Cannon Walk - Part Four

The light weight howitzer was initially purchased from the Royal Ordnance Factory, where it was known as the L119 British Light Gun. Now produced by Watervliet Arsenal (tubes) and by Rock Island Arsenal (carriages), it is scheduled to replace the M102/M101 A1 Towed Howitzer.

Missions include fire support for light infantry divisions and other rapid deployment forces. This weapon fired all conventional 105-mm ammunition including the rocket assisted projectile and dual purpose improved conventional munition round (DPICM). The prime mover is High mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HUMMWV), or it can by airlifted. The British version was deployed in the Falklands War. It entered American Service in 1990 and first saw action during Operation Desert Shield/Storm.

Caliber:                           105-mm                          4.1 in

Weight:                           1,818 kg                          4,000 lbs

Shell Weight:                  16 kg                               35 lbs

Range:                             17,500 m                        19,135 yds

Elevation:                        -88.5 to 1,244 mils        -5 degrees to 70 degrees

Traverse on carriage:     88.5 to 88.5 mils           5 degrees left and right

             on platform:       6,400 mils                      360 degrees

Detachment:                                                            7

Rate of Fire normal:     6 rounds per minute

                sustained:     3 rounds per minute

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The “105” has been the workhorse of U.S. Field Artillery and 46 other countries around the world. It was the recommended gun of the 1919 Westervelt Board based on the experiences of World War 1.

 

The M1 tube was standardized in 1928 using 7 increment, semi-fixed ammunition and equipped with the wooden wheeled, horse drawn carriage M1. In 1935 the howitzer was altered to handle fixed ammunition and by 1940 a new carriage M2 was standardized for high speed towing. The carriage in from of you is the M2A2 of 1943 design. Redesignated M101 in 1974, this seventy year old howitzer system is still on active duty. Over 10,000 have been produced. Simple, sturdy, and with an expected life of 7,500 full charges with veteran of many campaigns will probably be in use into the next century.

 

Caliber:                           105 mm                             4.1 in

Weight:                           1,934 kg                            4,260 lbs

Shell Weight:                  14.9 kg                              33 lbs

Range:                            11,430 m                         12,500 yds

Elevation:                        -90 to 1,150 mils            -5 degrees + 65 degrees

Traverse:                         818 mils                           48 degrees

Rate of Fire:                     8 rounds per minute

Detachment:                                                              5

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SPH-1 was a firing prototype of the XM2001 Advanced Field Artillery System under development by the U.S. Army from 1994–2002. The SPH-1 was transported to the Army’s Yuma Proving Ground from its assembly point at United Defense (now BAE Systems) in Minneapolis in February, 2000. It began live test firing on February 22, 2000, in Yuma, Ariz.

 

The 155-mm Crusader was being developed to replace the venerable M109A6 Paladin. Featuring a fully automated ammunition handling system, digitized cockpit and projectile tracking system, Crusader had a range of up to 40 kilometers, and the SPH-1 fired more than 10 rounds per minute during live-fire tests at Yuma. Crusader also featured a liquid-cooled cannon to allow for this high, sustained rate of fire. The SPH-1 weighed 60 tons, but the Crusader system was later redesigned to a 40-ton version to meet changing deployability requirements. The Crusader program was cancelled in August 2002 because it was deemed too heavy and not considered mobile enough for the 21st century battlefield.

More information about Crusader.

 

Caliber:                            155-mm

Tube Length:                   52 caliber

Range:                             40 kilometers

Rate of Fire:                     10 rounds per minute

Crew:                                3

Ammunition Capacity:     48 projectiles

Vehicle Weight:               60 tons

Projectile Weight:           100 pounds

Max Speed:                     67 kph highway, 39 kph cross country

Technological Advances: