Denel T-6
Country of
Origin: South Africa
Notes: This
South African vehicle was designed for the Indian self-propelled howitzer
competition. The turret is developed from the turret of the G-6, and the chassis
is taken from captured and home-manufactured T-72 chassis. The turret has
ammunition-loading hatches on the right and left, and a conveyor belt may be
extended from either of these hatches for ammunition loading or direct feeding
of the gun from a ground pile. There are two hatches on the roof of the turret.
The vehicle is equipped with GPS and a fire control computer for direct laying
of the gun, or firing at a target where the location is known.
Twilight 2000
Notes: When the Twilight War broke out, the remaining prototypes were taken into
South African service and production was begun.
Merc 2000 Notes:
After losing in the Indian SP Howitzer competition, one prototype T-6 was placed
in a museum, and the rest dismantled.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
$404,657 |
D, A |
400 kg |
46 tons |
6 |
17 |
Passive IR |
Shielded |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
117/82 |
25/20 |
1000+400 |
274 |
Trtd |
T6 |
TF14 TS7 TR7 HF100 HS14 HR8 |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
+1 |
Basic |
155mm L/52 Howitzer, M-2HB (C) |
45x155mm, 550x.50 |
GDLS XM-2001 Crusader
Country of
Origin: United States
Notes: The
Crusader is a completely automated system, with the gun and ammunition being
aimed, loaded, and fired by remote control. The turret is unoccupied, with the
weapons being operated by the crew in the front of the hull. The gun is laid and
controlled by computer. The Crusader requires no FDC and its fire control system
is totally self-contained, requiring only information from forward observers or
reconnaissance aircraft. Accurate fire can begin within three phases of a halt.
Rate of fire is vastly improved over normal howitzers, as is armor protection
and fire control for direct fire. Note that the turret is only capable of
traverse 20 degrees on either side of center, but the vehicle is capable of
rapid pivot steers for larger deflection changes. If the turret is penetrated in
combat, no crew casualties are possible. The Crusader has become a political
football in the budgetary process; the last I heard, it has been cancelled, but
this has gone back and forth several times.
Twilight 2000
Notes: This vehicle does not exist, except for four evaluation vehicles that
were used against the Mexicans in Texas.
Merc 2000 Notes:
The Crusader made it through the budgetary process, but the first vehicles were
not delivered to operational units until 2008.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
$486,432 |
D, G, AvG, A |
850 kg |
40 tons |
3 |
15 |
Thermal Imaging, Image Intensification |
Shielded |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
121/85 |
25/20 |
700 |
242 |
Trtd |
T5 |
TF13 TS7 TR7 HF16 HS5 HR4 |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
+3 |
Fair |
155mm L/56 howitzer, M-2HB |
60x155mm, 2000x.50 |
GDLS XM-2002 Crusader RSV
Country of
Origin: United States
Notes: These
vehicles are issued to units along with the Crusader SPH; they are issued as a
set. The Crusader RSV (ReSupply Vehicle) was designed to carry ammunition and
fuel for the Crusader SPH and resupply the howitzer in action. It does this
through a docking port that hooks onto the Crusader SPH in the rear of the
turret. The ammunition is conveyed automatically to the Crusader SPHs magazines,
and fuel is transferred to the Crusader's fuel tanks. Ammunition is conveyed at
the rate of one round per two phases. Fuel is transferred at the rate of 5
liters per phase. The Crusader RSV has a remote cupola with an M-2HB; as with
the SPH, the refueling and rearming process is completely automated and the crew
sits in the front of the vehicle under the glacis plate. The Crusader has become
a political football in the budgetary process; the last I heard, it has been
cancelled, but this has gone back and forth several times.
Twilight 2000
Notes: This vehicle does not exist, except for four evaluation vehicles that
were used against the Mexicans in Texas.
Merc 2000 Notes:
The Crusader made it through the budgetary process, but the first vehicles were
not delivered to operational units until 2008.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
$574,076 |
D, G, AvG, A |
1 ton |
33 tons |
3 |
13 |
Thermal Imaging, Image Intensification |
Shielded |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
121/85 |
25/20 |
1400 |
179 |
Stnd |
T5 |
HF16 HS5 HR4 |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
+2 |
Fair |
M-2HB |
2000x.50, 60x155mm (Rounds Only) |
ASELSAN Tafun
Country of
Origin: Turkey
Seen In: Current
development by ASELSAN of Turkey for the Turkish Army.
