For the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 105-mm towed howitzers of the L118 type will replace 122-mm artillery systems.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine will receive 105-mm howitzers, this issue has already been resolved, because. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reported about sending instructors who should teach Ukrainian fighters how to use these weapons.
Also at the end of April, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace announced his intention to transfer 105-mm artillery systems.
“One of the things this modern battlefield demonstrates [ред. – Украина]lies in the fact that it is better to quickly change position after a shot, because fairly cheap UAVs can very quickly find it”– the British Minister of Defense explained the concept.
There is also an understanding of what kind of 105-mm artillery system will be delivered to Ukraine – these are British L118 howitzers. This is a fairly common weapon, which is in service with almost 20 countries, including the UK and the USA itself.
It has different names in different countries. In Britain – L118, in the USA – M119, and licensed version for Australia and New Zealand – L119. Therefore, it is often referred to simply as 105 Light Gun.
Capabilities of the 105 mm howitzer
The main feature of such a system, which allows it to remain in service with more powerful 155-mm artillery systems, is mobility. The L118 howitzer weighs about two tons, for comparison, the old 155-mm American M198 gun weighs 7 tons, and the ultralight M777, thanks to the extensive use of titanium alloys, weighs 4.2 tons.
In practice, for the United States and Great Britain, such mobility is of great importance due to the fact that helicopters are used to move artillery on a permanent basis. In more mundane realities, the same L118 can be towed even by a light SUV HMMWV.
But, of course, a smaller caliber means less power and range. For the L118, the maximum range of a conventional projectile is 17.5 km. Thanks to the use of active-reactive, it can be raised to 19.5-20.5 km. While the M777, this parameter is up to 24.7 km with conventional projectiles and up to 30 km with active-reactive ones.
You should also take into account the lower weight of the 105-mm projectile, which affects its combat power. The standard L31 ammunition contains 2.5 kg of explosives against the standard 155 mm M107 which is filled with 6.87 kg.
Features of the 105 mm howitzer
At the same time, the lighter weight of the projectile, especially in combination with the case loading, makes it possible to significantly accelerate the rate of fire. For the 105-mm caliber, they declare a regular rate of fire of up to eight rounds per minute for several minutes. When for the 155 mm M777 the rate of fire in the first minute is up to 5 shots.
The easiest way to understand the difference is in the following two videos. Working with L118 in version M119A3:
As well as high-speed firing from the 155-mm M777, which is demonstrated by the US Marines:
As a result, 105-mm allows you to throw twice as many shells at the same time at the same time.
It should also be noted that the British L118, as well as the American version of the M119A3, have digital fire control systems, which significantly increases the efficiency and speed of opening aimed fire.
And we should not forget that in addition to 152-mm artillery systems that are being replaced by 155-mm ones, the Armed Forces of Ukraine use 122-mm artillery systems, including D-30 guns, as well as 2S1 Gvozdika. The same systems are in service with the Russian army. The firing range of them is about 15 km, which is less than the capabilities of the L118.
Howitzer L118 – characteristics
- Caliber: 105 mm
- Weight: 2320 kg
- Calculation: 5-7 persons
- firing range: 17.5 km (up to 20.5 km – active-reactive)
You may also be interested in:
–
