The FH77 is one of the best examples of the new-generation Western 155mm towed artillery
systems, which was studied between the mid-1960s and introduced in the 1970s.
Although many remember it with the infamous Bofors Scandal in India, this howitzer is
also the hero of the Kargil War.
Today, we are investigating the FH77, the fastest 155mm gunslinger.
The FH77 takes its name from the Swedish word "Fälthaubits", which means "field howitzer",
and the year that Sweden ordered it.
It was the product of one of the new-generation towed artillery development programmes initiated
in many Western countries between the mid-1960s and early 1970s.
Two main factors paved the way for the development of the FH77.
Sweden had acquired and produced the French Obusier de 155 mm Modèle 50 under license
in the early 1950s.
But after a while, the carriage of this howitzer, whose Swedish designation was 15,5 cm haubits
F, began to experience cracks in the harsh conditions of Scandinavia.
So, the Swedish Army needed a new 155mm towed howitzer.
In the same period, the Warsaw Pact armies had an overwhelming numerical superiority
in the field of towed artillery.
As if that was not enough, no Western artillery system could not reach the range of the 130mm
M-46 field gun, except the 175mm M107 SPG.
Alongside the M-46, the BM-21 Grad multiple-launch rocket system, the Warsaw Pact armies had
the advantage on the counter-battery missions.
So, many Western countries, including Sweden, began to work on advanced new-generation 155mm
towed artillery.
The new howitzers would have longer calibre barrels and be able to use new advanced artillery
shells and propelling charges to increase the range.
They would have an auxiliary power unit, or shortly APU.
This device would increase survivability against counter-battery fire by giving them limited
mobility and reducing the set-up and redeployment times.
The APU would also help to increase the rate of fire, so a smaller number of howitzers
could fire more rounds in a shorter time.
You may ask why many Western countries did not think to replace their towed artillery
with self-propelled ones.
All military planners thought that the conventional battles of the possible Third World War would
be similar to the previous ones.
In the long run, numerical superiority would prevail over quality.
So, Western armies needed towed artillery, which was less complex and expensive than
the self-propelled one.
For example, Sweden had already tested the M109 for its 15,5 cm haubits F replacement
programme.
The acquisition expenses of this self-propelled howitzer were low, but its life-cycle costs
were too high compared to towed one.
Sweden studied the requirements and features of the new towed artillery system between
1965 and 1968.
The Swedish defence procurement agency, Försvarets materielverk, awarded AB Bofors a development
contract in the late-1960s.
The company completed the first prototype of the FH77 in 1973 and began serial production
in 1978.
The Swedish Army took the howitzer into the service in the same year.
The standard crew of the FH77 is 10 to 14-person.
But, four people can take the gun into the firing position, set up, feed and fire.
The initial variant of the howitzer, the FH77A, had the Volvo B20 engine mounted on the forward
part of the carriage.
The B version has the Mercedes-Benz OM-616.918 diesel engine.
Thanks to the APU, the howitzer can travel at a speed of 7 kilometres per hour in the
self-propelled mode.
The gun layer, who also acts as the driver, is positioned on the left side of the carriage
and uses levers to steer the FH77.
The large main wheels are used for both driving and steering.
The hydraulically operated support wheels on trails assist in lumbering and unlimbering
the howitzer.
The standard towing vehicle of the FH77 is the Saab-Scania SBAT 111S 6x6 truck, whose
Swedish Army designation was Tgb 40.
It had a HIAB-made crane for ammunition handling.
The truck can tow the howitzer at a maximum road speed of 70 kilometres per hour.
When travelling on rough terrain, the APU and main wheels of the FH77A can be employed,
which provides 8x8 drive capability.
But, due to limitations of the APU, the truck and the howitzer can go only at the speed
of 8 kilometres per hour in this configuration.
Entering the firing position and setting up is performed with power provided via the APU.
The gun layer hydraulicly elevates and traverses the barrel.
Although the barrel has limited traverse angles, the entire howitzer body can easily be turned
towards the target, thanks to the APU.
The loading table is on the right on which the 155mm projectiles are placed via an ammunition
crane.
The ammunition handler screws the fuzes into the 155mm projectile and places the cartridge
case onto the loading table.
Cartridge cases used in the FH77 A variant have been replaced with bag charges in the
B version.
The crane handler lifts three projectiles at a time onto the loading table.
Thanks to this feature, the FH77 A could fire three rounds in 6 to 8 seconds, which makes
it the fastest 155mm towed howitzer.
On the other hand, the rate of fire of the FH77 B in burst mode is three rounds per 12
seconds.
The loader, who sits on the right, feeds the projectile from the loading table and operates
the rammer.
The semi-automatic breech mechanism of the FH77 A had a vertical sliding breech block
opened downwards.
The B version has a breech screw mechanism.
Although the standard sight of the FH77 is the BAAB RIA electronic sight, the howitzer
can be used with different ones.
It also has a telescope sight, which can magnify the target's view four times.
The BAAB NK24 night sight fitted in front of the ordinary telescopic sight allows direct
fire under night conditions.
The howitzer is equipped with an electromechanical firing device.
The FH77 also has hand pumps, one for laying and ramming and one for the castor wheels.