Notes: Though
the resulting vehicle name, if one results from this research, is not known, the
current project name is Tafun, and so that is what I’m calling the vehicle here.
The Turkish expect to have a working vehicle by 2024 and deployment by
2028, though research has admittedly (according to ASELSAN) been more difficult
than first thought and if any artillery vehicle results from Project Tafun, it
will probably be late.
The Tafun SPH
centers around a turret mounting a 155mm L/39 railgun rather than
conventionally-propelled ammunition.
It should be noted that several countries are working on a similar
system, including the US and Israel, and are having similar setbacks, mostly in
the area of generating the large amounts of electricity in a self-contained
vehicle without using the engine, instead using an internal high-capacity
electrical generator powered by what is essentially a second engine designed to
produce electricity instead of motive power.
If Turkey is successful with Project Tafun (and it seems, from several
accounts, to be ahead of other countries in producing a working prototype), it
will be the first country to have an SPH which uses a railgun for its primary
armament. The Turkish have been
testing the turret and gun of the Tafun on a pedestal mount with external power
generation, and despite the short length of the howitzer barrel, , hits have
been achieved at a range of 72.5 kilometers (though this was not a pinpoint hit,
instead using an area salvo where the rounds all hit within an acceptable CEP).
The internal
firing engine must produce 8 Mj of energy to fire a round to this range.
So far, only HE rounds have been fired from the gun prototype, though
rounds equivalent to standard NATO rounds are envisioned for the system, as well
as advanced rounds guided by laser, radio, or GPS.
So far, no direct-fire rounds are being developed for the Tafun, though
the ammunition page will include some for GP. The Tafun Project is also
undertaking a lot of stress testing, as several components of the Tafun gun have
failed during firing or autoloading, and the electricity-producing engine tends
to fail to deliver the necessary power, resulting in shorter than expected
range, stuck rounds, and rounds which do not fire at all.
That said, the
vehicle presented below is for a working vehicle that is at least a
limited-production vehicle; we will assume that ASELSAN hit the Turkish Army’s
deadline in 2028 for a working vehicle in limited production.
The caliber, as mentioned, is 155mm L/39, however, there are no
propellant charges or any sort of chemical propulsion.
Instead, the gun barrel and breech have a pair of stainless steel rails
which connect to the electricity-producing engine.
The rounds are aluminum, but surrounded by surrounded by stainless steel
sabots to help propel the rounds through the barrel.
The actual caliber of the aluminum round is therefore smaller than the
gun barrel at 127mm. The sabots are discharged in halves from the barrel when a
round is fired. The sabots are not large; they are just enough to interact with
the launch rails. The rounds’ speed
is hypersonic, and together with the fire control software are capable of
intercepting aircraft within 40 kilometers, UAVs within 50 kilometers, and
ground targets (depending on whether they are moving or not) at ranges from
almost zero to over 2000 meters, or possibly more.
Other possible targets include incoming cruise missiles , air-to-ground
missiles, and even artillery or mortar shells within range, (In one low-altitude
test, a Tafun round was able to intercept an air-to-air missile fired from a
Turkish fighter against a decoy target.)
The round development has included indirect artillery fire with target
destruction achieved by the speed and force of the incoming rounds rather by an
HE filler.
Fire control is
provided by a specialized system allowing the gunner or commander to quickly
select the type of target and magazine to load from, and to select the type of
target. The Tafun also has an
AESA-type target detection and acquisition radar, along with a comprehensive
day/night visual suite, including up-to-date night vision gear, CCD cameras, and
several telescopic sights, as well as a unity sight with a reticle on it for
close-range shots.
Unfortunately,
generating enough electrical power to fire a shot is not fast, and while the
Tafun is capable of quick MRSI salvos and other quick area or pinpoint salvos,
firing five shots in rapid succession will require the engine to spend 30
seconds developing the necessary power to fire another such salvo.
Normal rate of continuous fire is one round every 6 seconds, though as
stated, five rounds may be fired in rapid succession, after which the generator
is drained for 30 seconds. Quick
single-shot firing may also be conducted, which will drain 1/10’s of the
generating engine’s power.
