18 November 2020
LNA displays new artillery
by Jeremy Binnie
The Libyan National Army (LNA), the powerful faction that controls eastern Libya, has displayed what appears to have been a South African-made 155 mm G5 gun-howitzer and Serbian multiple rocket launchers (MRLs).
What appeared to be a 155 mm G5 gun-howitzer featured in a video of an LNA exercise. (Libyan National Army)
The artillery was seen in a video the LNA released on 14 November that it said showed an exercise that featured “specialised battalions, artillery, armour, missiles, military engineering, special forces, the air force, and the parachute team” demonstrating their ability to manoeuvre to exploit terrain.
It began with an artillery bombardment by guns that included a 155 mm system with an auxiliary power unit that appeared to be a G5. There have been reports that the Libyan military acquired similar GH N-45 gun-howitzers before the imposition of a UN arms embargo on Libya in 2011 but the acquisition has never been confirmed and the South African derivative has a different muzzle break.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a known supporter of the LNA, reportedly acquired G5s, as well as the self-propelled G6 version, from South Africa in the 1990s. Pretoria has previously denied that Mbombe armoured vehicles that were supplied to the LNA in violation of the arms embargo came from South Africa, saying they were made in Jordan.
Three 130 mm M-46 and three 122 mm D-30 guns were also seen in the exercise, along with mortars of various calibres and three MRLs.
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The Libyan National Army (LNA), the powerful faction that controls eastern Libya, has displayed what...
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