Artillery Lovers Group
Hobbies & Interests
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons. These engines comprise specialised devices which use some form of stored energy to operate, whether mechanical, chemical, or electromagnetic. Originally designed to breach fortifications, they have evolved from nearly static installations intended to reduce a single obstacle to highly mobile weapons of great flexibility in which now reposes the greater portion of a modern army's offensive capabilities.
The GCT 155mm is a modern self-propelled artillery vehicle currently in use by the armies of France and Saudi Arabia. It replaced the former Mk F3 155mm in French Army service. The GCT 155mm's primary advancement is that it incorporates and provides full armor and nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) protection for its crew of four, while the former Mk F3 155mm offered no protection and could carry only two of its four crew members. Though 60% heavier than the American M109, the GCT 155mm is faster, fires faster and incorporated a more sophisticated fire control system. The GCT 155mm saw combat with the Iraqi Army in the Iran–Iraq War.
Type: Self-Propelled Artillery
Place of origin: France
Service history
In service: 1977 – present
Used by: Saudi Arabia, Iraq and France
Production history
Designed: 1972
Manufacturer: Nexter
Produced: 1977 – 1995
Number built: 400
Specifications
Weight: 41.949 tonnes
Length: 10.25 m
Width: 3.15 m
Height: 3.25 m
Crew: 4; Commander, Driver, Gunner and Loader
Armor: 20 mm
Main armament: One 155 mm howitzer
Secondary armament: One 7.62mm or 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun
Engine: Hispano-Suiza HS 110 12-cylinder water-cooled multi-fuel engine.
720 hp
Suspension: torsion bar
Operational range: 450km
Speed: 60 km/h on-road.