; self-digging system mounted on the lower frontal sheet; TDA powered by the main engine; system 902V "Cloud" for firing 81-mm smoke grenades; two tank degassing devices (TDP).
8 AS-90
Self-propelled artillery mount on a tracked chassis with a rotating turret. The hull and turret are made of 17 mm steel armor.
The AS-90 replaced all other types of artillery in the British Army, both self-propelled and towed, with the exception of the L118 light towed howitzers and MLRS, and were used by them in combat during the Iraq War.
7 Krabs (based on AS-90)
The SPH Krab is a 155mm NATO compliant self-propelled howitzer manufactured in Poland by Produkcji Wojskowej Huta Stalowa Wola. The ACS is a complex symbiosis of the Polish chassis of the RT-90 tank (with the S-12U engine), an artillery unit from the AS-90M Braveheart with a long barrel of 52 caliber, and its own (Polish) Topaz fire control system. The 2011 SPH Krab version uses a new gun barrel from Rheinmetall.
SPH Krab was immediately created with the ability to fire in modern modes, that is, for the MRSI mode (multiple simultaneous impact shells) as well. As a result, SPH Krab within 1 minute in MRSI mode fires 5 projectiles at the enemy (that is, at the target) for 30 seconds, after which it leaves the firing position. Thus, for the enemy, a complete impression is created that 5 self-propelled guns are firing at him, and not one.
6 M109A7 "Paladin"
Self-propelled artillery mount on a tracked chassis with a rotating turret. The hull and turret are made of rolled aluminum armor, which provides protection against small arms fire and field artillery shell fragments.
In addition to the United States, it became the standard self-propelled guns of NATO countries, was also supplied in significant quantities to a number of other countries and was used in many regional conflicts.
5PLZ05
The ACS turret is welded from rolled armor plates. Two four-barreled blocks of smoke grenade launchers were installed on the frontal part of the tower to create smoke screens. A hatch for the crew is provided in the aft part of the hull, which can be used to replenish ammunition while supplying ammunition from the ground to the loading system.
The PLZ-05 is equipped with an automatic gun loading system developed on the basis of the Russian Msta-S self-propelled guns. The rate of fire is 8 rounds per minute. The howitzer gun has a caliber of 155 mm and a barrel length of 54 calibers. The gun ammunition is located in the turret. It consists of 30 rounds of 155 mm caliber and 500 rounds for a 12.7 mm machine gun.
4
The Type 99 155mm self-propelled howitzer is a Japanese self-propelled howitzer in service with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. It replaced the obsolete self-propelled guns Type 75.
Despite the interests in self-propelled guns of the armies of several countries of the world, the sale of copies of this howitzer abroad was prohibited by Japanese law.
3
The K9 Thunder self-propelled guns were developed in the mid-90s of the last century by the Samsung Techwin corporation by order of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Korea, in addition to the K55 \ K55A1 self-propelled guns in service with their subsequent replacement.
In 1998, the Korean government signed a contract with Samsung Techwin Corporation for the supply of self-propelled guns, and in 1999 the first batch of K9 Thunder was delivered to the customer. In 2004, Türkiye bought a production license and also received a batch of K9 Thunder. A total of 350 units have been ordered. The first 8 self-propelled guns were built in Korea. From 2004 to 2009, 150 self-propelled guns were delivered to the Turkish army.
2
Developed in the Nizhny Novgorod Central Research Institute "Burevestnik". SAU 2S35 is designed to destroy tactical nuclear weapons, artillery and mortar batteries, tanks and other armored vehicles, anti-tank weapons, manpower, air defense and missile defense systems, command posts, as well as to destroy field fortifications and prevent maneuvers of enemy reserves in the depths of his defense . On May 9, 2015, the new 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled howitzer was officially presented for the first time at the Parade in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
According to the Ministry of Defense Russian Federation in terms of a set of characteristics, the ACS 2S35 outperforms similar systems by 1.5-2 times. Compared to the M777 towed howitzers and M109 self-propelled howitzers in service with the US Army, the Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled howitzer has a higher degree of automation, an increased rate of fire and a firing range that meets modern requirements for combined arms combat.
1
Self-propelled artillery mount on a tracked chassis with a rotating turret. The hull and turret are made of steel armor, which provides protection against bullets of up to 14.5 mm caliber and 152 mm shell fragments. The possibility of using dynamic protection is provided.
The PzH 2000 is capable of firing three rounds in nine seconds or ten rounds in 56 seconds at ranges up to 30 km. The howitzer holds a world record - at a training ground in South Africa, she fired a V-LAP projectile (active rocket with improved aerodynamics) at 56 km.
Based on the combination of indicators, the PzH 2000 is considered the most advanced serial self-propelled guns in the world. ACS has earned extremely high marks from independent experts; so, the Russian specialist O. Zheltonozhko defined it as a reference system for the present, which all manufacturers of self-propelled artillery mounts are guided by.