GIAT LG1

Last updated

GIAT LG-1
Royal Thai Army firing LG1 howitzer with extended range ammunition.jpg
Royal Thai Army firing extended range ammunition from LG1 during training in Lopburi, Thailand
TypeHowitzer
Place of originFrance
Service history
Used bySee operators
Production history
Designer GIAT Industries (now Nexter group)
ManufacturerGIAT Industries
Unit cost$475,000 (Mk II, 1994) [1] , $1,998,000 (Mk III, 2023) [2]
No. built130 [3]
Specifications
Mass1,520 kg (3,350 lb)
Barrel  length3.15 m (10 ft 4 in)
Crew5

Shell 105 mm NATO
Breech Horizontal-block
Carriage Split trail
Elevation -3°/+70°
Traverse ±25° from centerline
Rate of fire 12 rounds per minute
Maximum firing range17 kilometres (11 mi) using Base bleed rounds [4]

The LG1 is a modern 105 mm towed howitzer designed and produced by GIAT Industries (now Nexter group) of France.

Contents

Design

The LG1 howitzer is a 105 mm towed artillery piece that features both low weight and a high level of accuracy over long distances. Its lightweight construction gives the barrel a relatively short lifespan. The equivalent full charge (EFC) count is suggested to be approximately 7,500; however, during fire and practice, has yielded only around 1,500 EFCs. The gun was specifically designed for use by rapid deployment forces with attributes such as ruggedness, ease of operation and reduced weight. It can fire all NATO standard 105 mm ammunition up to a range of 17 kilometres (11 mi) using HE-ER G3 base bleed rounds. [5]

Deployment

The gun has been used by the Belgian Army, Canadian Army, Colombian National Army, Indonesian Marine Corps, Singapore Army and the Royal Thai Army. [3]

Current service version with Canadian artillery is the LG1 Mark II, of which 28 were purchased for the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (RCHA). GYAT supplied the first howitzers in 1996 and fielding was complete by November 1997.

Planned improvements

In August 2005, DEPRO (GVB) Incorporated - a Canadian defence firm, was selected by the Canadian Forces to improve their LG-1 guns with improvements ranging from new & better muzzle brake, new-designed spades for better stability during firing and larger tires to replace the small Pirelli tires (which were found to be inadequate for proper ground clearance while on the move). It is expected that this new set of improvements will give the LG-1 howitzers greater reliability and lifespan, and increase the safety margin for the crew.[ citation needed ]

Combat history

Operators

Map with LG1 operators in blue and former operators in red LG1 operators.png
Map with LG1 operators in blue and former operators in red

Current operators

Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium  :

Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada  :

Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia  :

Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia  :

Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia  :

Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand  :

Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia  :

Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal  :

A single LG-1 105 mm light howitzer on static display during Singapore Army Open House. Giat LG-1.jpg
A single LG-1 105 mm light howitzer on static display during Singapore Army Open House.

Former operators

Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore  :

Flag of Rwanda (1961-2001).svg  Rwanda  :

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M102 howitzer</span> Howitzer

The M102 is a light, towable 105 mm howitzer used by the United States Army in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the Iraq War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMX-13</span> French light tank

The AMX-13 is a French light tank produced from 1952 to 1987. It served with the French Army, as the Char 13t-75 Modèle 51, and was exported to more than 26 other nations. Named after its initial weight of 13 tonnes, and featuring a tough and reliable chassis, it was fitted with an oscillating turret built by GIAT Industries with revolver-type magazines, which were also used on the Austrian SK-105 Kürassier. Including prototypes and export versions, over a hundred variants exist, including self-propelled guns, anti-aircraft systems, APCs, and ATGM versions.

KNDS France is a French government-owned weapons manufacturer, based in Versailles. The company was wholly government-owned as GIAT from 1991 to 2006 and as Nexter from 2006 to 2015, when it merged with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) to form KNDS: a single company jointly owned, via holding companies, by the French state and the private owners of KMW. In 2024, Nexter was renamed KNDS France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexton (artillery)</span> Self-propelled artillery

The 25pdr SP, tracked, Sexton was a Canadian-designed self-propelled artillery vehicle of the Second World War. It was based on Canadian-built derivatives of the American M3 Lee and M4 Sherman tank chassis. Canada had set up to produce the Ram tank using the M3 chassis and Grizzly to complement US medium tank production; when Sherman production in the US expanded and supply was no longer a problem, it was decided in 1943 to switch the Canadian production lines to produce the Sexton to give the British Army a mobile artillery gun using their 87.6 mm (3.45 in) Ordnance QF 25-pounder gun-howitzer for commonality with towed guns. The Sexton could fire either HE shell or an armour-piercing shell. It found use in the Canadian, British, and other British Commonwealth armies, as well as other countries. After the war, a number of Sextons and Grizzlies were sold to Portugal, which used them into the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ordnance QF 25-pounder</span> British field gun and gun-howitzer used during the Second World War

The Ordnance QF 25-pounder, or more simply 25-pounder or 25-pdr, with a calibre of 3.45 inches (87.6 mm), was a piece of field artillery used by British and Commonwealth forces in the Second World War. It was often described as being durable, easy to operate and versatile. It was the most produced and used British field gun and gun-howitzer during the War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbot (artillery)</span> Self-propelled artillery

