Self-propelled howitzers are indispensable fire support in modern warfare**, which can quickly hit enemy positions, armor, fire points and other targets, providing firepower superiority for your own troops. Traditional self-propelled howitzers generally use a tracked chassis, which can improve their cross-country ability and stability, but also bring some disadvantages, such as heavy weight, poor mobility, high fuel consumption, high noise, difficult maintenance, etc.
In recent years, with the development of new types such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and cruise missiles, the operational environment of self-propelled howitzers has also changed, and it needs to maneuver and shoot more quickly, flexibly and covertly to cope with the enemy's precision strikes and counter-artillery reconnaissance. Therefore, a new type of self-propelled howitzer began to rise, and it was a truck gun.
The concept of the truck gun is simple, it is to install a howitzer in the back of a truck, and use the truck's mobility and load capacity to achieve rapid deployment and evacuation. There are many advantages of truck guns, such as light weight, strong mobility, low fuel consumption, low noise, simple maintenance, etc., and they can also use the shape of civilian trucks to camouflage and conceal to reduce the risk of being discovered by the enemy.
One of the masterpieces of truck artillery is the French "Caesar" 155 mm truck gun, which is mounted on a 6 6 Renault truck chassis, mounted with a 155 mm 52 times diameter howitzer, with a range of 40 kilometers, a rate of fire of 6 rounds per minute, and can fire a variety of ammunition, including guided shells. It has a combat total weight of only 18 tons, a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour, a range of 600 kilometers, and can be transported by air by C-130 transport aircraft. It has equipped the armies of France, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Thailand and other countries, participated in many wars and peacekeeping operations, and performed well.
Another example of a truck gun is the Swedish "Archer" 155mm truck gun, which is mounted on a 6 6 Volvo truck chassis with a 155 mm 52 times diameter howitzer, a range of 60 km, a rate of fire of 8 rounds per minute, and can fire a variety of ammunition, including guided shells. It has a combat total weight of only 30 tons, a top speed of 70 kilometers per hour, a range of 500 kilometers, and can be transported by air by C-17 transport aircraft. It is also equipped with an automatic reloading system that can be reloaded in 30 seconds, and an automated fire control system that can aim and shoot in 30 seconds, enabling the "shoot and scoot" tactic. It has been equipped with the armies of Sweden, Norway, South Africa and other countries, and is known as "the most advanced truck gun in the world".
The development of truck artillery in China.
China is also not lagging behind in the development of truck artillery, as early as 2009, for the first time, the PCL-09 122-mm truck gun was equipped with a 6 6 Dongfeng truck chassis with a domestic modification of the Type 96 122-mm howitzer with a firing range of up to 22 km, a rate of fire of 8 rounds per minute, which can fire a wide range of ammunition, including guided shells. It has a combat full combat weight of 16 tons, a maximum speed of 85 kilometers per hour, a range of 600 kilometers, and can be transported by air by transport aircraft. It has equipped the armies of China, Pakistan, Cambodia and other countries, participated in many exercises and actual combat, and demonstrated good performance.
However, the PCL-09 also has some shortcomings, such as the artillery and the vehicle are old models, the structure is relatively simple, and the design of firing with the muzzle facing backwards is adopted, and the firing range has great limitations. In order to improve these problems, on this basis, China has developed a variety of truck guns, such as PCL-171, SH-1, SH-2, etc., with calibers ranging from 122 mm to 155 mm, both export models and built-in models, all of which adopt the design of firing with the muzzle facing forward, and the firing range is more flexible, and some advanced equipment has been added, such as digital fire control systems, satellite navigation systems, radio communication systems, etc., to improve the accuracy and reliability of truck guns.
After years of development and accumulation, China finally launched a new truck gun in 2019, which is the PCL-181 155mm truck gun, which is the domestic version of the SH15 truck gun we are going to introduce today. This truck gun is on the chassis of a Dongfeng truck of 6 6 with a 155 mm 52 times diameter howitzer installed, with a firing range of 40 km, a rate of fire of 6 rounds per minute, and can fire a variety of ammunition, including guided shells.
It has a combat total weight of only 25 tons, a maximum speed of 90 kilometers per hour, a range of 500 kilometers, and can be transported by air by transport aircraft. It is also equipped with an armored capsule that provides protection for the crew of 6 from light ** fire and shell fragments.
The PCL-181 truck gun is one of the main fire support of the Chinese Army**, and it is known as the "God of War on the Plateau" because it can adapt to the complex environment of the plateau area and exert powerful firepower. It has equipped several army units in western China, participated in several plateau exercises, and demonstrated excellent performance.
Export of the SH15 truck gun.
The export model of the PCL-181 truck gun is the SH15 truck gun, which is basically the same as the domestic model, but with some adjustments in some details to adapt to the needs of different countries. SH15 truck gun has entered the international market and has become a bright business card of China's truck gun.
Recently, the Ethiopian army showed its latest 32 SH15 truck guns, which is the country's first purchase of Chinese truck guns and the first introduction of this advanced ** in Africa. Ethiopia is an important country in Africa, it has a large army, but its equipment level is low, mainly relying on the Soviet Union and Russia old-fashioned **, such as D-30 122mm howitzers, BM-21 122mm rocket launchers, etc. These are no longer sufficient for Ethiopia's defense needs, especially in the face of the military threat from neighboring Eritrea, which needs more modern and powerful fire support**.
Therefore, Ethiopia chose the Chinese SH15 truck gun, which was a wise decision, because the SH15 truck gun not only has excellent performance, but also is very reasonable, and it is much cheaper than Western truck guns. It is reported that Ethiopia purchased 32 SH15 truck guns for a total price of about 1$600 million, an average of about $5 million per gun, while the French Caesar truck guns cost up to $10 million each, and the Swedish Archer truck guns cost up to $15 million each. It can be said that Ethiopia has obtained a high cost performance ratio at a very low cost.
The introduction of the SH15 truck gun will greatly improve Ethiopia's firepower level, giving it a strong fire support force in the African region, and will also enhance its military readiness in the changing geopolitical landscape.
The successful export of the SH15 truck gun has also attracted the attention of other countries, and it is said that Ethiopia's neighboring countries have expressed interest in the SH15 truck gun and may become the next purchaser. These countries are all friendly countries of China and military powers, and if they can be equipped with SH15 truck guns, they will further enhance their national defense capabilities, and will also enhance their military cooperation with China to jointly maintain regional peace and stability.
Through the above introduction, we can see that the SH15 truck gun is a very advanced one, it not only has high performance, but also has high cost performance, it is a beautiful business card of China's truck gun, and it is also a masterpiece of the first industry. Its export has not only won China the international market, but also won China's international reputation, demonstrated China's military strength and technological level, and also embodied China's concept of peaceful development and win-win cooperation.
I believe that with the continuous development and improvement of China's truck guns, the SH15 truck guns will have broader export prospects, provide high-quality fire support for more countries, and contribute to maintaining world peace and security.