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Posted on 08/26/2005 10:14:46 PM PDT by snippy_about_it
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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  Towed guns are, as the name implies, artillery pieces that must be towed by another vehicle. They are more powerful than mortars, and they have greater range. The M198 155mm howitzer, for example, can hurl a wide variety of 155mm projectiles as far as 18 km (33 km with rocket assist). It can also be used for multiple simultaneous strikes, and it can fire high explosive shells, anti-personnel or anti-armour mine-laying systems, tactical nuclear warheads, chemical weapons, smoke projectiles, communications jamming devices, remote sensors, illuminating projectiles, and even special guided projectiles. It is more than capable of destroying infantry, buildings, or armoured vehicles, so it is used to hit "deep targets" well behind the front lines. This can include armoured columns moving to the front, enemy artillery, etc. Towed guns can even be small enough to be highly portable. For example, the British Army has a 105mm light gun which is air portable, yet has a maximum range of more than 17 km. The example pictured at right is equipped with a Marconi LINAPS automatic aiming system. However, the towed gun's primary weakness is its lack of mobility. Since a towed gun can be targeted from the flight path of its projectile, it is an obvious target for enemy counter-attack. It also has difficulty keeping up with rapidly moving mobile forces, since the number of available tractors is generally smaller than the number of guns. Therefore, the towed gun has been largely supplanted by the self-propelled gun in modern armies. However, the towed gun is much less expensive than the self-propelled gun, and in today's complex global environment, the enemy need not be a large, well-armed national military force. It could be anything from terrorists to criminal organizations, and in many cases, these enemies are poorly equipped, lacking effective field artillery or projectile tracking systems. Against such an enemy, a towed artillery piece can be a lethal and virtually untouchable implement of war.  Mobile warfare is hampered by immobile artillery support, so a full-scale conventional warfare scenario requires self-propelled artillery pieces such as the American M110A1. This is a self-propelled 203mm howitzer. It has been in service for decades, and can be found in the armies of numerous countries around the world. It can fire an 8-inch diameter, 92.5 kg high explosive projectile to a maximum range of 21.3 km, and a rocket-assisted projectile to a maximum range of 29.1 km. It can also fire a variety of other projectiles if necessary, like the towed M198 mentioned above, but unlike the M198, it can travel at nearly 60 km/h under its own power. It also has a shovel-like attachment which digs into the ground to stabilize the platform against the prodigious force of recoil from its massive gun. It should be noted that this gun provides no protection whatsoever for its crew, and that this sort of self-propelled gun is actually the exception rather than the rule. Most self-propelled guns have an enclosed crew cab for protection as well as greater ammo storage. The doctrine of self-propelled gun deployment calls for large numbers of independent units to situate themselves around the countryside and move with the infantry and armour units. When a target is identified by the spotters, all of these artillery pieces will simultaneously open fire and shower it with shells, before pulling up stakes and changing positions in order to avoid the inevitable enemy artillery counter-attack (the slang term is "shoot and scoot". In this way, mobile artillery units achieve the dangerous combination of mobility, dispersion, and firepower concentration. sym·po·sium : a social gathering at which there is free interchange of ideas So now let's get on with the discussion. Special thanks to USMCBOMBGUY for today's subject. His question was "Towed or self propelled artillery? Which will be more successful in the future?" I took the liberty of narrowing the subject down to guns rather than all artillery. Pull up a chair or grab a spot on the floor around the virtual Foxhole Cabin and let's chat.      |
Leave it to Israel to come up with a compromise. :-)
The Atmos 2000 52 calibre 155mm self-propelled artillery system.
The 155mm 52 calibre Atmos 2000 has demonstrated a maximum range of 41km, using an Extended Range Full Bore Base Bleed (ERFB-BB) projectile.
The Atmos system is mounted on a high mobility Tatra 6x6 truck which has a maximum road speed of 80km/h.
The high firing rate of three projectiles per 20 seconds is achieved by using a unique new load assist device.
The Atmos artillery system weighs 22,000kg and is transportable in a C-130 Hercules medium transport aircraft.
Atmos 2000 can fire all types of 155mm NATO ammunition and carries 27 projectiles and charges.
I always liked "Hamster Love" which was done to the same tune :-)
As Alfa said, there would have to also be a crew for the towed piece, and ammo storage for the same piece.
For an M-198 155mm round, the ammo space requirements are the same as for the M-109A6 Paladin.
The M-119A1 light towed 105mm I was a crewmember on had an ammo space requirement described best as "The back of an M-1097 HMMWV" plus 8 or so rounds in the 'ready rack' in the back of the prime mover.
Towed or SP, there's always a prime mover vehicle, and an ammo vehicle.
But with SP, the prime mover is also the artillery piece.
It would be neat to be able to have some sort of combined artillery unit, but SP howitzers can go places that towed artillery just simply shouldn't even dare trying to go.
There are places that vehicles with treads can traverse that would be impossible while towing something.
Targeting the same position from multiple artillery pieces is done using "Time On Target" method of fire, where multiple artillery piecves form multiple batteries all aim at the same point and await the same order to fire.
Usually done for countering massing enemy columns.
Sorry I got to this late, I was out hiking today and got to play at being a trail guide.
*chuckle*
Apologetically late FAMPL ping.
Well, taking a break from troll busting, eh? Enquiring minds want to know did you bring everybody back or did you leave a few on the trail? :-)
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
The missus bashed her left knee good, so I had to get her to the car and then come back for everyone else.
*sigh*
But otherwise the trail walk went smoothly.
LOL. I can't believe you took a picture. I'm not even going to click on that link!
Bwaaak Bwaaak Bwaaak
It ain't that bad :-)
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
I was taking your feelings into account, so didn't post it directly.
Thanks for the FAMPL ping. I have served in both SP and towed units and can't say that it makes that much of a difference with trained crews. However, given the increasing capability/lethality of modern targeting and ammunition, I would say the SP has the upper hand because of self-contained GPS aiming ability: emplace, engage, egress.
The main thing I always felt strongly about was that I chose FA as a branch because I knew I did not care to walk to the fight, a la INF.
Wow . . . the lyrics really make a song . . . kind of pulls at your heartstrings.
When I left artillery, they were working on digital fire control equipment similar to what the Brits have on their M-119 howitzers.
I never got to see any of that equipment, but the rumor was that it was truly amazing stuff.
Yes, with the new stuff coming out, SP has an advantage survivability wise.
But in Afghanistan two years back, they discovered that there were some uses for the M-119 that they couldn't do with the Paladin.
I get the feeling that towed artillery will be around for quite some time.
*shrugs*
Four incisions?
Aye, including a bisected navel.
Yowch.
Looks like they did a good job though, no horrific bruising.
Just the standard post operative pain and swelling.
(Did you know they inflate your stomach cavity area with CO2 before truying to dig anything out? Pretty cool actually.)
You are such a gentleman.
ROFLOL. I'm crying.
Actually, it doesn't look to bad.
More like three bad cat scratches and some mild bruising that looks like a 'smurf bite'.
Notice the small lime green book to her right. Shortly after the second picture was taken she successfully unwound the spiral binding for this book. Takes after her old man...
LOL. You sure have your hands full with that one.
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