As a Tafun is a
high-priority target, armor-protection is much greater than most SPHs.
Especially on the turret. The
vehicle is also capable of mounting both standard and MEXAS applique armor, and
also has lugs for ERA on the sides of the vehicle, glacis, lower bottom part of
the front of the vehicle, and on the turret sides, rear, and front, and front
quarter of the turret. The
commander controls an RWS above his hatch upon which a couple of weapons are
mounted, and has 360-degree rotation.
It is possible that an Israeli-made Trophy APS may be mounted on the
Tafun.
Engine power and
the chassis are provided for by a Turkish-modified MAN 8x8 truck, with armor
added and puncture-resistant run-flat tires.
The engine power is distributed 8x8, with a fully-automatic transmission
with a manual backup. The engine is
under the cab; tthe complete power pack may be removed by hinging open the cab.
The rear-mounted electrical engine is removed by sliding out the rear.
The motive power is provided for by it’s own fuel tanks, and the
electrical firing engine has its own fuel tanks.
In addition, the Tafun is equipped with a 30kW APU which runs off the
vehicle’s fuel, and can provide power for up to 30 shots or power up three other
guns for up to 15 shots, or an FDC, plus two conveyor belts for ammunition
resupply. Ammunition resupply is
normally done through doors on either side of the Tafun’s turret, but the
loader’s hatch may also be used.
The turret carries the Gunner and Loader, while the cab carries the Driver and
Commander (though the RWS is on top of the turret).
The gunner and loader may also be stationed in the cab, with remote
equipment like the Driver and Commander have.
Note that the
generator engine cannot be tapped to provide power to the rest of the vehicle;
however, the fuel supply for the generator engine can be so tapped.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
Tafun |
$2,365,981 |
D, A |
625 kg |
56.17 tons |
4 |
43 |
Image Intensification (D), Backup Camera (D), Day/Night CCD Camera (D,
G, RWS, C), 2nd Gen Image Intensification (G, RWS, C). 3rd
Gen FLIR (G, RWS), AESA Radar (100km, G, C) |
Shielded |
Tafun w/Applique |
$2,367,061 |
D, A |
482 kg |
58.46 tons |
4 |
45 |
Image Intensification (D), Backup Camera (D), Day/Night CCD Camera (D,
G, RWS, C), 2nd Gen Image Intensification (G, RWS, C). 3rd
Gen FLIR (G, RWS), AESA Radar (100km, G, C) |
Shielded |
Tafun w/MEXAS Applique |
$2,189,532 |
D, A |
553 kg |
57.32 tons |
4 |
45 |
Image Intensification (D), Backup Camera (D), Day/Night CCD Camera (D,
G, RWS, C), 2nd Gen Image Intensification (G, RWS, C). 3rd
Gen FLIR (G, RWS), AESA Radar (100km, G, C) |
Shielded |
Tafun w/Trophy System |
$2,489,471 |
D, A |
612 kg |
56.38 tons |
4 |
46 |
Image Intensification (D), Backup Camera (D), Day/Night CCD Camera (D,
G, RWS, C), 2nd Gen Image Intensification (G, RWS, C). 3rd
Gen FLIR (G, RWS), AESA Radar (100km, G, C) |
Shielded |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
Tafun |
161/82 |
44/22 |
500 +200 |
248 + 8/Shot |
Trtd |
W(6) |
TF32Cp TS24Cp
TS15 HF40Cp
HS40Cp HR15* |
Tafun w/Applique |
158/80 |
43/22 |
500 +200 |
253 + 8/Shot |
Trtd |
W(6) |
TF36Cp TS28Cp
TS15 HF44Cp
HS44Cp HR15** |
Tafun w/MEXAS Applique |
160/81 |
43/22 |
500 +200 |
251 + 8/Shot |
Trtd |
W(6) |
TF37Cp TS29Cp
TS16Sp HF48Cp
HS48Cp HR15*** |
Tafun w/Trophy System |
160/82 |
44/22 |
500 +200 |
249 + 8/Shot |
Trtd |
W(6) |
TF32Cp TS24Cp
TS15 HF40Cp
HS40Cp HR15* |
Vehicle |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
Tafun |
+4 |
Fair |
155mm L/39 ETC Howitzer, M2HB (RWS), Mk 19 (RWS) |
60x155mm ETC rounds, 2000x.50, 2000,40mm Grenade |
*Cab
Roof AV is 6, Turret Roof Armor is 6Sp.
