Ultima Self Propelled Howitzer
| Ultima Self Propelled Howitzer | |
|---|---|
 Ultima Mark 2 Self Propelled Howitzer of C Battery, Fulham Horse Artillery) | |
| Type | Self-propelled artillery |
| Place of origin | Arthurista |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 55 tonnes |
| Length | 11.7m |
| Width | 3.56m |
| Height | 3.5m |
| Crew | 5 (Loader, Gunner, Assistant Gunner, Commander, Driver) |
| Shell | separate loading, bagged charge |
| Caliber | 155 mm |
| Breech | interrupted screw |
| Rate of fire | 3 rounds in 9.0 seconds (Burst), 10 round/min (sustained) |
| Effective firing range |
|
Main armament | 155 mm L/39 Howitzer (Mark 1) 155mm L/52 Howitzer (Mark 2) |
Secondary armament | Browning HMG, pintle mounted |
| Engine | Arthuristan Motors AVE-2 V-12 turbodiesel (Mark 1) (1,200kW) |
Operational range | 500km |
| Speed | 75km/h |
The Ultima is an Arthuristan self-propelled gun system. Conceived as a replacement for the increasing obsolete M109 howitzer and FV433 Abbot SPG, the Ultima entered service in the early-90s. The first model, the Ultima Mark 1, was armed with a shorter L/39 howitzer. They were upgraded to the current Mark 2 configuration with a L/52 gun in the early-2000s. The 155mm L/52 howitzer has a maximum range of 40km with base-bleed projectiles and up to 70km with rocket-assisted or guided munitions, such as the Bonus or Excalibur.
The Ultima is capable of a prodigous rate of fire: the Mark 1 could deliver 6 rounds per minute and 3 rounds in 10 seconds in burst mode, while while the Mark 2 can fire 10 rounds per minute and 3 rounds in 9 seconds in burst mode, allowing the Ultima to hit and run before counter-battery fire registers on its location. In Multiple-Rounds Simultaneous Impact (MRSI) mode, 7 shells can fired to land simultaneously on a target area.
In combat, Ultima batteries are deployed in a dispersed manner and fight in pairs, firing quick intense bursts before rapidly displacing to avoid counterbattery fire. Linked into the ARES Battlenet, batteries of Ultima SPGs can share targeting data with reconnaissance units, UAVs, forward observers and the Fire Direction Centre in real time, rapidly increasing its reaction speed on the battlefield.