|
|
|
G6 155mm self-propelled gun-howitzer from South Africa’s Denel Group |
Superficially, recent military operations in both the middle east and the former republic of Yugoslavia have reaffirmed the supremacy of air-delivered, stand-off precision weapons for such intervention operations. Indeed, a number of post-Kosovo reviews on both sides of the Atlantic have emphasised the importance of further enhancing air-delivered precision munitions.
Similarly, the perception of the US and a number of western European countries, has been that heavily equipped ground forces have become hamstrung by their lack of strategic mobility. However, as General Mike Jackson, commander of NATO’s allied rapid reaction corps remarked on his return from Kosovo, forces should be capable of conducting peacekeeping and peace-enforcement missions and be configured primarily for high-intensity conflicts, as demonstrated in the Gulf in 1990-91.
In terms of equipment and doctrine, however, this implies a number of contractions, evident not least in the procurement of the modern artillery systems that have steadily evolved since the cold war. Throughout the 1980s NATO’s member states embarked upon substantial re-equipment programmes for their ground forces. New main battle tanks, mechanised infantry-fighting vehicles and rocket artillery in the form of the US multiple-launch rocket system, were introduced. However, with the notable exception of the French 155mm GCT self-propelled gun, no major NATO army introduced an entirely new artillery system, largely because of the collapse of the SP-70 programme in the mid-1980s.
Significant enhancements to the various artillery parks therefore were left until the 1990s and the introduction of the AS90 into British service and the Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH 2000) into the German Army. However, these were still optimised for operations on the central German plain, being relatively heavy compared to their predecessors, with higher tactical mobility and emphasising shoot-and-scoot tactics in order to avoid counter-battery fire.
What these systems were never required to do was possess good strategic mobility. Many of the larger self-propelled artillery systems entering, or about to enter, the inventories of a number of western armies are considered outsized loads in terms of airlift requirements.
In terms of tactical mobility, tracked artillery systems still predominate on the battlefield. Systems such as the AS90 and PzH 2000 represent the backbone of the tube artillery arm and the expected introduction of the XM2001 Crusader self-propelled Howitzer (SPH) into US service around 2004/05 will continue this evolution. Equipped with a 1500 horsepower engine, the SPH should equal, even surpass, the mobility of the Abrams MBT and Bradley MICV, and possess a burst speed capable of moving the vehicle well outside the footprint of any counter-battery fire.
The XM2001 also will be joined by the XM2002 armoured re-supply vehicle. The RSV will re-supply the howitzer with the necessary fuel, water, propellant and ammunition automatically in less than 12 minutes. This should allow the SPH to maintain high tempo operations, permitting a theoretical burst rate of 12 rounds per minute and a multiple rounds/simultaneous impact capability of up to eight rounds, depending on the range to target.
Out-of-area operations also are pushing the requirement for strategic mobility that traditionally has been addressed by the employment of towed artillery. Setting the pace is the US joint lightweight 155mm howitzer, a successor to the 15,700lb M198.
The VSEL/Marconi XM777, entering service from 2002 and weighing less than 9,000lb, will be externally transportable by the V22 Osprey, CH-53D Sea Stallion and CH-53E Super Stallion, greatly increasing its tactical mobility.
In order to increase further the flexibility of towed artillery, the XM777 is scheduled to receive an improvement programme from 2005. This should introduce image-intensified direct-fire sights, a mission-management computer and self-location capabilities, utilising SINCGARS radios and an embedded GPS receiver. This should permit batteries to fire from unsurveyed gun positions while tactically dispersed across the battlefield, reducing emplacement and displacement times to three and two minutes respectively.
The US Army also is considering its future direct support weapon system to replace remaining M102 and M119 105mm cannons. Here a 155mm weapon weighing less than 5000lb is being sought, making it externally transportable by many lighter battlefield helicopters.
|
|
|
Crusader XM2001 self-propelled howitzer allows firing rates of up to ten rounds per minute and multiple-round simultaneous-impact mission capabilities |
Current innovations also lie in the area of wheeled artillery. Lacking the cross-country mobility of tracked vehicles, wheeled artillery traditionally has been seen as the preserve of those nations either with budget restrictions or with large operating ranges situated far from adequate logistical support. The South African G6 155mm howitzer and the DANA self-propelled 152mm howitzer are both early examples of this. Comparatively cheap to produce and requiring relatively low maintenance, both fitted a specific operational requirement.
