GC-45
| GC-45 | |
|---|---|
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| General Information | |
| Military designation: | GC-45 |
| Manufacturer country: |
 Canada & Belgium
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| Developer / Manufacturer: | Space Research Corporation |
| Development year: | 1975 |
| Production time: | 1980 to 1980 |
| Number of pieces: | ~ 18 |
| Model variants: | GC-45, FGH-155Mk.1 / 2 /, FGH-155/45 |
| Weapon Category: | Field howitzer |
| Team: | 8th |
| Technical specifications | |
| Overall length: | 13.61 m (ready to fire) |
| Pipe length: | 6.98 m |
| Caliber : |
155 mm |
| Caliber length : | L / 45 |
| Number of trains : | 48 |
| Twist : | 20th |
| Weight ready for use: | 8,220 kg |
| Cadence : | 2-4 rounds / min |
| Elevation range: | −5– + 69 degrees |
| Side straightening area: | ± 40 ° |
| Furnishing | |
| Closure Type : | Screw lock |
The GC-45 (GunCanada-45, known as "bull" by the designer) is a solid Feldhaubitze the caliber 155 mm from Canadian production. Although the GC-45 was only produced in small numbers, it is considered a pioneering design for the artillery of the 1990s.
development
In the 1960s, Canadian engineer Gerald Bull headed the High Altitude Research Project . As part of this project, an attempt was made to shoot projectiles into satellite orbit with a space cannon. After the United States and Canada stopped funding the HARP project, Gerald Bull founded the Space Research Corporation in Québec in the early 1970s . With this company, Gerald Bull wanted to develop a 155 mm artillery gun that should have a hitherto unattainable firing range. In 1975 he began developing the GC-45 there. For this purpose, the developers examined the German 21 cm cannon 12 (E) from the Second World War . In particular, they analyzed the projectiles used and their trajectories. As a result, the developers concluded that with a combination of a long gun barrel and aerodynamically optimally shaped projectiles, which are fired at a high muzzle velocity , very long shooting distances can be achieved. When designing the first prototype, the developers used existing components from artillery guns. A gun was constructed from this with a gun barrel with 45 caliber lengths (L / 45) and an enlarged charge chamber. Compared to the international standard at that time with a combustion chamber volume of 21 liters, the GC-45 was provided with a charge chamber with a volume of 23 liters in order to be able to load stronger propellant charges behind the projectile. The first prototype was created in 1978 . In the same year Gerald Bull founded the Space Research Corporation International in Belgium. There, together with Poudreries réunies de Belgique (PRB), a new ammunition family of extended- range extended-range full-bore projectiles (ERFB) was developed and produced for the new gun . An initial order was also placed for twelve GC-45 guns. After Gerald Bull was charged with violating the UN arms embargo against South Africa in 1980 , he had to close down his company SRC . After SRC expired , production of the GC-45 was relocated to VÖEST (later Noricum ) in Austria . There, the guns underwent further adjustments and were built for export under the designation GHN-45 . After the Noricum scandal , the GHN-45 continued to be offered for export by T & T Technology Trading Ltd from Switzerland . At around the same time, Gerald Bull transferred technology to various other companies and the GC-45 served there as a starting model for further gun designs. The guns Soltam M845 from Israel , WAC-21 (PLL01) from the People's Republic of China , FGH-155/45 from Spain , FH-88 from Singapore , T196 from Taiwan , M-84 from Yugoslavia and the G5 from South Africa are based on the Design of the GC-45. In 1982, the price of a GC-45 gun around 512,000 US dollars .
variants
- GC-45 : Original design from Canada
- GHN-45 : Further developed version, produced in Austria and Belgium
- FGH-155 : prototypes with modular structure for gun barrels L / 39, L / 45, L / 50 and L / 52.
