British Army: integrated review funds artillery modernisation By Ian Kemp
Developed in the 1980s, the AS90 self-propelled howitzer was never upgraded and still retains its original 155mm/39 cal ordnance, the British Army aiming now at replacing it with a 52 cal barrel artillery system. © UK Crown copyright
The past 25 years has seen the development of a bewildering number of force structure models for the British Army driven by a combination of future threat analysis, the urgency of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the promise, sometimes elusive, of new technology, and the harsh reality that there never has been enough funds available to support the aspirations of the three services. The sad saga of the Army’s armoured vehicle projects over this period is well documented. Several key projects intended to modernise the Royal Artillery have also collapsed – the acquisition of smart 155 mm ammunition, the modernisation of the AS90 155 mm/39 cal self-propelled artillery system to a 52 calibre weapon, and the Lightweight Mobile Artillery Weapon System (LIMAWS) project which was intended to deliver a 155 mm LIMAWS-Gun and a LIMAWS-Rocket system, compact enough to be transported by a C-130 Hercules aircraft.
EDR | September/October 2021
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