Saudi Arabia's military-industrial complex will present an 8x8 chassis 155 mm gun at the World Defense Exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2024, announcing that this move will make an important contribution to strengthening the country's defense capabilities and compete with European defense giants, such as the French Caesar gun and the German RCH155 self-propelled gun, so that Saudi Arabia has its own advanced artillery system. Interestingly, the reloading of this gun is very similar to that of the French Caesar 8x8, and it can even be said to be a copycat.
As part of the Saudi Armed Forces, the Saudi army and the National Guard are now armed with the French-made Caesar 155 mm 6x4 gun, which was developed by the French Nexter (now owned by KNDS) and has two different chassis, one Renault 6x6 and one for the military"Sheppa", the other is the U2450L6X6 Unimog for the National Guard. Nexter reportedly signed a contract with Saudi Arabia in December 2018 called Artis, which will supply approximately 45 Caesar self-propelled guns as well as 105 LG1 light guns, while 10 Caesar fighters arrived at the port of Jeddah on October 18, 2018, indicating that deliveries have begun. This is a painting released by the Saudi Arabian National Guard in March 2019, which shows a heavy artillery piece from Kaiser. The French group reported that Saudi Arabia had received at least 129 Caesar self-propelled guns. Therefore, it is not difficult for the Saudis to get some artillery technology, or even copying.
The name of the new self-propelled gun has not been released for the exhibition, but a spokesman for Sami said the move is the result of a joint effort between Sami and the Saudi military, and the vehicle is now being tested intensively by the Saudi military. The new howitzer was designed on the basis of the Czech Tatra8X8 truck, which had a special feature, that is, it and the T815-7Mor418X8 of the TataraThe 1 R heavy vehicle was exactly the same, with only a four-door cockpit, which was supposed to be designed for modification. It has a body length of 985 meters with a width of 255 meters, height 380 mm, total weight 1858 tons, with a load of 1942 tons, *W is 38 tons, equipped with Cummins ISM425 direct injection turbocharged engine, the maximum speed is 90 kilometers per hour, the width of the trench is 2 meters, and it can cross 05 meters of obstacles, water depth 12 meters, with a cruising range of 650 km, operating ambient temperature from -5° C to +45° C. Considering that the Saudis are expensive things, they will definitely choose the best tank, such as the T815-7T3RC1, the T815-7T3RC1 is a good choice, it can protect the driver of 3 levels, can withstand 762*51 mm armor-piercing projectiles, or 6 kg TNT. Crew 3 to 5 people.
This one will work too. According to the Saudi side, this howitzer is equipped with an advanced computer fire control system, which can accurately aim and shoot at the driver, so it must be equipped with an inertial navigation system, a VHF radio, a fire control computer, consisting of a position data terminal for the commander and commander in the cab, and then a touch screen is installed behind the truck, which is connected by the gunner to the C4I system, the coordinates obtained from friendly forces, and then press the button to automatically adjust the direction of the artillery, which can quickly retreat and can be multi-pointed**, it is also possible to temporarily stop the attack. During launch, the muzzle velocity radar is used to transmit the initial velocity of the projectile to the fire control system, which improves the accuracy of ground attack. Outwardly, the truck cannon is almost built, it's just not known how well it performs.
The tail of the vehicle was armed with a 155-meter gun, a semi-automatic reloading system, a large integrated ground hoe, a medicine kit and ammunition reserve. The upper part of the hoe is for human use, and the lower part is a pickaxe inserted into the ground, which is controlled by hydraulics. The ammunition and modular cartridges are manually moved out and placed in the automatic bomb thrower and automatic dispenser, and then loaded with a robotic arm against the barrel. Interestingly, though, the Saudis didn't clip bullets to their arms like Caesar, and the automatic bomb feeder and dispenser were curved, and I suspect they would have added a grappling arm to them. And the magazine is still very high, and I think a small folding platform will be added in the future.
It is worth mentioning that this gun uses bolts, so it is equipped with a range of NATO standard ammunition, including 155 mm caliber, PGK-guided, and American M982 Excalibur. It has been reported that Saudi WAHAJ will establish a joint venture with KNDS's Nextermunitions at the end of 2023 to supply 155 mm caliber artillery shells to the Saudi military, and the two sides will have a long-term relationship. "Wahaj Nexter Industries" will carry out the indigenous manufacture of modular ammunition for 155 mm artillery systems in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia will forge and machine large-caliber artillery shells with the help of Nexter Machinery and provide specialized technical and technical support to Wahaj. Its mission was to supply the Saudis with ammunition for Caesar's truck artillery. Saudi Arabia's military-industrial company also showcased missiles made by PGK and guided artillery shells for the Sword of God, which were requested from U.S. companies.
The Saudis studied Caesar's artillery, which, together with the Caesar 8x8 design, created a cannon similar to a tank. The Saudis can't grow on their own, but they can find some good partners with their own money, like Nexter, like Kia in South Korea, which they already have a cooperation agreement with Sami, and some powerful eastern country. And now, it's time to look at the power of Saudi tank artillery.