They can be used to obtain the pressure required in the hydraulic systems in the case of APU
failure.
Also, thanks to these hand pumps, the howitzer can quietly be operated, which offers a highly
effective solution to hiding the firing position.
The FH77 A had a 155mm 38-calibre barrel.
The export variant of the howitzer, the FH77 B, is fitted with a 39-calibre one, which
can fire NATO standard ammunition.
Later, Sweden also updated its FH77 As to B standards.
These howitzers had some modifications to be operated at lower temperatures.
The FH77 B has better general handling and cross-country mobility.
Besides, it is fitted with a breech screw mechanism and a new hydraulic loading system.
Initially, the B version had a parallel pepperpot muzzle brake, similar to the A variant.
However, following trials, the late production models of the FH77 B were fitted with new
and more efficient double-baffle ones.
The early production howitzers have also been refitted with this muzzle brake later.
Thanks to these changes, the maximum range of the FH77 has increased from 22,000 to 30,000
metres.
It can also fire BONUS, the artillery cluster munition designed for indirect fire top attack
roles against armoured vehicles within a range of 35,000 metres.
Currently, some Indian companies and research institutions are jointly working on 155mm
shells using ramjet propulsion.
So, the Indian FH77s can send a precision-guided round to over 60,000 metres range when the
project is concluded.
In 1992, Sweden began the REMO Project and mounted several FH77s on the Volvo A30D all-terrain
articulated hauliers.
This project led to the creation of the FH77BW L52 Archer, which has a 52-calibre variant
of the FH77. 12 cm rörlig kustartilleripjäs m/80 KARIN,
also known as CD 80, was the coastal artillery variant of the FH77 with a 120mm 55-calibre
barrel.
The KARIN was an acronym for "KustArtilleriets Rörliga Invasionsförsvar" meaning "Coastal
Artillery's Mobile Invasion Defense".
In addition to the barrel, it also had a different ammunition handling system and a fully remote-controlled
improved laying system.
Thanks to these features, the KARIN could engage moving naval targets with high precision.
The Royal Swedish Coast Artillery took delivery of the pre-production model of the KARIN in
1978 for trials.
Three years later, the revised serial production variant, which could be operated with fire
control radar, was delivered.
It had a rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute and a range of 30,000 metres.
The KARIN was also installed on a Volvo A30D all-terrain articulated haulier for trial
purposes.
But unlike the Archer Programme, this project was terminated later.
We should add that the Indian Dhanush towed howitzer is developed based on the FH77.
Sweden retired all FH77s and KARINs by the new millennium.
India and Nigeria still operate this howitzer.
The crew of the FH77 B is six people.
In the travelling position, the howitzer is 11.6 metres long, 2.65 metres wide, and 2.82
metres high.
In the firing position, its width increases to 7.18 metres.
The combat weight of the FH77 B is 12,000 kilograms.
The 155mm 39 calibre gun has a range of 24,0000 metres with a standard projectile and 30,000
metres with a High-Explosive Extended-Range projectile.
The rate of fire is ten rounds per minute.
The elevation of the gun is between -3 and +70 degrees.
The barrel can be traversed at 30 degrees on both sides.
Due to the neutrality policy of Sweden, the FH77 never saw combat in the Swedish Army
service.
However, the Nigerian howitzers continue to fight against the jihadist groups in the country
successfully.
But, we should admit that the adventures of the FH77 in India have made it mediatic.
India's initial order for 410 FH77 Bs in the mid-1980s was the largest export success in
Swedish history.
Also, Delhi planned to produce another 1,000 howitzers under license.
But, these happy days ended with a story aired by a Swedish radio in 1987.
The infamous Bofors Scandal broke out, which revealed that some Indian politicians had
been involved in bribery during the negotiations.
Then, Delhi naturally cancelled the programme.
Even though India had chosen the FH77, called Bofors gun in this country, because of the
bribery, the howitzer proved its value during the 1999 Kargil War.
In the early stage of the war, the Pakistan Army captured key positions on hilltops overlooking
routes connecting Siachen and Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country.
The Indians could not get proper air support to repeal the Pakistanis.
In Star Wars, when Anakin said "don't underestimate my power" to Obi-Wan, who was on the high
ground, he was wrong.
But this time, the Indians said, "don't underestimate the power of our Bofors guns", and they were
right.
During Operation Vijay, the Bofors guns of the Indian Army managed to force the Pakistan
Army to vacate the hilltops by suppressing the enemy's artillery.
Its highly accurate deep strike and direct-fire capabilities had paralyzed the Pakistanis.
But, the battle was also highly costly.
The 286th Medium Regiment of the Indian Army lost all 18 Bofors guns in 25 days.
But, the bravely fought Indians managed to take strategic peaks like Tiger Hill and Tololing
with the invaluable assistance of the FH77.
The Bofors gun was the real hero of the Kargil War.
It is unfair to remember the FH77 with the Bofors Scandal.
It is indeed a successful howitzer, which bears the elegance and high quality of Swedish
engineering.
Still, we should admit that the FH77 has managed to erase the black mark beside its name with
its achievements in the Kargil War.
It undoubtedly deserves to be mentioned as a legend.
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