Towed artillery--range and light weight is the motto.

Following the growing acceptance of self-propelled artillery from World War II onwards, many pundits have been forecasting the demise of its towed brother. According to some accepted thinking, towed artillery is too exposed on the battlefield, takes too long to get in and out of action and relies on vulnerable tractor vehicles to move it any distance. All this may be true, but towed artillery is still around for several reasons, not the least being that it can be transported long distances much more easily than its self-propelled counterparts, notably when rapid deployment and special forces are involved.

Towed artillery will be us for a far ahead as can be forecast for several other reasons other than just portability. There is the cost factor; for, as a general rule, towed artillery is less expensive in unit and maintenance terms than the more complex self-propelled platforms. It makes fewer demands on transport-related infrastructure, such as bridging, especially when some self-propelled systems weigh almost as much as battle tanks. In addition, there are some types of battlefield terrain where the deployment of self-propelled artillery would be well nigh impossible. Combat in mountainous areas presents but one example of this terrain factor, while for amphibious warfare towed artillery remains the norm. To round matters off, many towed artillery systems are readily air-portable, including swift moves by helicopters.

Expectancy

Gunners expect much from the guns and howitzers that they serve. Close to the top of their requirements list is, as always, as much range as can be achieved. Another is that the overall system weight be kept as light as possible for, in the last resort, towed artillery still has to rely on physical labour to a considerable extent. There are many other demands but range and weight tend to predominate. Towed artillery and ordnance design therefore has to maintain a precarious balance. Pack in too much range potential in the form of long barrels and powerful charges and weight tends to rise alarmingly. Make the ordnance and carriage too light and they fail to withstand the hard rigours of warfare.

Towed artillery comes in many calibres, from 75 up to 155 mm, with artillery calibres larger than 155 mm or less than 105 mm now rather rare, such examples being relics of a bygone era retained for some special purpose or task that rarely arises (or the user lacks the funds to replace them). There are now three main calibre brackets. One is 105 mm, the next upward bracket being 122 and 130 mm, and then 152 or 155 mm.

105 mm remains widespread for the simple reason it delivers a useful projectile to a reasonable range and it is well established within many gun parks throughout the world, many pieces still dating from the 1939 to 1945 time period. It is also relatively light. As has been indicated in many campaigns where light forces haves to operate in difficult or remote areas (the Falkland Islands campaign of 1982 comes to mind), towed 105 mm artillery is the heaviest than can be deployed. It is thus held by many of the more advanced armed forces for just this special operations role, while for many of the world's armed forces 105 mm is about as large as they will ever need (or be able to afford). These two factors have loomed over the sales success of the British BAE Systems, RO Defence, 105 mm Light Gun.

The 122 and 130 mm calibres are no longer favoured by artillery designers or users. Most in-service designs in these calibres date back several decades, with one of the most frequently encountered former Soviet design, the 122 mm D-30 howitzer, dating back to 1938. There is also the 130 mm Field Gun M-46 dating from the early 1950s Soviet era and still in widespread service the world over.

Nearly all design and operational emphasis is now placed on the 152 and 155 mm calibres for the main towed artillery component within field batteries. The East/West divide between 152 and 155 seems likely to remain effective for some time, mainly for legacy reasons. However, there are indications (such as from the Czech Republic and Poland) that a limited changeover from Eastern Bloc 152 to Nato standard 155 mm has been initiated. It seems highly unlikely that a complete switch to 155 mm will ever be made. Large-scale 152mm ammunition and barrel manufacturing facilities remain in being while, for both gunners and recipients, the on-target differences between 152 and 155 mm have become academic. Another switch to 155 can be seen with the proposed enhancing of the 130 mm M-46 gun and M114 howitzer to accommodate 155 mm barrels, of which more later.

Lights

One of the most numerous items of towed artillery still in service must be the US 105 mm Howitzer M101--it is listed as being in service with over 60 countries. Although some production of this time-honoured piece was undertaken as recently as 1983, the major proportion of those still around date from the 1940-1945 period so, sturdy and reliable as they may be, many must be considered as coming to the end of their useful lives. This will not be marked by a process of direct replacement by more modern designs, but one alternative is the now commonly-encountered artillery practise of installing longer barrels to increase the range, plus altering the recoil r and recuperator mechanisms to suit. Some of these updates, often supplied in kit form to keep the conversion work local, also include strengthening the carriage where necessary.