Floor Armor is 10Sp.
**Cab
Roof AV is 6. Turret Roof AV is
7Sp. Floor Armor is 12Sp.
***
Cab Roof AV and Turret Roof AV is 7Sp.
Floor Armor is 12Sp. The
vehicle has an MRAP hull.
Soltam Rascal
Country of Origin: Israel
Notes: The class that of SP
artillery that the Rascal is in is a rather rare category; the Rascal is
designed to be able to use most conventional road surfaces and bridges
(including railroads) without damage to the road or railroad surfaces.
For the same reason, over most roads, tank transporters are not needed,
simplifying logistics. The Rascal has not been exported, despite heavy marketing
by Soltam, and its appearance as several arms shows throughout the world, and
despite the fact that the Rascal was aimed at the export market. Unlike many SP
artillery vehicles, the Rascal is not based on any tank, SP gun, or APC chassis;
it is a custom-built vehicle. The
Rascal is the lightest SP artillery system developed by Soltam (now a part of
IWI), who envisions an array of vehicles based on the Rascal chassis.
With an L/39 barrel, it is known as the Rascal, while the L/45 and L/52
versions are called the Diabillo.
The
Rascal was designed to be light in weight, able to take those roads mentioned
above as well as smaller road and railroad bridges.
The key is that the Rascal is relatively light in weight, and the vehicle
is rather long in size and has a tracked suspension, able to spread its weight
in a large area. The compact design
also allows it to be air-transportable, not including the C-130/G.222 series of
aircraft (though with its L/39 gun, it
can fit in those aircraft). The
light weight also makes quick and mobile in combat situations or road marches.
It is capable of negotiating most terrain types.
The
gun is a Soltam-designed 155mm howitzer, and an L/39, L/45 or L/52 gun may be
used. The gun is mounted at the
rear of the vehicle, and extends through most of the fighting compartment, with
the gun in either iteration hanging over the front of cab when in travel
configuration. The gun is mounted
on a turntable, allowing a traverse of 30 degrees in either direction, and with
elevation of +65 degrees, and depression of 0 degrees. Before firing, a pair of
hydraulic jacks is lowered at the rear corners of the vehicle for stabilization.
The Rascal has 36 ready rounds of ammunition, with another four kept in its
shipping crate. These are stored in
the front of the fighting compartment.
The gun is fed by an autoloader; all the crew must do is insert the
correct order of shells. There are
no mounts for heavier weapons on the Rascal; however, a cluster of five smoke
grenades is found on each front bumper.
Armor, unfortunately, nothing to write home about, which also keeps the vehicle
lightweight. The rear of the
fighting compartment has no armor whatsoever, and is exposed to the outside
elements. The fighting compartment
is also open to the elements, though on each side are low-rising armored plates
with internal equipment storage.
(The prototype Rascals were equipped with a set of steel tubes for a framework
and hard Kevlar AV2 panels, but in testing, the crews considered them an
impediment and that it took too long to deploy.) The ammunition racks are also
inside an armored box, made of steel lined with thick Kevlar sheets. The charges
are stored in a similar compartment forward of the gun. For that matter, the
vehicle chassis is of largely steel construction, with some elements, such as
roadwheels, hatches, and other such features made of aluminum alloy. When in
travel configuration, the crew rides inside the better-armored crew cab, which
has NBC overpressure protection, an air conditioner, and a heater. Most of the
crew rides just forward of center right of the vehicle, with overhead hatches
and shuttered vision blocks to the front.
The driver’s position is set forward near the front left of the vehicle
in an armored sponson; he has large windows in the front and on either side,
with armored shutters to lower if needed. In front of the crewmembers (except
for the driver’s position) there is space for the crew’s personal gear, rations,
water, and such. Normally, only the driver’s position has night vision, though
optionally, one or more of the other crewmembers’ positions may have such
equipment installed.
Power
is provided by a turbocharged diesel developing 350 horsepower.
