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AH4 howitzer
Chinese 155 mm towed artillery From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The AH4 howitzer is a Chinese 155 mm towed howitzer system manufactured by Norinco.[2] Its main characteristic is that it has been designed to be lightweight, which allows greater tactical mobility. The weight of 4.5 t (4.4 long tons; 5.0 short tons), compared to a traditional system that can weigh 18 t (18 long tons; 20 short tons),[3] allows the system to be airlifted via heavy-lift helicopters like the CH-47 or Mi-26, or transport aircraft like a C-130 or Y-8. Also, as a modern towed howitzer system, it possesses a range of engagement of up to 40 km (25 mi) using rocket-assisted projectiles.[2]
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Design
The body of the system has forward stabilizers as well as spades and dampers.[4] It has a cannon that can fire 155mm L/39 calibre shells with an elevation angle from -3° up to 72° with a traverse limit of 22°. The hydro-pneumatic suspension allows for quick deployment of around 3 minutes and packing in 2 minutes.
AH4 has an initial rate of fire up to 5 rounds per minute, and with continuous firing at 2 rounds per minute.
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Variants
- AHS-4: a 3.5–3.8 t (3.4–3.7 long tons; 3.9–4.2 short tons) variant that is designed for mountain warfare.[5]
Export to the United Arab Emirates
According to Defense World, in 2016 Norinco's AH4-155 won its first export order from an unidentified customer from the Middle East, it beat the M-777 counterpart from BAE systems.[6] In February 2019, the United Arab Emirates confirmed it had procured the AH4 howitzers, and that it had received at least one batch of six systems.[7]
Comparable howitzers
- M777 howitzer – British/American 155 mm towed artillery
References
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