Rheinmetall DeTec was an early entrant into this field, for it converted all the M101s held by the then West German Bundeswehr to accommodate longer barrels that increased the maximum possible range (using standard projectiles) from 11,270 to 14,100 metres. Before long others joined the M101 update market, Giat of France and RDM Technology of the Netherlands both achieving levels of sales success. For instance, RDM Technology sold its 33-calibre barrel conversion to Canada and Chile, both based around barrels developed by RO Defence. Giat sold its M101 modernisation package to the Philippines and Thailand. In South Korea the Kia Machine Company produced the KH 178, an M101 built from new but with a 34-calibre barrel and a maximum range of 14,700 metres.

The 105 mm modernisation market is still open. It is known that Greece is investigating the possibility of re-barrelling a small batch of their M101 holdings for use by Marine units. The M101 remains a firm favourite with many Marine forces, including the US Marine Corps.

Two other 105 mm pieces now dominate the market. RO Defence continues to supply the 105 mm Light Gun and Giat offers the LG1. Of the two, the Light Gun has been the most successful, both numerically and in the number of user nations, but Giat has also made significant sales. Between 1990 and 1996 Giat sold the LG1 to Belgium, Canada, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. Of these the largest number (37) went to Singapore. These were the LG1 Mark 1 model, the later Mark II having a strengthened barrel to enable it to utilise more powerful propellant charges to obtain the maximum possible range from a family of enhanced range projectiles developed specifically for the LG1 by Giat. The family includes a Base Bleed (BB) HE projectile with a maximum range of 17,500 metres, the unassisted HE projectile reaching out to 15,000. The LG1 remains on offer, with sales in prospect.

Over 1000 British Light Guns are in service with at least 17 countries, although a few of these obtained their guns from previous owners while others hold only token numbers. The largest single user (427) is the US Army with over half of them licence manufactured in America as the M119A1 (licence production has also been undertaken in Australia and Malaysia). The Light Gun has been around since 1973 but, thanks to its advanced design and manufacturing features, shows little sign of flagging. Midlife programmes have been proposed and the latest forms of digital fire control systems have been introduced. The Indian Ordnance Factory Board offer a Light Gun clone known as the 105/37 Light Field Gun E1.

The ammunition family specific to the Light Gun has been enhanced by several concerns, including RO Defence itself, Rheinmetall DeTec (which absorbed Eurometall) and Expal of Spain. These BB enhanced range projectiles extend the potential range from a very respectable 17,200 metres to more than 21,000.

Future improvements to the Light Gun might include developments from South Africa based around the Denel G7 105 mm Light Experimental Ordnance, or Leo. At present the Leo remains a technology demonstrator intended, in simple but rather extraordinary terms, to obtain a 155 mm performance package from a 105 mm gun and carriage. At the heart of this venture is a combination of a 57-calibre barrel (including a rifled muzzle brake) and Extended Range Full Bore (ERFB) projectile technology that provides a range of 30,000 metres with BB projectiles. The introduction of a proximity fuze combined with an HE projectile having a liner of steel spheres results in a lethal area coverage comparable to that for a 155 mm HE projectile. Should future plans come to fruition the prototype will be further developed into a lighter model incorporating advanced steel alloys to reduce the current system weight of about 3800 kg to approximately 2500.

The Leo remains a technology demonstrator, but it has attracted a great deal of attention, especially from the US Army where a long-term replacement for the M119A1 Light Guns is under investigation. That programme will probably take years to germinate but in the meantime some aspects of the ammunition could no doubt be incorporated into the British Light Gun modernisation or replacement plans.

The Italian Otobreda 105 mm Model 56 Pack Howitzer remains on a 'production as required' basis, and in service with numerous armed forces. Being light and handy, the Model 56 is still widely respected as a masterpiece of artillery design, now largely considered somewhat outmoded by delivering a range of only 10,575 metres firing conventional projectiles. But that is the price that must be paid for a howitzer that is light and portable enough to be carried in sections by pack animals, although it seems that few customers rely on such transport measures, other than in an emergency.

The former Eastern Bloc offers no direct equivalent to the Nato area 105 mm pieces. Some venerable 76.2 mm Zis-3 field equipment may still be around, while the 76 mm mountain gun GP (M1966) was produced in relatively small numbers only. Romania has attempted to market the Romarm 98 mm Model 93, another specialised mountain artillery pack howitzer, but to date there appears to have been few takers, probably due to its unique calibre.