technology
The design of the GC-45 is almost uncompromisingly geared towards achieving long shooting distances. While most of the other contemporary NATO guns had a barrel with 39 caliber lengths (L / 39), the GC-45 had one with 45 caliber lengths (L / 45). With this and with the increased range of ammunition, previously unattainable shooting distances of up to 40 km were achieved for a gun with caliber 155 mm. Although the GC-45 represented a sensational innovation at the time, the gun is more of a development model than a fully developed production model. The GC-45 only has a short barrel life and the accuracy of the ERFB projectiles is much lower than that of other 155 mm guns. The gun construction is also not very suitable for series production. The GC-45 is a conventional cannon howitzer with a power pull system. It shows the usual pattern of a four- wheel spreading carriage . The GC-45 weighs 8,220 kg in the ready-to-fire position. The length of the GC-45 varies between 9.14 m when pulled and 13.61 m when ready to fire. The height (due to the gun barrel) is 3.28 m in the drawn position and the width on the roadway is 2.69 m.
gun
The gun barrel is made of high-strength steel and is autofretted throughout . It is housed on a two-axle carriage with two spreader bars . The two rigid axles are connected by compensating levers. The carriage is made of high-alloy steel. In the barrel cradle , two barrel brakes and return devices are mounted on the gun barrel. The sighting device is located next to it . The semi-automatic screw cap and the combustion chamber with a volume of 23 liters are attached to the end of the pipe . During transport, the bars are folded back and rest on two auxiliary wheels for transport. In the driving position, the gun barrel is swiveled 180 ° over the spars in the direction of travel. Light or medium-weight trucks are used for transport . The maximum permissible train speed on the road is 90 km / h .
The eight-man operating team needed around 10 minutes to prepare the gun to fire or drive. When shooting, the main wheels are raised and the GC-45 is supported at the front on a shooting platform that is lowered from the lower mount. At the end of the spars, two self-digging ground spurs are attached, which divert the recoil force into the ground. In addition, the recoil is reduced by a multi-chamber muzzle brake. The side straightening range is 40 ° per side. The elevation range is −5 to + 69 °.
The loading process is done manually and enables a rate of four shots per minute for 15 minutes. After that, the rate of fire must be reduced to two shots per minute due to the thermal stress on the gun barrel.
ammunition
GC-45 uses separately charged ammunition with variable propellant charge bags (zone charges) of the type N10 . This means that the projectile and the propellant charge are loaded one after the other. Together with the GC-45, the Extended Range Full Bore (ERFB) projectiles made for this gun for the first time are used. The Mk.10 ERFB projectile weighs 45.4 kg and has an explosive charge of 8.8 kg. With this ERFB-HB bullet, a shooting distance of around 30 km is achieved at a muzzle velocity of 897 m / s . With the extended range ERFB-BB bullet (with base bleed ), the maximum shooting distance is around 39 km. In addition, the GC-45 can fire almost all 155 mm NATO ammunition . The M107 standard bullet reaches 18 to 24.7 km.
User states
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Israel - 1 prototype -
Spain - 3 prototypes -
Thailand ( Royal Thai Marine Corps ) - 12
literature
- Christopher Chant: A Compendium of Armaments and Military Hardware. Routledge Revivals, Oxford, United Kingdom, 2014, ISBN 0-415-71072-3 .
- TJ O'Malley: Modern Artillery Systems. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany, 1996, ISBN 3-613-01758-X .
- Terry J. Gander & Charles Q. Cutshaw: Jane's Ammunition Handbook, 2001-2002, 10th edition , Jane's Information Group, 2001, ISBN 0-7106-2308-9 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c GC-45. In: military-today.com. Military Today, accessed March 9, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i T. J. O'Malley: Modern Artillery Systems. 1996, pp. 10-11.
- ↑ a b c A general survey of recent artillery developments. In: thefreelibrary.com. Armada International, accessed February 7, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c d e f GC-45 and FGH-155 155 mm Howitzers. In: forecastinternational.com. Forecast International Inc., accessed February 7, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c Terry J. Gander & Charles Q. Cutshaw: Jane's Ammunition Handbook, 2001-2002. Pp. 297-305
- ↑ The Man Behind Iraq's Supergun. In: nytimes.com. The New York Times, accessed February 7, 2017 .
- ↑ GH N-45. In: army-guide.com. Army Guide, accessed February 7, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Christopher Chant: A Compendium of Armaments and Military Hardware. 2014, pp. 82–83.