FV433, 105mm, Field Artillery, Self-Propelled "Abbot" is the self-propelled artillery, or more specifically self-propelled gun (SPG), variant of the British Army FV430 series of armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), using much of the chassis of the FV430 but with a fully rotating turret at the rear housing the 105 mm gun and given the vehicle designation of FV433.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M777 howitzer</span> British/American 155 mm towed artillery

The M777 howitzer is a British towed 155 mm artillery piece in the howitzer class. It is used by the ground forces of Australia, Canada, Colombia, India, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, and the United States. It was first used in combat during the War in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M119 howitzer</span> Towed field gun

The M119 howitzer is a lightweight 105 mm howitzer, used by the United States Army. It is the American licensed version of the British L119 light gun. The M119 is typically towed by the M1097 or M1152 High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), and can be easily airlifted by helicopter, or airdropped by parachute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L118 light gun</span> Towed field gun

The L118 light gun is a 105 mm towed howitzer. It was originally designed and produced in the United Kingdom for the British Army in the 1970s. It has since been widely exported. The L119 and the United States Army's M119 are variants that use a different type of ammunition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M101 howitzer</span> US-made towed howitzer

The M101A1 howitzer is an artillery piece developed and used by the United States. It was the standard U.S. light field howitzer in World War II and saw action in both the European and Pacific theaters and during the Korean War. Entering production in 1941, it quickly gained a reputation for accuracy and a powerful punch. The M101A1 fires 105 mm high explosive (HE) semi-fixed ammunition and has a range of 12,330 yards (11,270 m), making it suitable for supporting infantry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CAESAR self-propelled howitzer</span> French 155 mm artillery

The Camion Équipé d'un Système d'Artillerie or CAESAR is a French 155 mm, 52-caliber self-propelled howitzer that can fire 39/52 caliber NATO-standard shells. It is installed on a 6x6 or 8x8 truck chassis. Equipped with an autonomous weapon network incorporating an inertial navigation system and ballistic computer, the CAESAR can accurately strike targets more than 40 kilometres (25 mi) away using "Extended Range, Full Bore" (ERFB) ammunition with base bleed, or targets over 55 kilometres (34 mi) away using rocket-assisted or smart ammunition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Artillery Regiment (Malaysia)</span> Military unit

The Rejimen Artileri DiRaja is the artillery corps of the Malaysian Army. Rejimen Artileri DiRaja was formed in Kajang on 15 August 1957 when a single battery was formed, drawn from Malay personnel formerly serving with the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery. Today Rejimen Artileri DiRaja is a modern fighting arm providing direct fire support to Malaysian Army units using field artillery pieces and MLRS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OTO Melara Mod 56</span> Pack howitzer

The OTO-Melara Mod 56 is an Italian-made 105 mm pack howitzer built and developed by OTO Melara. It fires the standard US type M1 ammunition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SLWH Pegasus</span> Singaporean 155 mm towed howitzer

The Singapore Light Weight Howitzer (SLWH) Pegasus is a helicopter-transportable, towed artillery piece. Developed jointly by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Defence Science and Technology Agency and ST Kinetics, it was commissioned on 28 October 2005. The Pegasus has replaced the GIAT LG1 105 mm howitzer previously in service with the Singapore Artillery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATMOS 2000</span> Israeli 155 mm self-propelled howitzer

ATMOS is a 155 mm/52 calibre self-propelled gun system manufactured by Israeli military manufacturer Soltam Systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canon de 155 C modèle 1915 St. Chamond</span> Field howitzer

The Canon de 155 C modèle 1915 Saint-Chamond was a French howitzer used during World War I. It was based on a private prototype of a 150 millimetres (5.9 in) howitzer presented to the Mexican government in 1911. The French government ordered 400 Saint-Chamond howitzers in 1915, these being delivered starting in late 1916. Small numbers of Saint-Chamond howitzers were given to the Serbian and Romanian armies towards the end of World War I. The Saint-Chamond howitzer served in the French Army after World War I and were mobilised at the outbreak of World War II. Finland bought 24 Saint-Chamond howitzers during the Winter War and these served until the 1960s. The German Army captured some Saint-Chamond howitzers after the fall of France and used these mostly as coastal defence guns until the end of World War II.

105 mm is a common NATO-standard artillery and tank gun calibre. The rifled tank round is defined by STANAG 4458. The artillery round is defined by AOP-29 part 3 with reference to STANAG 4425.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KH178</span> Towed howitzer

The KH178 is a South Korean 105 mm 38 caliber towed howitzer. It was designed and developed by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and manufactured by Hyundai WIA.

References

Notes
  1. "Jane's Defence Contracts: A Jane's Defence Weekly Publication". 1994.
  2. "Royal Thai Army modernizes artillery with Nexter LG1 Mk III howitzers". 5 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "105mm LG1 MkII - Contracts, Orders & Sales". Deagel.Com. 1 August 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  4. "OUR PRODUCTS | Nexter".
  5. "OUR PRODUCTS | Nexter".
  6. "Tecnodefesa - A mais antiga publicação de Defesa da América Latina". tecnodefesa.com.br. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  7. "Army of Colombia has take delivery of three new Nexter System LG1 Mk III 105mm light guns". 5 July 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 "Trade Registers". armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  9. "Janes | Latest defence and security news".
  10. "Arming Rwanda: The Arms Trade and Human Rights, Abuses in the Rwandan War" (PDF). Human Rights Watch Arms Project. Vol. 6, no. 1. January 1994. p. 16.