Mediums

The main calibres within the medium category are 122 mm and 130 mm. Both remain the remit of what were once the Warsaw Pact nations, and have what are now considered Russian design origins.

For the 122 mm calibre, the main attention must be given to the Howitzer D-30, or 2A18. When it first appeared during the 1960s, the D-30 attracted a great deal of interest due mainly to the triple leg carriage that permitted a full 360[degrees] traverse and the unusual method of towing by a lunette at the muzzle brake. Many of the features of the D-30, including the carriage, were modifications of Germans ideas scheduled for production in 1945, but considerably strengthened and modified to meet Red Army requirements.

The D-30 manages to deliver a maximum range of 15,300 metres (with a 21.76 kg HE projectile), a remarkable performance from a 122 mm howitzer that weighs just over 3000 kg. Over the years the D-30 has proved to be extremely adaptable, the latest 2A18M updated model featuring modifications that allow it to be towed at higher speeds than before, plus some handling improvements. Special enhanced range ammunition has been developed for the D-30, including ERFB HE projectiles developed by Croatia to increase the maximum range to 17,630 metres. Croatia has manufacturing facilities for the D-30 and the type remains in production in China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and the former Yugoslavia. It is no longer in production within Russia. The D-30 has managed to find its way into what seems like every corner of the world and it is expected to be around at least for decades to come.

Another Russian 122 mm howitzer likely to be encountered almost anywhere is the more conventional M1938 (M-30). As its designation implies, the M1938 has been around for a considerable time, yet it shows little sign of fading from the scene. Production within Russia ceased long ago but it is still available from Norinco as the 122 mm Type 54-1. The M1938 has been altered little over the years, the last example off the production line being almost identical to the first. It remains simple, sturdy and reliable and is able to fire the same projectiles that were later carried over to the D-30 ammunition suite (although with a different charge system), maximum range is 11,800 metres, and weight in action is 2450 kg.

The 122 mm gun component, as opposed to howitzers, is the Field Gun D-74 dating from the late 1940s and developed as an alternative to the 130 mm M-46. In the course of events the M-46 gained the most approval, but the D-74 was still manufactured in significant numbers. It is no longer in Russian frontline service but was manufactured by Norinco as the Type 60 and was exported to Cuba, Nigeria, Peru and a few other nations. The D-74 fires a 27.3 kg HE projectile to 24,000 metres. The D-74 has the same carriage and recoil system as the 152 mm Howitzer D-20.

The 130 mm M-46 can probably boast the strongest ordnance and carriage combination in artillery history. It seems that everything relating to the M-46 is oversized and heavy--the total system weight is about 7700 kg. This may be quite a bit for a gun crew to conveniently move about yet the dividend is that a 33.24 kg projectile can be hurled to a range of 27,490 metres. By adding a BB unit, as accomplished by the Iranian Defence Industries Organisation, the range can be increased significantly to 37,000 metres. A 130 mm ERFB BB projectile marketed by Norinco can reach 38,000 metres. Cargo projectiles have been developed (Norinco again) while ammunition is manufactured in at least twelve countries, from Finland (Patria Vammas) to South Africa (Denel).

The M-46 itself was also produced in Egypt and is no longer in production within Russia. Norinco offers a clone known as the Type 59.

This ammunition manufacturers' total provides only an indication of how widespread the issue of the M-46 remains. It has seen frequent action, sometimes with both sides of a conflict, such as when Iran and Iraq hurled hate at each other during their costly war of the late 1980s.

The inherent strength of the M-46 has meant that it is the subject of a major upgrading process of replacing the existing 130 mm ordnance by a 45-calibre 155 mm barrel with all the ammunition standardisation and performance increases entailed. The long defunct Space Research Corporation (SRC) of Dr Gerry Bull fame was an early exponent of this process, one result being the Norinco GM-45. At one time the former Yugoslavia offered a similar update package while Soltam of Israel managed to interest the Indian Army with their similar upgrade (India has about 750 M-46s in its armoury). It seems that Indian designers have now made their own product marketed under the name of Metamorphosis, seemingly reflecting local design work but no doubt based on imported knowledge. The Indian project is still at the prototype stage; the intention being that all Indian Army M-46s will become 155 mm one day. RDM Technology of the Netherlands also offers a 155 mm M-46 upgrade.

