P150G3P Hwasu-po
| GJP-152/48 | |
|---|---|
| File:LSBP-152-48.png A GJP-152/48 truck-based howitzer, traveling (L) and deployed (R). | |
| Type | Truck-mounted gun-howitzer |
| Place of origin |  Menghe |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2010-present |
| Used by | Menghe |
| Wars | Innominadan Crisis |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Chŏnsŏ Design Bureau |
| Designed | 1997-2007 |
| Manufacturer | Chŏnsŏ-Chŏnjin Truck Factory |
| Produced | 2007-present |
| Variants | GJP-155/47, GJP-152/56, JJP-152/48 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 15.5 tonnes |
| Length | 9.68 meters traveling |
| Height | 4.23 meters traveling |
| Crew | 5 (3 in emergency) |
| Armor | none |
Main armament | GSP-152/48 howitzer |
Secondary armament | none |
| Engine | Chŏnsŏ 9715 240 hp |
| Power/weight | 15.48 hp/tonne |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual |
| Suspension | leaf-spring with solid axles |
| Ground clearance | 45 centimeters |
Operational range | 800 kilometers |
| Speed | 80 km/h |
The GJP-152/48 (Menghean: 경(輕) 자주포, Gyŏng Jajupo, "Light Self-Propelled Gun, 152mm, 48 calibers") is a type of self-propelled howitzer designed in the Socialist Republic of Menghe. It consists of a GSP-152/48 gun-howitzer on the chassis of a Chŏnsŏ G288 6x6 utility truck. Initially designed for use in lightweight motorized units for expeditionary service, it now serves primarily in Menghean Artillery Divisions at the Corps and Army level. It is lighter, faster, and less expensive than the tracked JJP-152/48, but it lacks armor and takes longer to emplace and relocate.
Development
The GJP grew out of the design process for the GSP-152/48 gun-howitzer, which was initially designed for a stationary mount. From the beginning, this howitzer was intended as the base for a self-propelled tracked gun, which in turn became the JJP-152/48. Work on the combined GSP-152/48 program began in 1990, not long after the Decembrist Revolution. In order to achieve greater range and accuracy than the preceding GSP-152/27 howitzer, the new gun was built with a longer 7.31-meter (48-caliber) barrel.
Menghean People's Army High Command issued a request for a lightweight, self-propelled, truck-based version of the new howitzer in 1995. Work on the truck-based project was slow at first, with a prototype submitted for testing in 1999 but no service orders until 2004. Large-scale deliveries began in 2008, but by that time the failure of a major intervention had forced the Menghean military to reconsider its strategic priorities, with a shift back to defensive and counter-offensive goals.
Design
Armament
The GJP-152/48 is the first wheeled SPG to be used in Menghe, with the exception of light truck-based infantry guns used during the Great Conquest War. Its main armament consists of the GSP-152/48 gun-howitzer. When firing, a heavy brace is deployed behind the truck so that recoil force is transferred straight into the ground rather than through the suspension. This is accompanied by a lighter platform which supports the loading crew. Maximum elevation is +70 degrees at any angle. Depression is limited to 15 degrees when firing over the cabin and -5 degrees on either side. Traverse is limited to +/-40 degrees left or right. In trials, it takes about 90 seconds for the vehicle to assume its position, deploy, aim, and fire when moving from a road march.
In order to simplify production and logistics, the GJP-152/48 is compatible with all existing 152mm artillery munitions used by Menghe, Polvokia, and the FSR. When firing the standard PT-152GP high-explosive shell with full propellant charges, it has a maximum range of about 24.8 kilometers. A new base-bleed high explosive shell developed for the gun in 1996 extends this to 28.2 kilometers, though at the cost of a lower explosive payload. The greatest range, 44.3 kilometers, is achieved with a rocket-assisted projectile. Other ammunition types include the PT-152DCh, which carries two anti-tank submunitions, and the Mumohan, a GPS-guided high-explosive round with a maximum range of 38 kilometers and a CEP of 4 meters.
Because the weapon is manually loaded, the exact rate of fire varies depending on the skill of the crew. In a heavy barrage the expected rate of fire is between 6 and 8 rounds per minute. Rate of fire would be kept at 1 to 2 rounds per minute in a sustained bombardment, though this is less common given the shoot-and-scoot design of the system. A total of 24 shells and their associated propellant charges are carried in metal bins between the cabs and the gun itself. In a typical battery organization, one reload truck is assigned to each gun truck.
Chassis
Mobility is provided by a Chŏnsŏ G288 multi-purpose offroad utility truck, the same kind that forms the logistical backbone of the Menghean Army. Top speed on a flat, paved surface is just under 80 kilometers per hour, but can be much lower on muddy or rocky ground. Because the entire system weighs only 15.5 tonnes fully loaded, it can be easily transported by ship or by air, and it can cross lightweight bridges. Theoretical travel range is listed as 800 kilometers.
A full crew consists of five members: a driver, a commander, a gun-layer, and two loaders. The driver, commander, and gun-layer are all seated three across in the forward cabin, with the two loaders in a separate compartment mounted further back. Because the gun is automatically elevated and traversed based on input coordinates, the gun-layer can complete his task from within the cabin, though he can also exit the vehicle to aim the gun manually in the case of system failure or emergency direct fire. Both of the loaders have to exit their cabin during combat operation, and stand on a deployed platform behind the vehicle in order to pass shells and charges into the breech. In theory the gun can be operated by three crewmen – the gun-layer and two loaders – but this is reserved for emergencies, or if part of the crew has been incapacitated.
No armor is provided, even against splinters and small-arms fire, except for the standard metal skin and frame of the G288. Furthermore, in order to operate the weapon the loaders must stand outside the cabin on a rear platform, exposing them to shrapnel from counter-battery fire. The vehicle also lacks a secondary weapon, though all members of the crew carry assault rifles for self-defense. In some cases GJP crews have been seen wearing light body armor as protection, though this does not appear to be standard-issue among artillery units. An up-armored variant with splinter protection for the cabin and rear compartment was considered in 2012 and again in 2014, but in the end it was decided that this would be incorporated into the heavier GJP-152/56, which is still in early development but will feature a 56-caliber gun in an enclosed turret on an armored 8x8 chassis.
Service
At the time of its conception and design, the GJP was intended as an expeditionary weapon, capable of being airlifted (but not air-dropped) for easy deployment abroad. In this role, it would have been placed in artillery units at the Divisional level, replacing heavier tracked SPGs like the JJP-152/27. By the time large-scale deliveries began in 2010, the strategic aims of the Menghean Army had shifted, and for a while it seemed that the project could be cancelled entirely.
A much-needed revival came in 2012, when it was decided that the GJP would be used to replace the towed howitzers in service with Artillery Divisions at the Corps and Army level. For this role, its production run was restored and even increased. It is expected that several thousand will be in operation by the time the current production run is completed.
In 2011, the GJP project was expanded to include the GJP-155/47, which carries a similar artillery gun designed for 155-millimeter ammunition. This variant is intended primarily for export to nations not using 152mm artillery shells.
Variants
- GJP-152/48: Standard truck-mounted version described above.
- GJP-155/47: Export variant with a 155mm caliber for compatibility with foreign munitions.
- GJP-152/56: Experimental testbed carrying the longer GSP-152/56 gun-howitzer. It is expected that the actual platform for the wheeled 152/56 will be an 8x8 chassis, possibly one of an entirely new design.