The engine is near the center of the vehicle in the left, behind the
driver. The Rascal also has an automatic transmission, along with conventional
driving controls that are power-assisted.
Despite the seemingly-low power of the engine, the Rascal is very quick
and maneuverable due to its low weight.
In the front hull there is a recovery winch with a capacity of 30 tons
and 60 meters of cable.
The
Rascal has GPS, but no capability to come up with its own targeting information
(lacking the necessary fire control computers to hold down costs) and an FDC is
required for anything but inaccurate fire.
The Rascal does have a mapping computer and an artillery ballistic
computer which can take the information directly from the FDC and convert it
into fire coordinates.
Twilight 2000 Notes: Due to accelerated testing and production, some 20 Rascals
were available to the IDF for the Twilight War. These were used primarily by the
IDF, though one captured example each was used by Lebanon and Syria.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological** |
L/39 Gun |
$683,413 |
D, A |
750 kg |
19.5 tons |
4 |
16 |
Passive IR (D) |
Shielded |
L/45 Gun |
$698,972 |
D, A |
734 kg |
19.76 tons |
4 |
17 |
Passive IR (D) |
Shielded |
L/52 Gun |
$717,739 |
D, A |
693 kg |
20.06 tons |
4 |
19 |
Passive IR (D) |
Shielded |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor* |
L/39 Gun |
130/92 |
36/25 |
500 |
130 |
Stnd |
T4 |
HF4 HS2
HR2 |
L/45 Gun |
129/91 |
36/25 |
500 |
132 |
Stnd |
T4 |
HF4 HS2
HR2 |
L/52 Gun |
128/90 |
36/25 |
500 |
134 |
Stnd |
T4 |
HF4 HS2
HR2 |
Vehicle |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
L/39 Gun |
+1 |
Basic |
155mm L/39 Howitzer |
40x155mm |
L/45 Gun |
+1 |
Basic |
155mm L/45 Howitzer |
40x155mm |
L/52 Gun |
+1 |
Basic |
155mm L/52 Howitzer |
40x155mm |
*Hull
armor on the Rascal is a bit complicated.
The armor figures listed above are largely for the vehicle’s cab.
The fighting compartment is open, and therefore offers little protection;
however, the rear half of the vehicle, where the ammunition is stored, is
contained within AV2 lockers that can also protect the crew if they crouch
behind it or offer some protection when returning fire with their small arms.
The entire cab of the Rascal has AV4, as does the floor of the entire
vehicle. If the framework and the
Kevlar panels are erected, they give the gun crew AV2 to the vehicle’s sides and
rear, except for their heads (if they are standing up).
**The
Radiological protection listed above is for the cab only.
The Radiological rating in the fighting compartment is “Open.”
Soltam Sholef (Slammer)
Country of Origin:
Israel
Notes:
The Sholef (translates to “Slammer”, which is slang in Hebrew for
“Gunslinger”) is a heavily armored artillery gun mounted on a modified Merkava
Mk1 chassis. Many of these vehicles
are Merkava Mk1s that were retired after the Mk 2s and Mk 3s came into service.
The Sholef turret has roots going back to the late 1970s, though the
turret was not mated to a Merkava chassis until 1986. The original turret was a
heavily-modified M109A5 turret, but this was later replaced with a purpose-built
turret only very loosely-based on the M109 series. The Sholef is a fully-modern
artillery gun on par with the Paladin, PzH-2000, and Braveheart.
Soltam does not appear to be offering the Sholef for export, but is
offering some of the components as upgrades to existing systems; the Sholef’s
components have a high degree of modularity. (Though the Indian Army tested the
Sholef during its search for a new artillery gun, it was not selected.)
The IDF has also declined to accept the Sholef, feeling it is too large,
too heavy, and too unwieldy, though the prototypes and limited-production
vehicles built are being used as testbeds for new and updated concepts in field
artillery and fighting vehicles – and it has been pointed out that the Sholefs
could be easily put into service in an emergency.
(Different sources say that anywhere from two to eight Sholefs were
actually built.) In the end, the
IDF decided to go with the Doher (see above), and to a much more limited extent,
the Spark, pending the full deployment of the SPW2052; such lighter – and more
mobile – artillery appears to be the wave of the future on the world market.
