Since World War II, howitzers have become one of primary artillery systems in the battlefield.
As time goes by, the modern self-propelled howitzers have been developed with high degree
of mobility since they are wheeled or tracked to provide combat support for shoot-and-scoot
attacks.
But, have you wondered how a modern howitzer actually works?
And have you ever seen an AS90 Braveheart, the modern British self-propelled howitzer?
Hello everyone.
Welcome back to Military TV.
Today, we’re going to discuss about a modern self-propelled artillery weapon used by British
Army, AS90 Braveheart self-propelled howitzer.
AS90 Braveheart self-propelled artillery system is a tracked self-propelled howitzer manufactured
by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering (VSEL), subsidiary company of the British Company
BAE Systems.
The abbreviation AS90 itself stands for Artillery System for the 1990s, with an official name
“Gun Equipment, 155 mm L131”.
This self-propelled artillery system evolved from the international SP-70 program which
was cancelled due to funding issue and was developed as a replacement for the FV433 Abbot
and the US M109 self-propelled howitzers.
The project of this weapon was finished in March 1985, and it was first deployed by the
British Army in 1992.
Also, in mid-1992, the AS90 system was adopted by Poland to be their new 155 mm self-propelled
howitzer to support Polish Army.
The AS90 Braveheart self-propelled howitzer is armed with a 155 mm, 39 or 52-caliber gun
barrel that can fire all the standard NATO artillery projectiles including the HE M107
and extended range types.
This gun is composed of a split-block breech, a double-baffle muzzle brake, and a fume extractor.
With an automated loading system, the gun can fire a burst rate of three rounds in less
than ten seconds, an intense rate of six rounds per minute for three minutes, and a sustained
rate of two rounds per minute.
This British artillery system can fire using standard ammunition as well as assisted projectile
at a maximum range of 24,7 km and 30 km respectively.
Further to this, the range can extend to more than 40 km if it is fitted with a 52-caliber
barrel instead of the standard 39 caliber.
When in road position, the barrel is locked using a clamp mounted at the front of the
hull, and while in firing position, the barrel clamp is controlled by the driver from inside
of the vehicle.
The Braveheart system consists of three compartments and is operated by a crew of five including
the driver, commander, gunner, loader, and co-loader.
The driver sits at the front left with the power pack to his right, while a large turret
is mounted at the rear of the hull of the tracked chassis.
Since the AS90 gun does not require stabilizing spades and instead features a recoil and hydrogas
suspension system, the turret can traverse and fire through the full 360 degrees with
weapon elevation of -5 to +70 degrees as well as performing rapid target engagement for
indirect firing.
Both the elevation and traverse drives are electric-based and can operate at a rate of
ten seconds.
In the event of electrical failure, the full manual controls are already available.
Also, the layer station of AS90 is outfitted with a direct fire sight developed by Thales
Optronics (formerly Avimo), which is used for day and night firing.
For easy access and ammunition resupply, there is a large door opening to the rear of the
Braveheart chassis along with two integral armored containers mounted on the outside
that can be used to store supplies and other equipment.
Besides that, five storage boxes are also externally mounted on the turret shell to
be used by the crew member each, three on the right side and two on the left with an
additional small hatch.
Most importantly, the AS90 can bring a total of 48 projectiles with 31 safely stored in
the turret bustle in four magazine modules.
Each of the modules has a motor that is aimed to move the intended projectile to the correct
position.
There are also other 17 projectiles that can be kept in the hull of the vehicle.
The hull and the turret themselves are made of all-welded steel armor construction with
a maximum thickness of 17 mm, making the vehicle capable of providing protection for the crew
from small armor piercing shells and shell splinters.
For the desert use, especially, the AS90 even has a thermal shield equipped on the turret
roof and solar reflective paint, protecting the crew from hot metal burns.
The AS90 Braveheart artillery vehicle has a length of 9.07 m, width of 3.5 m, height
of 2.49 m, and weight of 45.7 tons.
It is powered by a Cummins VTA-903T-660 V-8 diesel engine, which develops 660 horsepower
at 2,800 rpm.
This is coupled to a Renk LSG 2000 fully automatic transmission with four forward and two reverse
gears, enabling the system to operate at a top speed of 55 km/h on-road with a maximum
operational range of 370 km.
Furthermore, as the hydro-pneumatic suspension is supplied to this howitzer by UK Horstman
Defence Systems, not only the turret, but also the gradients of the vehicle can traverse
up to 60% with side slope of 25% maximum.
Therefore, the vehicle is able to climb vertical obstacles of 0.75 to 0.88 m and trenches to
a width of 2.8 m.
It also can ford water to a depth of 1.5 m without preparation.
With rubber plates protection at the upper part, this suspension is fitted on each side
of six road wheels, four front track-return rollers with the drive sprocket and a rear
idler.
In terms of the accessories, the AS90 Braveheart 155mm self-propelled artillery system’s
standard equipment includes night vision, NBC protection system, air conditioning, and
a fire detection suppression system.
The AS90 is also featured with a full navigation and auto-lay capability from the MAP's standard
DRU based on ring laser gyro technology, which gives the gun autonomous ability.
Thus, it can be laid automatically both in bearing and elevation.
Another fruitful feature of the AS90 is its diesel-powered auxiliary power unit installed
in the front part of the fighting compartment, which reduces the need for the main engine
to continuously run the turret system.
Moreover, a 7.62 mm NATO L7 general purpose machine gun or 12.7 mm machine gun comes as
a second armament of the AS90 howitzer, mounted on the left hatch of the turret.
Additionally, on each side of the main gun, there are five smoke grenade dischargers fitted.
For the Desert AS90 version, an improved engine, transmission oil, and cooling systems, as
well as a Diehl 940-pin track are installed for better handling in sandy terrain.
Despite the cutting-edge design of the AS90, as reported in Defense News, this self-propelled
howitzer was planned for decommissioning.
However, a few of this system will remain in service until 2032.
That’s all for today.
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