M115 (howitzer)
The M115 8- inch - howitzer (203.2 mm) is the successor of the M1 - and M2 -Haubitzen.
The M115 is no longer part of the United States Army and has been replaced by the M110 self-propelled howitzer.
The development of these weapons began in the early 1920s and was initially abandoned for reasons of cost. In 1939, development was resumed as a response to the German 17 cm K18 cannon was needed. The 8-inch howitzer used the same substructure as the American 155-mm cannon of the time. Basically, they only differed in their caliber. The 8-inch M1 also shared many parts with the 240 mm (9.4-inch) M1 howitzer .
The first prototype, called the T3, was tested in 1939 on the test site in Aberdeen, Maryland, and the howitzer was put into active service as the M1 howitzer after successful completion of the tests. From the prototype T2, the 240 mm howitzer M1, which was produced from January 1944, was developed over a longer period of time. Its barrel was subject to high wear from the heavy shells. The wheels had to be removed to fire. The M1 240 mm therefore took a long time to change position. These disadvantages were not offset by the larger caliber and the higher firing range compared to their German counterpart, so not many M1 240 mm were built.
The original M1 8 inch (and the improved M2 8 inch developed from it) fired 90 kg explosive grenades up to 17 km. The two M1 and M2 were for a long time the main weapon of the heavy US artillery and many allied states.
After the war, the gun was renamed the howitzer, heavy, rifled, 8 inch, M115, and was in service until the 1990s. During the Cold War , the 8 inch nuclear shells were in inventory.
The self-propelled variant of the M115 is the M110 .
Technical specifications
- Model: M115
- Caliber: 8 inch (203.2 mm)
- Pipe length: 5.14 meters
- Drive: pulled by the towing vehicle
- Armor: none
- Transport: two-part trailer with connecting rod
- Weight:
- Transport: 14,515 kg
- Ready to fire: 13,471 kg
- Length (transport): 10.972 meters
- Width:
- Transport: 2,844 meters
- Ready to fire: 6,857 meters
- Height (transport): 2,743 meters
- Ground clearance: 0.318 meters
- Height adjustment range: + 65 ° to −2 °
- Rotation range: 60 °
- Fire rate:
- Maximum: 1 shot / minute
- Continuous fire: 1 shot / 2 minutes
- Ammunition:
- HE (M106), 92.53 kg, muzzle velocity 587 m / s (charge 7), up to 16.8 km
- HE (M404), 90.72 kg, muzzle velocity 587 m / s (charge 7), up to 16.8 km (contains 104 M43A1 shells as submunition )
- HE (M509), 93.66 kg, muzzle velocity 594.4 m / s, up to 16 km (contains 195 M42 shells as submunition)
- Service: 14 soldiers
