Stats: * Length: 35.3 ft (10.8 m) * Width: 10.3 ft (3.1 m) * Height: 10.3 ft (3.1 m) * Weight: 31.2 tons * Speed: 34 miles per hour (55 km/h) * Range of the vehicle: 324 miles (521 km) * Crew: 13 (vehicle capacity 5) * Rate of fire: 2 rounds per minute maximum, 1 round per 2 minutes sustained * Range of the howitzer: 16,800 m, 30,000 m with rocket-assisted projectile Apparantly, the British army uses them to fire nuclear projectiles as well... anybody got more info on that?
Panzerman - I took the liberty of updating the pictures - all I could see was x Nice subject - could you (or anybody) provide a history of the type (development, service dates, users, etc)?
There were at least two versions in that family. One is a M-108 (I think) with a 175mm gun and the other is the M-110 with a 203mm gun. They were 1950's up to 1980's in the US Army but maybe later. The guns came from the US Navy. They were designed to replace the Long Tom artillery piece of WW2 and Korean War.
That's really cool. What's the range on that 203mm in miles? I wouldn't want one of those firing at me. It would be way outta range on anything I'd have (even if I had more than an Enfield model 1853 rifled musket) Cool
As I recall, the 8" howitzer used by the US Army during the 1960's did not have a muzzle brake. Its range, I think, was 16,200 m, and it fired a 200 lb shell. I had a friend who commanded a battery in Germany. He siad that it was so accurate that you could actually adjust fire meter by meter. Of course, if you're firing a 20 KT warhead, that kind of accuracy is hardly necessary.
Unless you want to be a smartarse 'look I can get it just close enough to give him a tan but not so close he gets fried'
Ebar. I'm not sure what your response means, but let me elucidate. My battery commander friend was a serious man, and he told me about the 1 m adjustment when he was totally sober. That kind of accuracy would be very nice if you're trying to knock out a small bridge or a bunker or any other stationary point target.
Just a joke. Usually I believe people think of artillery in general as a bit of a spray and pray affair but certainly believe that modern artillery can achieve those levels of accuracy. I did hear a third hand story of a group of Germans that were pinned down by British artillery for several days. The Brits favourite trick was to if they spotted a German getting water they would wait until he had the water and was heading back to his position. Then drop four shells around him. At which point the German would drop his water and attempt to become one with the turf. How true this is I don't know so it may well be BS