The chassis is,
of course, a modified form of the Merkava Mk 1; the primary difference is the
removal of the heavy Chobham armor of the Merkava. The engine is the same
turbocharged 900 horsepower diesel engine, with a T-bar steering column and
automatic transmission. Armor
protection, though reduced from the Merkava, is still something to cause envy to
rise among artillery crews. (The
Sholef was designed in part to allow it to survive a short slugfest with other
armored vehicles.) The driver
remains in the front center of the tank, with the powerpack in front of him;
this is why the turret and driver’s compartment are further back on the gun than
most such vehicles. The engine and
transmission are combined in a unitary powerpack that can be removed in 30
minutes and replaced in an hour by an M-88 or other appropriate vehicle and a
competent mechanic team. The turret is large and blocky, good for housing a big
gun but not for protection.
The main gun is
a Soltam-designed L/52 155mm gun, with a large multibaffle muzzle brake, fume
extractor, and heavy-duty recoil cylinders.
This Soltam-designed gun, however, has a marked resemblance to the
South-African-designed G5 155mm howitzer. As the Sholef is designed to survive a
short engagement with armor, the gun has good stabilization and fire control
equipment and even fire accurately at direct fire targets while moving at half
speed (though fire is one level more difficult). The Sholef is heavy enough that
external hydraulic jacks are not necessary.
The turret is also designed by Soltam; is a large turret over 2 ½ times
the size of the Merkava’s turret.
The large turret, along with proper arrangement of internal ammunition in the
hull, allows for a copious onboard ammunition supply. The ammunition is arranged
in ten 6-round magazines, with a further 15 rounds in bins not connected to the
autoloader and generally occupied by special ammunition types or other rounds
which do not fit in the autoloader or have special charge requirements. The hull
door in the rear that is present on the Merkava remains on the Sholef and is
used for ammo resupply; due to the internal arrangement of ammunition in
magazines, rounds cannot be swapped for passengers, though two passengers or
extra crewmembers can be squeezed in.
A half-sized bustle is mounted to the left of the door.
The Sholef’s gun is fed by an autoloader that requires only two men to
operate. Even the fuzes are
attached automatically with this autoloader.
Charge loading is manual, but comes from a tray beside the main gun.
The Sholef can fire at a burst rate of 3 rounds in 15 seconds (1/phase)
every 10 minutes, but normal ROF is 9 rounds per minute (ROF ½).
At the rear of the turret is a large door for reloading ammunition; an
integral loading belt can be lowered to load from various different vehicles of
a ground pile. In front of the
vehicle, on the glacis, is an electrically-operated travel lock.
The Sholef is
highly computerized, and also has GPS with inertial backup and the equivalent of
the US Blue Force/Red Force tracker; a computer finds the maps, digests the
numbers, positions, and coordinates, and provides an indirect fire control
solution. This means that the
Sholef can not only fire immediately upon a halt, it does not require an FDC,
and most Sholef units do not operate with one.
Fire missions are received through a battery of data-capable secure
radios, including two long-range, one medium-range, and one short-range radio.
The computerized system also gives the commander information on the state of the
Sholef, from engine conditions to fuel state to the type of round loaded into
the breech. The gunner fires indirect fire missions with the aid of the
computers via an LCD touch panel instead of the gunner having to use an IF
sight. The same system can provide
the gunner with direct fire information, though he must still use the optical
sight for direct fire engagements. The driver’s LCD screen provides navigation
through the GPS and mapping systems and partial Blue/Red Force Tracker
information, as well as state information for the powerpack and fuel.
An initial barrage can be conducted automatically at the push of a few
buttons by the gunner and the entry of fire support mission information – as
this point, the Sholef may conduct an initial bombardment of up to six rounds
without further intervention from the gunner or loader.
MRSI missions can also be conducted, also automatically.
The gunner,
commander, and the loader are in the turret.
The commander has a manually-rotating cupola with all-around vision
blocks; one has a night vision channel.
The turret loader mans a medium machinegun when he is not busy in the
turret, but he has no cupola and only one wide-angle vision block forward.
