Non-Subscriber Extract
Fire support gains better mobility
By Christopher F Foss
14 December 2007
Expeditionary and rapid-reaction forces have always had organic fire support that in most cases consists of mortars and towed or self-propelled (SP) conventional tube artillery. In recent years a number of countries have started to acquire fire-support systems that are much lighter than legacy weapons, but still retain the required range.
For example, the latest 155 mm system to enter service is the now BAE Systems Land Systems M777 Lightweight Field Howitzer (LFH), which through the use of new materials and an innovative design weighs only 4,218 kg, a substantial 2,975 kg lighter than the 155 mm M198 it is replacing.
Along with the lower weight, an increasing number of users are also demanding systems that are not only easier to deploy but also have reduced manpower requirements. Accordingly, many new artillery systems entering service have an integral navigation and positioning system, as well as an onboard computerised fire-control system, enabling them to come into action, carry out a fire mission and come out of action before the platform is engaged by counter battery fire.
As well as significant advances in artillery fire control, there have also recently been major advances in the area of artillery munitions covering the projectile, as well as the charge system and fuze.
For many years the standard natures of ammunition centred on high explosive (HE), illumination and smoke, but these have been joined by new rocket-assisted projectiles (RAPs), base bleed (BB) and some that combine both to greatly increase their range. There are also improved conventional munition (ICM) 'buses' that carry submunitions to attack troops in the open or the vulnerable upper surfaces of armoured vehicles, though the type is subject to a potential ban under the 'Oslo Process'. In the meantime, most users require fitment of a self-destruct fuze mechanism to each submunition.
Artillery can provide general suppressive firepower on a 24/7 basis but with the advent of precision-guided munitions such as Raytheon's 155 mm M982 Excalibur, it has at last achieved the precision strike capability that gunners have sought for so long. Excalibur is of the BB type and its on-board anti-jam GPS affords it an accuracy better than 10 m, enabling it to be accurately fired at targets even if very close to friendly units.
Artillery is also moving on in terms of logistics, and bagged charges are now rapidly giving way to modular charge systems, which have a significant impact on the ammunition supply chain, as well as enabling their use in the automatic loaders installed in some SP artillery systems.