152 mm

Before considering the 155 mm calibre it would be well to consider the 152. This has long been a Soviet/Russian standard calibre, the towed pieces reflecting the accepted long and steady development path where a previous carriage is used to accommodate a new piece of ordnance. A departure from this practice was made with the 152 mm Gun 2A36 intended to be the replacement for the 130 mm M-46. The production run of about 1500 units was modest compared to other local artillery production totals, the Russian Army taking 1200. The 2A36 is used by CIS associated states but not in great numbers. The most noticeable features of the 2A36 remains the long 49-calibre barrel, the two road wheels each side to carry the weight of about 10,000 kg, and its ability to fire a 43.5 kg projectile to 27,000 metres. When a rocket-assisted projectile is involved the range increases to 40,000 metres.

More representative of current Russian artillery trends is the 152 mm GunHowitzer 2A65. This is a completely conventional split-trail carriage design dating from the mid 1980s and firing an HE projectile weighing 43.56 kg to a maximum range of 24,700 metres. To date, the 2A65 has not been exported, although it has been marketed. The 2A65 weighs about 7000 kg when firing, considerably more than the 152 mm 2A61 which weighs 4350 kg. The 2A61 shares the same 360[degrees] traverse carriage as the 125 mm 2A45M antitank gun but as yet it seems to have remained a prototype.

Not to be forgotten is the 152 mm Gun-Howitzer D-20, manufactured in China as the Type 66. During the late 1940s, the D-20 designers relied heavily on Great Patriotic War combat experience, so it employs many well-tested design features, to which must be added great strength. It has the same carriage and recoil system as the 122 mm Gun D-74, the relatively short muzzle-braked 152 mm barrel delivering a 43.5 kg HE projectile to 17,410 metres. The D-20 serves quite a mixed variety of nations, from Vietnam to Algeria.

155 mm

The adoption of 155 mm in place of lesser calibres began in earnest during the 1970s. The advantages of firing heavy projectiles to greater ranges was made possible by the introduction of the long 39-calibre barrels of weapons such as the US M198, the British/Franco/German/ Italian FH-70, the French Giat 155 TR, the Spanish Santa Barbara SB 155/39 (which never entered production) and the Swedish Bofors FH-77B (the FH77A involved non-Nato standard ammunition). At about the same time the already-mentioned SRC, then headquartered in Belgium, upset the apple cart by introducing the 45-calibre barrel and the super-streamlined ERFB projectiles with an optional BB unit to enhance ranges by a significant factor. Ranges of 40,000 metres became possible, far outstripping the 39-calibres' ERFB BB capability of 30,000 metres, so before long others had joined the 45-calibre market to the extent that 45 calibres became the accepted standard for field artillery. If that were not enough, extending the barrel length a little more to 52-calibres and introducing more powerful charges, all manner of ballistic possibilities became available.

In practical terms, the extension to 45 calibres began with the Austrian GC 45, still marketed by T & T Technology and Trading as the GH N-45. This was a commercial variant of the original SRC design, soon resulting in several other similar-looking systems, such as the Norinco Type WA 021. What is now Singapore Technologies Kinetics came up with the FH-88. Soltam of Israel offered the option of either 39- or 45-calibre barrels with the Model 839P and 845P howitzers while what is now Patria Vammas offered 39- or 45-calibre versions of the M-83.

Perhaps the most influential of the 45-calibre howitzers was (and still is) the South African Denel G5. The G5 was made far more robust and adaptable than the original SRC models, combining input from both SRC itself and the South Africans. In many ways the G5 is typical of the 45-calibre howitzers in being large and heavy enough to warrant an auxiliary power unit to power the road wheels during short moves and creating hydraulic power to open and close the split trail carriage legs and for other services, such as lifting the recoil spades.

The G5 is also typical in being one of the first towed 155 mm artillery pieces to feature a 52-calibre barrel. The G5 then became the G5-2000. Firing the Somchem V-Lap (Velocity-enhanced Long-range Projectile) that manages to combine rocket assistance with BB, ranges of 53,600 metres or so can be achieved (at least 42,000 metres from a 45-calibre barrel). The G5-2000 also introduces all-digital fire control and handing improvements.

Other candidates for the 52-calibre 155 mm towed artillery market include Giat with the 155 TR/52 Towed Gun (an upgrade of the 155 TR), STK with its FH2000, the Santa Barbara Sistemas 155 mm 155/52 APU SBT howitzer and the Finnish Patria Vammas 155 mm 155 GH 52 APU. All these systems, and others still in the pipeline (such as a gunhowitzer supposedly under development in the former Yugoslavia), have basically similar ballistic performances as they all fire Nato standard projectiles, and feature the option of ERFB and ERFB BB to extend the maximum ranges.

