G5 howitzer
Encyclopedia
The G5 is a South Africa
n towed howitzer
of 155 mm calibre designed with the help of the Canadian
scientist Gerald Bull
and his company, Space Research Corporation
and manufactured by Denel Land Systems.
to circumvent the arms embargo and to produce weapons systems uniquely tailored to South Africa's needs. During the Angolan
conflict the South African Army
found themselves at a disadvantage when facing enemies who were supplied with modern Soviet artillery, which out ranged their artillery by a considerable margin. At that time the South African Army was equipped with WW2
-era artillery
pieces, notably the G1 (25pdr) and the G2 (5.5 inch or 140 mm)
. As a stopgap the G3 155 mm gun
(American WWII vintage M-2 "Long Tom") and the G4 155 mm gun
(Israel
i SOLTAM M-68) were secretly operated.
With the help of the Canadian
scientist Gerald Bull
and his company, Space Research Corporation
, they developed the GC-45 howitzer which was based on the earlier 45-calibre GC-45 howitzer
. After many variations and modifications deliveries of the G5 started in 1982.
The G5 is mounted on a slightly-modified version of a towed chassis designed by Norinco
, which also includes a small APU
to allow it to dig itself in and move short distances at up to 16 km/h. Using the normal Extended Range, Full Bore ammunition the normal range is 39 km, which can be extended to about 53 km with the use of base bleed
or rocket assisted rounds. It is regarded as one of the most potent artillery pieces on the modern battlefield. In 2002, Denel unveiled their latest version of the G5 a 52-calibre gun known as the G5-2000, which featured greatly enhanced range and accuracy over the earlier 45-calibre version.
The G5 gun has been placed on an OMC 6×6
chassis to produce the fully self-propelled G6 howitzer
, and won major export sales in this form from the United Arab Emirates
and Oman
. In response to a request from India it has also been tested on the back of a 4×4 wheeled truck, a combination known as the T5-2000. It has also been fitted into a turret that can be placed on any suitable vehicle. The turret is marketed as the T6 which has already been fitted on the T-72
.
45: 30: Saddam Hussein's
army operated about 100 G5's, but these have probably all been destroyed or abandoned since the 2003 invasion of Iraq
.: 22: 12
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n towed howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
of 155 mm calibre designed with the help of the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
scientist Gerald Bull
Gerald Bull
Gerald Vincent Bull was a Canadian engineer who developed long-range artillery. He moved from project to project in his quest to launch economically a satellite using a huge artillery piece, to which end he designed the Project Babylon "supergun" for the Iraqi government...
and his company, Space Research Corporation
Space Research Corporation
Space Research Corporation was a corporation founded by Gerald Bull, after the budget for his research at Project HARP for the United States and Canadian federal governments was cut in 1967, in order to commercialize the technology of long-range artillery. Project HARP's assets were then given to...
and manufactured by Denel Land Systems.
Production history
Beginning in 1963 South Africa was under a UN sponsored anti-apartheid arms embargo that led them to develop an indigenous arms industryArmscor (South Africa)
Armscor , the Armaments Corporation of South Africa is a South African government-supported weapon-producing conglomerate that was officially established in 1968, primarily as a response to the international sanctions by the United Nations against South Africa that began in 1963 and...
to circumvent the arms embargo and to produce weapons systems uniquely tailored to South Africa's needs. During the Angolan
South African Border War
The South African Border War, commonly referred to as the Angolan Bush War in South Africa, was a conflict that took place from 1966 to 1989 in South-West Africa and Angola between South Africa and its allied forces on the one side and the Angolan government, South-West Africa People's...
conflict the South African Army
South African Army
The South African Army is the army of South Africa, first formed after the Union of South Africa was created in 1910.The South African military evolved within the tradition of frontier warfare fought by commando forces, reinforced by the Afrikaners' historical distrust of large standing armies...
found themselves at a disadvantage when facing enemies who were supplied with modern Soviet artillery, which out ranged their artillery by a considerable margin. At that time the South African Army was equipped with WW2
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-era artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
pieces, notably the G1 (25pdr) and the G2 (5.5 inch or 140 mm)
BL 5.5 inch Medium Gun
The BL 5.5 inch Gun was a British artillery gun introduced during the middle of the Second World War to equip medium batteries.-History:In January 1939 a specification was issued for a gun to replace the 6 inch 26 cwt howitzers in use with most medium batteries...
