PG-105 Type 75 howitzer

The PG-105 Type 75 howitzer (formal designation: 75식 105밀리메테르 곡사포, chil-o-sik baek-o millimeterŭ goksapo, "Type 75 105-millimeter howitzer"; short designation: 곡포-105/75 Gokpo baego-chiro) is a type of light howitzer designed in the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe during the 1970s. It fires 105mm semi-fixed ammunition and is compatible with the 105mm howitzer ammunition used by the Hallian, Glasic, and Dayashinese militaries, among others.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the PG-105 Type 75 was the standard regimental howitzer of the Menghean Army, complementing 150mm guns at the divisional level. It serves as the basis for the P105G2P Bŏdŭl artillery system, also a regimental weapon. Since the 2005 Menghean military reforms, however, the Menghean Army has shifted to using 150mm guns at both the divisional and regimental levels, with 120mm gun-mortars replacing the PG-105 Type 75 in airborne and light infantry formations. Even so, the weapon remains in widespread use.

Development

During the Menghean War of Liberation, the Republic of Menghe Army purchased and operated a large number of OTO Melara Mod 56 pack howitzers. Anglia and Lechernt, the Republic of Menghe's main ally and arms supplier, had already adopted the Mod 56 as the "L5 pack howitzer with L10 ordnance," after reports that its existing 105mm howitzers were too heavy to pursue General Yang Tae-sŏng's army into the Chŏnsan Mountains. Though the Mod 56's range and durability left much to be desired, it could be broken down into multiple light loads with ease, making it ideal for the RoMA's campaigns in mountainous areas with poor infrastructure and a supply line heavy on pack animals.

During its mid-war raids and southern advance, the Menghean Liberation Army acquired a large number of Mod 56 pack howitzers, with an even larger number captured in 1964 with the surrender of the Republican forces. Rather than scrap the weapons in favor of a new, licensed caliber, the newly formed Ministry of National Defense decided to adopt the 105mm caliber for light artillery and reverse-engineer the OTO Melara Mod 56 as the PG-105 Type 64.

The Type 64 howitzer carried on the Mod 56's main advantage: it could be easily broken up and transported by pack animals and infantry, making it ideal for an infantry-centric army with a focus on guerrilla warfare. But as the reorganized Menghean People's Army shifted to a focus on mechanizing and modernizing its forces with a focus on the conventional fight, the MoND determined that the OTO Melara Mod 56 had inadequate range and an inadequate rate of fire. This led to the development of a new howitzer.

Under the MoND's requirements, the new howitzer would have to be compatible with the same range of 105mm semi-fixed ammunition used by the Mod 56, to preserve ammunition commonality and ease the transition to the new weapon. Yet it would have to reach a maximum range of 17.5 kilometers, compared to 10.5 for the Mod 56. Easy disassembly for pack transport was no longer a requirement; the gun would instead be towed behind a medium utility lorry. It would, however, require a fast transition from towed to combat-ready status. A weapon meeting these requirements was adopted for service in 1975.

See also

• GIAT LG1 (Sieuxerr)
• L118 light gun (Anglia and Lechernt)
• M119 howitzer (Hallia)
• OTO Melara Mod 56 (Serenoro)