Panzerhaubitze 2000

Panzerhaubitze 2000
Lithuanian Panzerhaubitze 2000 from the front
Type	Self-propelled gun
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
In service	1998–present
Used by	See Operators
Wars	War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Russian invasion of Ukraine
Production history
Designed	1987–1995
Unit cost	\€17 million (2022)[1]
Produced	1995–present
Specifications
Mass	Combat: 55.8 t (61.5 short tons)
Length	11.7 m (38 ft 5 in)
Width	3.6 m (11 ft 10 in)
Height	3.1 m (10 ft 2 in)
Crew	5 (commander, driver, gunner, and two loaders)
Rate of fire	3 rounds in 9 seconds (burst) 10 rounds per minute
Effective firing range	DM121 Boattail: 30 km (19 mi) M1711 base bleed: 40 km (25 mi) M2005 V-LAP (RAP): 54 km (34 mi)
Armor	Welded steel, 14.5 mm resistant Additional bomblet protection
Main armament	Rheinmetall 155 mm L52 Artillery Gun 60 rounds
Secondary armament	7.62 mm Rheinmetall MG3 machine gun
Engine	MTU 881 Ka-500 1,000 PS (986 hp, 736 kW)
Power/weight	17.92 PS/t
Suspension	Torsion bar
Operational range	420 km (260 mi)
Maximum speed	Road: 67 km/h (41 mph) Off-road: 45 km/h (28 mph)

The Panzerhaubitze 2000 (German pronunciation: [ˈpant͡sɐhaʊ̯ˌbɪt͡sə t͡svaɪ̯ˈtaʊ̯zn̩t]), meaning "armoured howitzer 2000"^[2] and abbreviated PzH 2000, is a German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall in the 1980s and 1990s for the German Army. The PzH 2000 has automatic support for up to five rounds of multiple round simultaneous impact. Replenishment of shells is automated. Two operators can load 60 shells and propelling charges in less than 12 minutes. The PzH 2000 equips the armies of Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Netherlands, Greece, Lithuania, Hungary, Qatar and Croatia, mostly replacing older systems such as the M109 howitzer. In November 2019, a PzH 2000 L52 gun fired a shell a distance of almost 67 km (42 mi).^[3] As of 2020^[update], a prototype L52 gun with a new charge is being tested for a range of at least 75 km (47 mi).^[4]