Author: Hong Photography Kursk
At the inauguration ceremony of the new Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., the Philippine Army displayed the newly equipped ATMOS truck gun on the 6x6 MAN chassis of Israel's Elbit Systems.
The Philippine Army has purchased a total of 12 ATMOS vehicles (two companies). The gun has a caliber of 155 mm and can fire ordinary ammunition up to 30 kilometers. The maximum range can reach 41 kilometers. It can be operated by only 4 to 6 people. It is the only equipment in the Philippines. The 1st and 2nd Field Artillery Batteries of the "Lord of War" artillery regiment.
Picture: Israeli ATMOS 155mm truck gun equipped by the Philippines.
During the Russo-Ukrainian War, France provided the "Caesar" truck gun to Ukraine, which demonstrated better tactical mobility and accuracy of firepower, and once again set off a craze for truck guns.
In fact, truck cannons are not a new thing. Countries began to equip truck cannons as early as World War II. The truck guns here mainly refer to vehicle-mounted howitzers for fire support, and do not include vehicle-mounted anti-tank guns or vehicle-mounted anti-aircraft guns. If the latter two are included, the number will be even greater.
However, in general, truck guns during World War II were small and medium-caliber field guns mounted on trucks for maneuvering, while large-caliber artillery could not be mounted on trucks at that time.
Picture: There were truck guns during World War II.
What really started the trend of truck guns depends on contemporary times.
The first truck cannon that made the world look impressive was the Swedish "Archer" truck cannon. The "Archer" truck gun was developed by the Swedish company Bofors in 1995 and delivered to the Swedish Army in 2013.
The "Archer" self-propelled howitzer system weighs about 30 tons and is mainly divided into two parts: chassis and turret. The
chassis adopts Volvo's A30E articulated truck, which is a 6X6 chassis. All mobility indicators are tailored for the Swedish geographical environment. The maximum highway speed is 70 kilometers per hour, the maximum range is 1,000 kilometers, and it can pass through 1 meter thick terrain. Snow, you can fly on the snow.
The rear body is equipped with an FH77B L52 155mm 52-time caliber howitzer. The maximum range is 30 kilometers when firing standard ammunition, and the maximum range is 40 kilometers when firing extended-range ammunition in the bottom row. When using the "Excalibur" jointly developed by the United States and Switzerland When accurately guiding artillery shells, the maximum range can reach 60 kilometers. The gun is equipped with a fire control computer, muzzle speed radar, positioning and fully automatic loading system. Only 3-4 operators are required to operate the gun in a fully sealed three-proof cockpit.
The reaction speed of this gun is extremely fast. It only takes 30 seconds from parking to firing the first shell. The accuracy is also very high, and it has the ability to hit the target with 5 shells at the same time.
Picture: The Swedish "Archer" truck gun has a fully enclosed magazine with an automatic loader, eliminating the need for personnel to operate outside.
Truck guns became popular in the 21st century, mainly due to their relatively low cost, better maneuverability than tracked self-propelled guns in countries with extensive highway networks, and the use of advanced fire control systems. Truck guns are no worse than tracked self-propelled guns.
Moreover, the appearance of the truck gun is very confusing, because it uses a civilian truck chassis. As long as a carport is covered on it, it is an ordinary truck, not as conspicuous as a tracked vehicle, and can avoid aerial reconnaissance to the maximum extent!
Picture: Israeli ATMOS 155mm truck gun, the front design is very domineering.
In recent years, our military has also attached great importance to the research, development and installation of truck guns. It is not only equipped with 122 mm and 155 mm truck guns in various models, but also launched a variety of foreign trade truck guns, which have gained wide popularity in the world military trade market. reputation.
Compared with foreign truck guns, the performance of domestic truck guns is not weak at all. Even because our country's barrel artillery technology and electronic technology are in the world's leading position, the combat performance of domestic truck guns has been praised by customers.However, if there is a slight difference, it is the appearance of our truck cannon. Although it is just a joke that "appearance" also means combat effectiveness, the appearance design of our truck cannon is indeed not very good-looking. It is different from many foreign countries. Truck guns are not as eye-catching in comparison, and this shortcoming will cause them to suffer greatly in the international arms trade market. I hope our experts in craft aesthetics can participate in the design of domestic weapons and equipment to make them more handsome and tough!
Picture: Domestic truck guns need to work harder on appearance design.
