Vulcan AMFG
| AMFG | |
|---|---|
 Vulcan AMFG | |
| Type | Self-propelled artillery |
| Place of origin | Arthurista |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 17.8 tonnes unarmoured, 18.2 tonnes armoured |
| Crew | 5 (Loader, Gunner, Assistant Gunner, Commander, Driver) |
| Shell | separate loading, bagged charge |
| Caliber | 155 mm L/52 |
| Breech | interrupted screw |
| Rate of fire | 3 rounds in 15 seconds (Burst), 9 round/min (sustained) |
| Effective firing range |
|
Main armament | 155 mm L/52 Howitzer |
Secondary armament | Browning HMG, pintle mounted |
| Engine | Apollo Motors LME-3 diesel engine 360bhp |
Operational range | 800km |
| Speed | 80km/h |
The Vulcan AMFG (Advanced Motorised Field Gun) originated from an early-90s era Arthuristan project to produce an artillery weapon system which is more mobile and able to hit and run in the face of counter-battery fire than the towed FH70, yet lighter, cheaper, easier to maintain and more flexible and agile than the Ultima. The solution was startlingly simple: take a long-barrelled 155mm gun (L/52, rather than the L/39 of the legacy FH70 and M109 systems) and mount it on the rear of an Apollo Motors six-wheeled truck chassis.
A SATNAV-based positioning system and a battlenet uplink were installed so the gun crew could plot fire and communicate with spotter assets respectively. The weapon is strategically mobile, capable of being transported by the C-130, Arthuristan Dynamics Centaur, AM400 or larger strategic airlifters with ease. It has a respectable rate of fire at 3 rounds per 15 seconds in burst mode and 9 per minute in sustained mode. Operating in dispersed pairs, they can set up for firing and displace rapidly in order to avoid counterbattery fire.
It has been calculated that a battery of eight Vulcans can fire more than one tonne of projectiles per minute. A salvo of DPICM rounds by such a battery may saturate up to four hectares in bomblets. They are also capable of employing guided anti-tank ammunition such as the AMTI.
Each AMFG vehicle carries 27 155mm rounds on board. Additional ammunition is carried by the battery's two dedicated transports. Despite the wheeled chassis, the vehicle has decent rough terrain capability with ground clearance of 0.4m and the capability to negotiate vertical steps of 0.6m, trenches of 0.9m and the ability to ford to a depth of 1.4m. The tires may be partially deflated for increased grip when going over soft ground and rapidly re-inflated thereafter. The crew cabin may be protected from shell splinters with an applique armour suite, which adds approximately 400kg to the weight of the gun system.
Owing to their mobility, as well as low cost of acquisition and maintenance, the AMFG now equips many the artillery regiments in Commonwealth Army service. In further procurement programs of brigade-level artillery systems, the Ministry of Defence clearly favours the Vulcan over the tracked Ultima.
