In Ukraine, the new wheeled howitzer from KNDS is scheduled to go into combat use next year. With a crew of just two, it could also be a response to personnel shortages in the armed forces.
With a fully automated wheeled howitzer that can also fire while moving, the tank manufacturer KNDS promises the German army and other armed forces advantages on the battlefield. In addition, the new artillery system should be able to be manned by two soldiers.
“That is the minimum that is possible, and it can also be implemented quite well operationally. Essentially it is the driver and the gun commander,” said Till von Westerman, who is responsible for the combat systems division at KNDS Germany, to the German Press Agency at the Altengrabow military training area in Saxony-Anhalt. The RCH 155 weapon system was presented there on Wednesday and Thursday.
KNDS is a merger of the traditional German company KMW and the French armaments company Nexter and also produces the tracked Panzerhaubitze 2000. This has been introduced into several NATO armies and has a crew of five soldiers. The weapon system – a heavy gun on an armoured tracked vehicle – enables maximum off-road mobility. However, transporting it by rail or on low-loaders over longer distances requires more effort. In contrast, the new wheeled howitzer can also be driven to its destination over longer distances at 100 km/h.
Developers see many advantages
The developers highlight several advantages of the system – the first customer is Ukraine. The howitzer can fire immediately and in all directions without preparation or support. The gun turret can be remotely controlled and can therefore also be controlled from outside. Even more important: the wheeled howitzer can fire while moving. The difficulty here is compensating for movements of the vehicle in the weapon system and still hitting the target safely. Overall, the howitzer can therefore fire significantly more if necessary. A factor of three to four is mentioned. And the movement also allows the crew to evade counterattacks on their last firing position.
“The main enemy of our own artillery is the enemy’s artillery,” says von Westerman. Artillery crews with good systems manage to place counterfire within two minutes. “But if they drive, they are a good thousand meters away from their last firing position in two minutes and are practically unhit by the enemy artillery. That dramatically increases their chances of survival.”
If modern, controllable ammunition (“terminal-phase guided artillery ammunition”) is used, the advantage over an opponent increases. According to an in-house simulation by the defense company, a unit with the new howitzers could hold its own against an opponent that is five times superior in terms of the number of tanks. The overall package has the potential to change the way warfare is conducted.
Combat testing next year
The wheeled howitzers have a combat weight of around 39 tons and can fire well over 50 kilometers with the ammunition currently available. Nine shots per minute are possible. Ammunition is currently being developed that will soon be able to fire up to 70 kilometers, and later up to 100 kilometers. The basic price is said to be around 10 million euros, but the number ordered and the overall package largely determine the individual costs in the arms business.
Next year, Ukraine is due to receive the first of the new wheeled howitzers. According to reports, a total of 54 of the weapon systems is being prepared. They will then possibly – at least that is how things have been for months – be introduced into a relatively static combat situation on a front that has been fortified at great expense. “They have a death strip there, almost like in the First World War, only it is not a few hundred meters deep, but more like 10 to 15 kilometers,” says von Westerman. Long-range artillery will then be the decisive factor. He says: “For the Ukrainians, this could give them decisive momentum to seize the initiative again. It is only one element, but it could be a decisive element.”
Source: Stern