The new generation of wheeled artillery piece is designed for global intervention operations, where large operational ranges, low weight and supportability issues are essential. France recently purchased ten 15.8 tonne Caesar 155mm artillery systems from Giat. The 6x6 Unimog chassis has a top speed of over 100km/h, and an operational range of 600km. With no compromise in terms of effectiveness, the 52-calibre weapon has a range of 42kms, utilising the latest onboard fire control and self-positioning system – vital on dispersed, intervention operations.
The 155mm/52-calibre barrel is now becoming the weapon of choice among the better-resourced armies. The UK has ordered a part conversion of its AS90 fleet with the new barrel, and the PzH 2000, XM2001 and Caesar use the ordnance as standard. The international viability of this concept will soon be seen in India where the possible purchase of 3-4,000 155mm/52 calibre pieces is anticipated, with bids including self-propelled types such as the Bofors VH-77B/VME A25C 6x6-truck combination.
With such flexible cannons offering extended range, more effective munitions and accurate fire control systems are de rigour. While it is likely that the artillery community will utilise cargo rounds containing simple cluster munitions, smart weapons will evolve in order to engage the most difficult of battlefield targets manoeuvring or heavily camouflaged armoured vehicles.
Early increases in precision were gained using active laser designation; requiring direct line of sight of the target coupled with sophisticated control measures in order to link shooter with observer. The first such system was the Martin Marietta Copperhead, but it received few imitators given its operational complexities. Production has now begun of a number of 155mm rounds that utilise infrared or millimetric sensors in the terminal phase to seek their targets autonomously.
The first of this generation was the 22.5 km Gencorp Aerojet M898 SADARM (sense and destroy armour) sub-munition that has been in low-rate production since 1997. Estimates suggest that to achieve the required 30 per cent casualty rate among an opposing armoured unit, only three per cent of SADARM rounds, compared to the M483A1 bomblet munition, would be required, an enormous saving of logistical support and time. Similarly, Rheinmetall and Diehl are producing the Smart 155 for the PzH 2000, combining infrared and millimetric sensors for greater target discrimination.
Although an improved SADARM round, due into service in 2001, will offer a three-fold expansion of the search footprint, greater ranges increase the possibility of errors and future smart munitions will possess embedded GPS positioning. Again setting the pace is a US munition, the XM982 cargo round. With an estimated range of at least 37km the XM982 will carry three separate payloads: the baseline cluster munition for introduction in 2005, the SADARM equipped version in 2007, and a single hard target warhead in 2008.
The UK also is known to be researching GPS guidance in conjunction with a composite body, in the form of the payload augmented munition, designed to reach out over approximately 100kms. Over such ranges other means of navigation, such as fibre-optic cabling and precision engagement, may be required.
For the future, it is likely that there will be increased blurring between traditional indirect and direct fire weapons and the range and scope of artillery systems. Increased mortar ranges and the use of MBT main armament for engaging indirect targets, coupled with the evolution of the deep battle, will ensure that artillery ranges will increase, driving the requirement for more accurate and lethal payloads. Research into liquid propellant, electro-thermal, electro-thermal chemical and electro-magnetic rail and coil gun technologies indicate future possibilities. Moreover, precision munitions still have great difficulty in engaging mobile targets and with a premium on reducing friendly casualties an ultra-long range artillery system could compliment the capabilities of aerial-delivered munitions, at reduced risk and cost.
To achieve this, however, the gap between the heavy, tracked SPHs and towed artillery will have to be bridged. The recent call to form medium- weight brigades within the US Army for intervention operations should set the agenda. Indeed, the rather crude attempts in the US during the 1980s to mount a M102 howitzer on an 8x8 medium-combat truck in order to effect rapid deployment was prophetic.
Where Giat’s Caesar has ventured, others will surely follow, such as a combination of XM777 on a Mowag Piranha 10x10, in order to adjust to changing strategic requirements. |