52-calibre barrels do not feature with one of the largest recent artillery happenings, namely the US Army adoption of the M777 Lightweight 155 mm towed howitzer from RO Defence (originally Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering). The M777 is now in the low rate limited production phase. The US Army and Marine Corps both decided to stick with the same 39-calibre M284 ordnance as used with their well-established M198 towed howitzer, considering that it delivers all they require. Following a protracted selection process that lasted over a decade, it seems that the US requirement total is about 686. It is understood that the British Army has a requirement for 70 units, which will probably be similar to the M777, to act as their future Lightweight Mobile Artillery Weapon System (Limaws). Italy has also revealed an interest in the programme.

The M777 was originally marketed as the Vsel Ultra lightweight Field Howitzer (UFH). With the UFH/M777 the accent is on light weight, this to enable the complete system to be lifted by a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, the carriage, therefore, makes considerable use of light alloys and a careful stress-related design to keep the total weight down to 3745 kg. The ordnance is mounted on what is essentially a firing table resting on four stabiliser legs, two of them pointing forward.

In addition to all these innovations, the venerable US 155 mm Howitzer M114 is the subject of a barrel lengthening update process similar to that applied to the 105 mm M101. By replacing the existing 23-calibre barrel by 39-calibre components and beefing up the carriage in a few places, it becomes possible to extend the service life of M114 veterans by a useful margin. Once again, much of the conversion can come in kit form for local incorporation. The list of concerns able to provide such conversions is headed by RDM, who has provided the means to place 39-calibre barrels on M114/39s for Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. Soltam of Israel also offers a similar conversion, while Kia Metal Industries can build its KH179, virtually a M114 with a 39-calibre barrel, from new. It is understood that a similar process has been carried out in Iran. The introduction of the longer barrel increases the M114's maximum range from 14,600 to 18,100 metres with the HE M107 projectile, and up to 32,400 with ERFB BB.

Smart Ammunition

Although the howitzer has hitherto been perceived as an area weapon, two new trends have been developing over the past decade. The first one, which concerns trajectory-corrected munitions, was born out of necessity, due to the increased ranges now afforded by the combination of longer barrels, more effective propellants and assisted rounds (rocket or basebleed). The heart of the trajectory-corrected munition generally lies in the fuze, which deploys an array of air or rocket brakes. These are either triggered by a radio signal (itself aired out by a tracking radar) or by an on-board GPS receiver. Examples of such fuzes have been developed by Bofors Defence, L3, Diehl or Giat to name but a few. In both cases, the idea is to fire the round to a range that is a tad further beyond that of the target and then let the fuze brake the round and thereby accurately trim its trajectory.

The second trend is intended to turn howitzers into anti-armour weapons. Two systems have been developed in the western world, one by Giws (the Smart) and the other by Giat and Bofors (the Bonus). A third had been developed by Alliant TechSystems and Aerojet in the United States, but now abandoned. In fact, Alliant Ammunition Systems is now in charge of marketing the German Smart in the New World. Both the Smart and the Bonus operate on the same principle, under which a cargo round carries two smart submunitions. At a given height (not altitude) above the suspected target area, the cargo shell opens and the two submunitions are extracted. The latter then deploy asymmetrical airfoils (parachute for the Smart and metal winglets for the Bonus), which not only slows their descent but imparts a spinning motion. By thus 'wobbling down', their seekers (millimetric radar-cuminfrared for the Giws and dual-spectrum infrared for the Bonus) look at the ground along a narrowing spiral pattern. As soon as an object that matches the pattern produced by their algorithms is detected, their explosively forged projectile warheads are triggered. Both the Smart and the Bonus are in production, and neither requires any modification to fit the howitzers.

