Artillery: The King of battle.... :)

[Redleg]

Back again... :m16:

Had two good weeks at Hjerkinn Artillery range here in Norway.
It's over 1000m up in the mountains, so we had some snow, but other than that the weather was ok...

Just wanted to show you some pics of what I have been doing...
The reason why we were there now was to do some ballistic tests with some new ammunition types (long-range HE (high explosive) and bomblet/cargo shells).

We used a modified M109A3GN, upgraded with a inertial navigation system. So it's almost like the M109 Paladin (- the semi-automatic loader).
On these pictures we shoot about 20km, and the muzzle velocity is about 810m/s..... (5 modular charges)
You can see the shell behind the trees in picture nr 3.

The cargo shell contains 49/63 of these bomblets, capable of penetrating about 12-15cm of armor. It does also have a fragmentation effect, lethal in a 15m radius...

This is a very good picture.
We use charge 5 (white bag), with a muzzle velocity of about 360m/s. The shell is still in the smoke cloud in front of the muzzle!...

Here we use charge 7 (white bag). You can see the shell in front if the gun. The muzzle velocity is about 560m/s here...

This is also a very lucky picture.
Here we use 5 modular charges, it's not possible to use any more than this on the M109.
The noise level inside the howitzer is about 170db(!), so we had to use a remote firing device when using 5 modules.
The muzzle velocity is about 810m/s here, so I was lucky to capture it on my camera!

Anyone who wants to be a Redleg???
:firedevi: The Fire is everything, the rest is nothing....:firedevi:

 

[GuyontheRight]

Haha, you'd be a good recruiting agent, Im excited just looking at those great photoes. So does your howitzers use automatic loaders?

 

[Redleg]

No, we don't have automatic loaders on the M109A3...
The one we used here is a upgraded version, with an inertial/gyro navigation/positioning system.
It's a rather old howitzer, and we're in a process these days changing out the M109 with new and modern howitzers.
We are leaning more and more towards the German Panzerhaubitze 2000.

Great thing!
Read more about it here:http://www.army-technology.com/projects/pzh2000/index.html

and btw: going to have some more fun with the howitzer this week. Going away to Hjerkinn today(monday) again, I'll probably be away for 2-3 days..

 

[Tessa]

Man, I knew I should have done the army..

Those pictures is artwork.. :shock:

God, I could have given alot just to be there..

 

[Redleg]

Hi GhostWolf and welcome to the forum.

Of course these pictures are artwork..
I took them, and they are of "The King of Battle" !! :firedevi:

Why don't you join the Army then?
I can recomend the Artillery. :wink:

 

[GuyontheRight]

I found some multimedia you Redleg's may like:
http://www.operations.mod.uk/telic/images/ops/3rha.wmv

British Self-Proppeled guns in Operation Telic, which would be Iraqi Freedom for all us Americans.

 

[Redleg]

Nice!

Here's one from Hjerkinn:
www.artilleri.com/images/140-4058_MVI.AVI

 

[Redleg]

I just got these photos from a friend.
They're also from the same exercise..

4 and 5 modules, HE basebleed shell. ca 810m/s... :firedevi:

 

[Redneck]

Redleg, does the Norwegian FA use "shake and bake?" (Firing a barrage of WP rounds to blind enemy troops followed by HE proximity rounds in case you use a different name.)

 

[Redleg]

"shake and Bake" was a new expression...

We use something similiar to what you describe.

But when we use WP+HE 2 of the guns fires WP and 4 HE at once (Gun battery), 3 rounds each is standard.
So the rounds lands at the same time on the target.

WP is a very nasty, but also a very pretty thing.... :firedevi:

 

[Redneck]

Sounds like it makes the party happen though haha.

 

[Pogue]

Queen of Battle all the way! Die hard Infantry here (Hopefully..GOD LET ME COMMISSION INFANTRY..) :lol:

 

[SHERMAN]

I dont want to anger the Brass....

But the true King of The Battle is an MBT....Artillery is important two...But Tanks are the kings!!!
____
{ +]=====
===' '=====
\ O -------------- O /
O O O O O O O

 

[Redleg]

Re: I dont want to anger the Brass....

But the true King of The Battle is an MBT....Artillery is important two...But Tanks are the kings!!!
____
{ +]=====
===' '=====
\ O -------------- O /
O O O O O O O

Nope... 8)

 

[Pogue]

you can pound the hell out of whatever piece of land you want, but who goes in afterwards? INFANTRY!!!!!!!

 

[Redleg]

Artillery conquers and infantry occupies.
J.F.C. Fuller

:wink:

http://www.military-quotes.com/artillery quotes.htm

 

[Pogue]

oh yeah? Infantry get blue cords on their class A's....ooooooooooooh blue...

 

[SHERMAN]

Yeah....

And then our brave GIs encounter a company of soviet T62s....and call for armour or airsuport....Or they are in CC inside a city and need a tank to blast the heck out of a building....

 

[SHERMAN]

Redleg

Here Redleg, i think youd like this:

www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/vehicles/self_propelled_artillery/m109/Doher.html

 

[Redleg]

Re: Redleg

Here Redleg, i think youd like this:

www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/vehicles/self_propelled_artillery/m109/Doher.html

Nice, me likes big boom-booms...
I think I have seen this one in action several times in Lebanon.
(REAL close some times too.... :? )