Artillery's new guns increase range, accuracy

DND/Canadian Forces ^ | 2005-12-02 | Master Corporal Dennis Power

[Clive]

Gunners from the 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, practice drills on the new M777 lightweight 155mm howitzer

[Clive]

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[Anti-Bubba182]

It looks cool. Artillery can work rain or shine and doesn't
have return to base to refuel like aircraft. I am sure the troops would welcome artillery support.

[rellimpank]

--this will seem like a dumb question, but I'm not at all familiar with heavy artillery

--the projectile, spun by the rifling, starts out at the angle of the barrel of the artillery piece. At what angle does it contact the target at say 30 km-?

[Little Pig]

Reach out and touch someone...

[Redcitizen]

"a...howitzer that is air-portable and air-droppable"

Bombs away!!! Just make sure the enemy is right underneath!

[Redcitizen]

Depends on the velocity of the shell, the weight of the shell and and a few other factors. It requires some math to figure it. Check out this site to play with rifle ballistics. http://www.eskimo.com/~jbm/software/software.html

[ArtyFO]

I guess Rummy finally realized it was a lot easier transporting a towed M777 than an M109 series mounted on a heavy track and you could get a lot more of them in a C-17.

[Right Wing Assault]

I'm not an artillery guy, but spinning projectiles tend to line up parallel to the trajectory, such as spiralling football.

[spna]

I don't know about Excalibur, but at 30km its going to be very high angle.

[jmq]

WHERE YOU WANT IT SARGE?

[Right Wing Assault]

Oh, I guess you talking about the angle it makes with the ground. Yes, there are a number of variables there.

[thackney]

lightweight howitzer ping

[Atlas Sneezed]

I'm not an artillery guy, but spinning projectiles tend to line up parallel to the trajectory, such as spiralling football.

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Yes. A heavy shell is less affected by air resistance than is a football, but it spends a long time in the air with the air going by darn fast, so the principle still applies.

Note however, that like any spinning object, that when you turn it (the nosing over as the tip turns downward) there will be a resulting motion in a perpendicular direction (the shell turns slightly right or left, depending on the direction of the spin.) As I understand, this is very "precession" is significant over long distances, and must be corrected for.

[TomasUSMC]

Of course, if the kinder gentler compassionate war fighting doesn't allow artillery because innocent civilians may be hit.....


Lots of reports of artillery units being turned into infantry in Iraq. Well that is American artillery units, enemy artillery is used as much as possible.

[rellimpank]

--thanks--it has always seemed to me that the shell must stay point on, but the rotational energy (gyroscopic effect) must be counteracted by airflow--

[hoosierham]

Couldn't the shape of the shell exterior be such the airflow would tend to maintain the spin (at the expense of range)?

I think more shells on target is more important than just more shells.

[Right Wing Assault]

Footballs thrown by right handers do curve slightly to the right.

[xkaydet65]

This weapon will be wonderful for the USMC MEUs. I wonder if they can pack it under an Osprey? I would think so.

[MikefromOhio]

ARTY ping