. As a stopgap the G3 155 mm gun
155 mm Long Tom
The 155 mm Gun M1 and M2 , widely known as Long Tom, were 155 millimeter calibre field guns used by the United States armed forces during World War II and Korean War. The Long Tom replaced the Canon de 155 mm GPF in United States service.-Development:Before entering World War I, the United...
(American WWII vintage M-2 "Long Tom") and the G4 155 mm gun
Soltam M-68
The M-68 was a 155 mm 33 calibre towed gun howitzer manufactured by Soltam Systems of Israel. The barrel of the M-68 is 5.18 m long and comes with a simple muzzle brake at the mouth of the barrel, the recoil mechanism of the two pneumatic cylinder jacks is positioned on the back-end of the...
(Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i SOLTAM M-68) were secretly operated.
With the help of the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
scientist Gerald Bull
Gerald Bull
Gerald Vincent Bull was a Canadian engineer who developed long-range artillery. He moved from project to project in his quest to launch economically a satellite using a huge artillery piece, to which end he designed the Project Babylon "supergun" for the Iraqi government...
and his company, Space Research Corporation
Space Research Corporation
Space Research Corporation was a corporation founded by Gerald Bull, after the budget for his research at Project HARP for the United States and Canadian federal governments was cut in 1967, in order to commercialize the technology of long-range artillery. Project HARP's assets were then given to...
, they developed the GC-45 howitzer which was based on the earlier 45-calibre GC-45 howitzer
GC-45 howitzer
The GC-45 is a 155 mm howitzer designed by Gerald Bull's Space Research Corporation in the 1970s. Versions were produced by a number of companies during the 1980s, notably in Austria and South Africa...
. After many variations and modifications deliveries of the G5 started in 1982.
The G5 is mounted on a slightly-modified version of a towed chassis designed by Norinco
Norinco
The China North Industries Corporation , official English name Norinco, manufactures vehicles , machinery, optical-electronic products, oil field equipment, chemicals, light industrial products, explosives and blast materials, civil and military firearms and ammunition, etc...
, which also includes a small APU
Auxiliary power unit
An auxiliary power unit is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft, as well as some large land vehicles.-Function:...
to allow it to dig itself in and move short distances at up to 16 km/h. Using the normal Extended Range, Full Bore ammunition the normal range is 39 km, which can be extended to about 53 km with the use of base bleed
Base bleed
Base bleed is a system used on some artillery shells to increase their range, typically by about 30%.Most of the drag on an artillery shell comes from the nose of the shell, as it pushes the air out of its way at supersonic speeds. Shaping the shell properly can reduce this greatly. However,...
or rocket assisted rounds. It is regarded as one of the most potent artillery pieces on the modern battlefield. In 2002, Denel unveiled their latest version of the G5 a 52-calibre gun known as the G5-2000, which featured greatly enhanced range and accuracy over the earlier 45-calibre version.
The G5 gun has been placed on an OMC 6×6
Four Wheel Drive
The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.-History:...
chassis to produce the fully self-propelled G6 howitzer
G6 howitzer
The G6 self-propelled howitzer is a South African artillery piece, developed around the ordnance of the G5 howitzer. It is one of the most powerful self-propelled guns on a wheeled chassis....
, and won major export sales in this form from the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
and Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
. In response to a request from India it has also been tested on the back of a 4×4 wheeled truck, a combination known as the T5-2000. It has also been fitted into a turret that can be placed on any suitable vehicle. The turret is marketed as the T6 which has already been fitted on the T-72
T-72
The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...
.
Operators
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
army operated about 100 G5's, but these have probably all been destroyed or abandoned since the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
.
Combat history
- AngolaAngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
: 1982–1987 - IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
: Beqaa ValleyBeqaa ValleyThe Beqaa Valley is a fertile valley in east Lebanon. For the Romans, the Beqaa Valley was a major agricultural source, and today it remains Lebanon’s most important farming region...
, 1986 - Iran–Iraq War: 1980–1988
External links
- Denel G5 brochure
- http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/rsa/g5-52.htmG5 at globalsecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
] - G5 is battle ready
- G5 at armyreco.ifrance.com