(Initially, the prototypes did not include this secondary MG, and the MAG
was put in the loader’s position. The crew is protected by an NBC Overpressure
system with a collective NBC backup; air conditioning and heating is also
provided, along with a water/ration heater capable warming up to four MRE-type
packets at once. The Sholef has a
15kW APU, which is on the front left of the vehicle, under armor; at this
position on the vehicle is a small rectangular set of louvers – intake and
exhaust for the APU.
M4 Scorcher
The computer
wargame ARMA 3 posits a conflict between NATO and Russia/Warsaw Pact.
One of the vehicles that players may unlock is the M4 Scorcher, which is
an upgraded version of the Sholef.
Primary differences are mostly to the armor suite – though the armor is still
not as strong as a Merkava’s armor, the Scorcher does use Chobham armor,
including in the front of the turret.
The turret itself is redesigned, being sharply-raked at the front and
moderately angled on the sides.
Fire control is also improved, with a laser rangefinder and upgraded direct-fire
computer for direct-fire shots and the ability to conduct a quick initial
bombardment of six rounds within five seconds of a halt if fire coordinate
information is received and fire solutions generated while the vehicle is moving
to its firing position, or within 15 seconds of a halt if the coordinate
information is still being transmitted and no fire solution have been arrived at
yet. Like the Sholef, the Scorcher
may conduct fire missions while moving at half speed though at a cost to
accuracy.
The commander
has an OHWS designed specifically for the Scorcher that is armed with an M2 QCB
version of the M2HB and a Mk 19 Grenade Machinegun. These weapons may be aimed,
fired, and loaded from inside the vehicle, and are fired using the commander’s
LCD. The OHWS has the same Stabilization and Fire Control as the Scorcher’s
direct fire suite. The OHWS itself does not have a hatch for the commander;
instead, the commander’s position is on the turret ahead of the OHWS.
The Scorcher has a full BMS.
The main gun is a
version of the Soltam gun licensed by Rheinmetall; the Merkava base chassis is
also licensed by Rheinmetall. These
were further sub-licensed to General Dynamics in Canada.
The overall
vehicle is somewhat lighter than a Sholef, despite the replacement of the engine
with one developing 1000 horsepower.
The direct fire and armor suites are a reflection of the fact that the
Scorcher is expected to survive a short engagement with armored forces and even
be an ad hoc tank destroyer. The
new shape and thicker armor had a cost – the Scorcher has less room for
magazines and carries only eight.
Most other
particulars are as on the Sholef.
The M4 Scorcher
also appears in some mods of GTA 5, for reasons I don’t understand but somehow
make me nervous.
Twilight 2000
Notes: These vehicles were just entering production at the outset of the
Twilight War and are rather rare.
The M4 Scorcher is available in very small numbers in the Norwegian, Dutch,
Spanish, and Turkish Armies. Some
small numbers were also used by Canadian Forces; one out of every 20 produced in
Canada was taken into Canadian service.
These Canadian Scorchers were retained within Canada, and not sent
overseas.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
Sholef |
$1,659,499 |
D, A |
800 kg |
45 tons |
4 |
32 |
Thermal Imaging (G, C), Image Intensification (D, C, G) |
Shielded |
M4 Scorcher |
$1,730,934 |
D, A |
863 kg |
41.3 tons |
4 |
25 |
Thermal Imaging (G, C), Image Intensification (D, C, G), Backup LLTV (D) |
Shielded |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
Sholef |
142/99 |
39/28 |
1250 |
333 |
Trtd |
T6 |
TF35Sp TS19Sp
TR17 HF44Sp
HS16Sp HR12* |
M4 Scorcher |
166/116 |
46/32 |
1250 |
370 |
Trtd |
T6 |
TF40Cp TS24Sp
TR18 HF49Cp
HS19Sp HR14** |
Vehicle |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
Sholef |
+2 |
Good |
155mm Soltam L/52 Howitzer, M-2HB (C), MAG (L) |
75x155mm, 1000x.50, 2000x7.62mm |
M4 Scorcher |
+3 |
Good |
155mm Rheinmetall/Soltam L/52 Howitzer, M-2 QCB (C), Mk19 (C), MAG or
MG3 (L) |
63x155mm, 1000x.50, 300x40mm, 2000x7.62mm |
*Floor AV is 8Sp; Roof AV is also 8Sp