L897 Warhammer
| L897 Warhammer | |
|---|---|
| <imgur w="300">6VzcUVC.png</imgur> L897 Warhammer undergoing trial by the Royal Talakhi Army | |
| Type | Self-propelled artillery |
| Place of origin | Arthurista |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 45 tonnes |
| Crew | 5 (Loader, Gunner, Assistant Gunner, Commander, Driver) |
| Shell | separate loading, bagged charge |
| Caliber | 203 mm L/45 |
| Breech | interrupted screw |
| Rate of fire | 1-2 rounds-per-minute (sustained), 3-4 rounds-per-minute (burst) |
| Effective firing range |
|
Main armament | 203 mm L/45 Howitzer |
| Engine | Apollo Motors LME-3 diesel engine 420bhp |
Operational range | 720km |
| Speed | 55km/h |
The L897 Warhammer is a heavy artillery system in service with the Commonwealth Army.
History
Until the mid-1980's, the main heavy artillery weapons of the Commonwealth Army were imported or license-produced M107 self-propelled guns and M110A2 howitzers. They were envisaged primarily as weapons of divisional- and corps-artillery groups to strike targets deep behind the battleline, conduct counter-battery fire missions (especially to counter the ubiquitous 130mm M-46) and provide general heavy support.
The Commonwealth Army originally envisaged the complete replacement of these two systems with the Gorgon MLRS. However, whilst rocket artillery is capable of delivering considerable burst damage, they are incapable of carrying out the traditional artillery mission of sustained, suppressive fire. Their munitions are also considerably more costly, a major factor when ordnance of all types must be expended en masse in a conventional war.
Accordingly, it was decided to develop a heavy gun system in parallel in order to complement the MLRS. Costly options with fully-enclosed, NBC-proof gunhouses were considered and rejected. Ultimately, it was simply decided to upgrade the M110A2 with a longer L/45 barrel. Renamed the L897 Warhammer, these artillery systems remain in service in divisional and corps-level artillery units.
Design
The Warhammer is primarily intended as a long-range dispenser of DPICM cluster munitions. Its 203mm shells may also be used as vehicles for AMTI smart anti-tank submunitions, of which three may be fitted per projectile. It may theoretically fire tactical nuclear shell with a maximum yield of 40kt from the army's legacy stockpile, although this is not an active arrangement. Rumours that the system may also employ gas-dispensing ammunition has never been commented upon publicly by the Ministry of Defence.
Maximum range is 40km with extended-range full bore/base-bleed ammunition, and 50km with rocket-assisted projectiles.
Sustained rate of fire is about 2-rounds per minute. However, a fit and practiced crew can utilise the backup manual rammer in lieu of the built-in autoloader in order to achieve burst-fire rates of 3-4 rounds per minute.