FH70

FH70
FH70
	FH70 howitzer in North Cornwall Tank Museum Collection.
Type	Howitzer
Place of origin	United Kingdom, West Germany & Italy
Service history
In service	1978–present
Used by	see "Operators"
Wars	Lebanese Civil War; Russo-Ukrainian War
Production history
Designed	1968–1973
Manufacturer	VSEL, Rheinmetall, OTO Melara, Japan Steel Works (licensed production)
Produced	1976
Specifications
Mass	9.3 t (9.2 long tons; 10.3 short tons)
Length	12.43 m (40 ft 9 in) firing; 9.8 m (32 ft 2 in) travelling;
Barrel length	6.022 m (19 ft 9.1 in) L/39
Width	7.5 m (24 ft 7 in) firing; 2.58 m (8 ft 6 in) travelling;
Height	2.192 m (7 ft 2.3 in) firing (no elevation); 2.45 m (8.0 ft) travelling;
Crew	8
Shell	L15A1 HE (standard)
Shell weight	43.4 kg (96 lb)
Calibre	155 mm (6.1 in)
Breech	Semi-automatic vertically sliding block and automatic loader
Recoil	Buffer with high-angle cut-off gear and a recuperator
Carriage	Split trails with APU
Elevation	+70° (1244mils)/-4.5° (-80mils)
Traverse	56° (996mils)
Rate of fire	2 rounds/min sustained; 6 rounds/min rapid;
Muzzle velocity	213–827 m/s (700–2,710 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	24.7 km (15.3 mi) L15A1; 31.5 km (19.6 mi) base bleed;
Sights	Quadrant elevation scale and levelling bubbles, a periscopic dial sight, and a direct fire telescope
References	Janes

The FH70 (field howitzer for the 1970s) is a towed howitzer used by several nations.

^ Janes (26 May 2022), "FH-70", Janes Land Warfare Platforms: Artillery & Air Defence, Coulsdon, Surrey: Jane's Group UK Limited., retrieved 28 February 2023