Denel G6

Denel G6
Denel G6-45
General properties
crew	6 (commander, driver, gunner, two loaders)
length	10.40 m
width	3.40 m
height	3.30 m
Dimensions	47 tons
Armor and armament
Main armament	1 × 155 mm drawbar cannon / L 45 or 1 × 155 mm drawbar cannon / L 52
Secondary armament	1 × 12.7 mm machine gun
agility
drive	Diesel engine (air-cooled) 525 HP (391 kW)
Top speed	85 km / h (road) 30 km / h (terrain)
Power / weight	11 hp / ton
Range	700 km

The Denel G6 is a South African self-propelled gun on a 6 × 6 wheeled vehicle.

history

The first G6, 1987

After the Czechoslovakian DANA gun introduced in 1980, the G6 is the second gun in the world to use a chassis with wheels as a base. Wheel mounts are characterized by greater mobility on roads and are cheaper to maintain. Mainly, the G6 was developed to quickly follow advancing infantry and armored divisions with heavy artillery. The disadvantage is the relative instability when the shot is sharp. The G6 was built on the basis of the 155 mm G5 draft cannon . A heavily armored 6 × 6 car serves as the chassis. Before firing, supports must be lowered to ensure stability. The vehicle only needs 60 seconds to be ready to fire. After being shot down, the vehicle is ready to drive again within 30 seconds and can change position. The good suspension of the chassis enables a high degree of mobility in the terrain, which is supported by the very large wheels.

technology

The vehicle has two compartments: one for the driver and one for the artillery crew. The driver is able to control the tire pressure, which improves off-road mobility. The armor is designed in such a way that it offers protection against the bombardment of heavy machine guns, fragments and land mines. The front of the turret is armored so that it can withstand fire with 20 mm ammunition. The driver is protected by armored glass. This armor can be reinforced by lowerable armor plates, but this restricts the driver's view, as he can then only orient himself using a periscope. The tower itself has its own 45 HP motor to supply electricity. In addition to armor protection, the crew has loopholes on each side of the tower so that they can also defend themselves in close combat. The installation of night vision systems and an NBC protection system was mandatory.

The ammunition supply in the new version is 40 projectiles and 40 propellant charges, which are fed via a semi-automatic, hydraulic loader. Twenty floors are in the tower, eight in the nose of the vehicle and twelve in a special container outside the tower. The rate of fire in burst mode is eight rounds / min, with sustained fire two rounds / min. With the MRSI method (several shots at the same time at the target), up to six shots can be fired within one minute.

The original version had a gun barrel with 45 caliber lengths . In the new version G6-52, the barrel has been extended to 52 caliber lengths. With the ERFB bullets specially manufactured by Rheinmetall-Denel , a shooting distance of 30 km is achieved. With base bleed projectiles of the type ERFB-BB, 42 km are reached. With the new VLAP ammunition, shooting distances of up to 58 km are possible. With the special version G6-52 ER, in which the combustion chamber was enlarged from 23 to 25 liters, the unusually long range of 73 km could be achieved in shot attempts with V-Lap, which makes this gun the most powerful in its class.

In addition, the gun can fire the standardized 155 mm NATO ammunition, the American Excalibur precision projectile, the Swedish-French Bofors 155 Bonus Top Attack ammunition and the Russian laser-guided Krasnopol M projectile.

distribution

•  Oman 24
•  South Africa 43
•  United Arab Emirates : 78

literature

• Ian Hogg : 20th Century Artillery. Gondrom Verlag, Bindlach 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1878-6 .

Web links

Commons : G6  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• G6 at fas.org (English)
• Product presentation of the manufacturer ( Memento from July 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) at archive.org (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/south_africa/rhino
2. ↑ http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/south_africa/rhino
3. ↑ https://militaryleak.com/2018/10/01/denel-g6-52-self-propelled-howitzer/
4. ↑ ^{a b} Trade Register on sipri.org , accessed on July 22, 2015 (English)
5. ↑ army-technology.com , July 22, 2015 (English)