No   M101/33
Ma   RDM
Ca   105 mm
Lo   33 calibres
Bl   3.51 metres
Wt   2150 kg
Me   -6 to +70[degrees]
Mt   46[degrees]
Mr   19,500 metres
Pw   14.30 kg

No   LG Mark II
Ma   Giat
Ca   105 mm
Lo   30 calibres
Bl   3.15 metres
Wt   1520 kg
Me   -3 to +70[degrees]
Mt   36[degrees]
Mr   18.500 metres
Pw   13 kg

No   Light Gun
Ma   Royal Ordnance
Ca   105 mm
Lo   37 calibres
Bl   3.88 metres
Wt   1860 kg
Me   5.5 to +70[degrees]
Mt   360[degrees]
Mr   21,000 metres
Pw   16 kg

No   Leo
Ma   Denel
Ca   105 mm
Lo   57 calibres
BI   5.98 metres
Wt   3500 kg
Me   -5 to +75[degrees]
Mt   40[degrees]
Mr   30,000 metres
Pw   15.80 kg

No   Model 56
Ma   Otobreda
Ca   105 mm
Lo   14 calibres
BI   1.47 metres
Wt   1290 kg
Me   -5 to +65[degrees]
Mt   36[degrees]
Mr   10,575 metres
Pw   14.97 kg

No   D-30
Ma   GUPZ
Ca   122 mm
Lo   40 calibres
BI   4.87 metres
Wt   3150 kg
Me   -7 to +70[degrees]
Mt   360[degrees]
Mr   17,630 metres
Pw   21.76 kg

No   M-30
Ma   CIS
Ca   122 mm
Lo   23 calibres
Bl   2.80 metres
Wt   2450 kg
Me   -3 to +63.5[degrees]
Mt   49[degrees]
Mr   11,800 metres
Pw   21.76 kg

No   2A36
Ma   CIS
Ca   152 mm
Lo   49 calibres
Bl   8.19 metres
Wt   9760 kg
Me   -2.5 to +57[degrees]
Mt   50[degrees]
Mr   27,000 metres
Pw   46 kg

No   2A65
Ma   CIS
Ca   152 mm
Lo   n/available
Bl   n/available
Wt   7000 kg
Me   -3.5 to +70[degrees]
Mt   54[degrees]
Mr   24,000 metres
Pw   43.65 kg

No   D-20
Ma   Petrov Design
Ca   152 mm
Lo   34 calibres
Bl   5.19 metres
Wt   5650 kg
Me   -5 to +63[degrees]
Mt   58[degrees]
Mr   17,140 metres
Pw   43.51 kg

No   GH N-45
Ma   T&T
Ca   155 mm
Lo   45 calibres
BI   7.05 metres
Wt   10,070 kg *
Me   -5 to +72[degrees]
Mt   70[degrees]
Mr   39,600 metres **
Pw   46.50 kg

No   G5/2000
Ma   Denel
Ca   155 mm
Lo   52 calibres
Bl   8.06 metres
Wt   13,850 kg
Me   -3 to +75[degrees]
Mt   65[degrees]
Mr   52,500 metres
Pw   47.70 kg

No   155 TR/52
Ma   Giat
Ca   155 mm
Lo   52 calibres
BI   8.06 metres
Wt   11,000 kg
Me   -6 to +66[degrees]
Mt   65[degrees]
Mr   41,500 metres
Pw   43.50 kg

No   FH2000
Ma   STK
Ca   155 mm
Lo   52 calibres
BI   8.06 metres
Wt   13,500 kg
Me   -3 to +70[degrees]
Mt   60[degrees]
Mr   40,000 metres
Pw   47.70 kg

No   155/52 APU SBT
Ma   Santa Barbara
Ca   155 mm
Lo   52 calibres
BI   8.15 metres
Wt   13,500 kg
Me   -3 to +72[degrees]
Mt   80[degrees]
Mr   41,000 metres
Pw   47.70 kg

* 12,350 for Al model with APU-equipped self-propelled

** 50 km with Denel's Assegai munitions

No   GH 52 APU
Ma   Vammas
Ca   155 mm
Lo   52 calibres
Bl   8.06 metres
Wt   13,500 kg
Me   -5 to +70[degrees]
Mt   70[degrees]
Mr   41,300 metres
Pw   46.50 kg

No   UFH/M777
Ma   Royal Ordnance
Ca   155 mm
Lo   39 calibres
BI   6.09 metres
Wt   3745 kg
Me   -5 to +70[degrees]
Mt   45[degrees]
Mr   30,000 metres
Pw   43.50 kg

No   M114/39
Ma   RDM
Ca   155 mm
Lo   39 calibres
BI   6.02 metres
Wt   7600 kg
Me   -2 to +63[degrees]
Mt   49[degrees]
Mr   32,400 metres
Pw   47.70 kg