| JANE'S DEFENCE WEEKLY - JULY 06, 2005
FIREPOWER FOR RAPID DEPLOYMENT FORCES: LAND - Keeping pace
Christopher F Foss JDW Land Forces Editor
London
Firepower for ground rapid reaction forces is becoming lighter and better at hitting the target. Christopher F Foss reports on systems worldwide
* New weapon systems for RDFs include towed and self-propelled artillery, mortars and artillery rocket systems
* Towed systems are much lighter than self-propelled
* Improving target acquisition is essential
Many countries have long maintained rapid deployment forces (RDFs) in the form of airborne, air assault, commando, marine or light infantry type units that can be swiftly despatched to potential trouble spots. These units have, however, often lacked organic firepower and have been outgunned by their potential enemy.
As a solution many countries are procuring new weapon systems with
increased capability to provide firepower for their rapid deployment units.
These include towed and self-propelled (SP) conventional artillery systems as well as mortars and artillery rocket systems.
Weapon systems are just one element of RDF firepower. Other key components, which fall outside the remit of this briefing, include the essential ammunition (projectile, charge and fuze), ammunition resupply vehicles, target acquisition and fire control, and overall command and control.
While some countries are procuring new artillery platforms, others are
placing greater emphasis on the development and procurement of new
ammunition with increased range, lethality and accuracy. Improved accuracy requires fewer rounds to be fired to neutralise a given target and means a significant reduction in logistics.
Towed artillery system
There is still a market for towed systems, which are much lighter than
their SP counterparts and are therefore more easily transported by air, especially tactical transport aircraft and helicopters.
The two most widely used 105 mm towed artillery systems are the Italian Oto Melara 105 mm Model 56 Pack Howitzer (PH) and the BAE Systems Land Systems (Weapons & Vehicles) 105 mm Light Gun.
Rapidly making inroads into the 105 mm market is the Giat Industries 105 mm LG1 Light Gun. It has now been sold to at least five export customers - no mean achievement considering that the French Army has not adopted the system.
The original 105 mm LG1 Mk 1 is in service with Singapore, while the latest Mk II is used by Belgium (14), Canada (28), Indonesia (20) and Thailand (24). When firing the old US M1 high explosive (HE) projectile, it has a maximum range of 11.4 km, while when firing the Giat-developed 105 mm HE Base Bleed (BB) round, it reaches a maximum range of 18.5 km.
Giat Industries is currently developing the weapon further. The Mk III has an inertial 3-D aiming and positioning system and muzzle velocity radar. The projected Mk IV would have all the features of the Mk III, as well as automatic loading. It would also be possible to install the upper part of the LG1 Mk II onto the rear of a light tactical vehicle.
The Oto Melara 105 mm Model 56 PH was developed more than 50 years ago to meet the requirements of the Italian Army. Well over 2,500 have been built and sold to more than 30 countries. Production is undertaken on an as-required basis, with recent customers including Brazil.
While the weapon has a maximum range of only 10.575 km, it can be used in the field or with the road wheels underslung as an anti-tank weapon. Its main advantage is that it can be disassembled into 11 subassemblies of which the heaviest weighs 122 kg, while its low weight of 1,290 kg enables it to be carried under almost all deployed helicopters.
China North Industries Corporation markets a copy of the Oto Melara 105 mm Model 56 PH, but there are no known export sales.
Russia developed the 82 mm Vasilyek 2B9 automatic mortar to meet the
requirements of the Russian Army. It was subsequently exported to a number of countries and production is also undertaken in Hungary.
With its low weight and high-rate fire the system is well suited to
airborne and other units. It saw combat use in Afghanistan, where some were installed on MTLB multirole armoured chassis for increased mobility. The US Army has installed the Vasilyek on the rear of an AM General Humvee chassis for trials purposes and this is called the Scorpion.
Denel of South Africa is well known for its 155 mm G5 towed and G6 SP
artillery systems, but for some years the company has been working on its own initiative on the 105 mm Light Experimental Ordnance (LEO).
The first LEO ballistic testbed was fired in 1997 and the first weapon was completed in 2001. This weighs 3,800 kg, but Denel's long-term aim is to reduce the weight to 2,500 kg using advanced materials.
LEO has a 105 mm/57 cal ordnance fitted with a newly designed muzzle brake. Firing locally developed ammunition it has a maximum range of 24 km, whi |
