AMX GCT-155 (AUF x)

     Notes:  The GCT-155 (Grande Cadence de Tir) was designed to replace all of the 105mm and 155mm self-propelled howitzers then in French service, and entered service in 1979; this occurred after almost 10 years of development and testing.  It is normally known as the AUF 1 in French service and some other companies; in others, it is appended to the “GCT-155” as a model number. Before that, the first ones produced were actually bought by Saudi Arabia in 1977.  Later production included vehicles for Iraq and Kuwait, though the Iraqi AUF 1s were received between 1983-85 and if they are operational in any sense of the word, now are probably suffering from a severe state of neglect. AUF 1s served in the Iran-Iraq War (where Iranian aircraft and superior counterbattery fire took quite a toll on them), in the Balkan States, and to a limited extent, in Iraq during the 2003 invasion.  The French got 179 AUF 1s, which were later upgraded to AUF 1T/AUF 2 standards.  (The French Army are only ones to have received the AUF 1T.)  The production of the AUF 1/1T/2 are now complete, though Nexter (who inherited the design from AMX) has shown that it will pick up production in response to orders, as it did in 1996 for 20 vehicles.  The primary component being marketed today is the AUF 2 (both in an update kit and in complete vehicle form), which is an advanced artillery system which can be mounted on the AMX-30, T-72, Arjun, and Leopard tanks.  The Iraqi Army employed an unknown number of AUF 1s, though all were destroyed in the Iran-Iraq War, Desert Storm or Operation Iraqi Freedom.  The Kuwaitis have 18, though they are all in storage, pending the arrival of new artillery systems or AUF 2 upgrade kits (depending upon what the Kuwaitis choose). The first production AUF 1s were actually delivered to Saudi Arabia, ahead of the French Army receiving theirs.  AUF 1 and AUF 2 turrets have been seen mounted on T-72 and Arjun tank chassis; the T-72/AUF version is for export sales, while the Arjun-based AUFs were specifically built for the Indian Artillery System competition. (The Indians indicated that they intended to put the AUF 1 turret on Arjun or T-72MI chassis, but in the end no decision was made, and the next round of the Indian Artillery System competition took place without the French.) The French has indicated that the turrets can also be mounted on a Leopard 1 chassis, though no such models have been produced yet.

     GCT-155 AUF 1s have seen combat with the French as part of IFOR, and in Saudi hands during Desert Storm. They were also used by the Iraqis against the Iranians, and against the coalition during Desert Storm and for a short period during Operation Iraqi Freedom.  It should be noted that the AUF 1 is regarded by most military experts as being the first self-propelled howitzer to incorporate a working autoloader.

The AUF 1

     The AUF 1 looks in many ways like the US M109; however, the AUF 1 is superior to the base M109 in almost every way.  This includes a longer main gun, better electronics, heavier armor, and faster speed.  The AUF 1 is the base version, which is capable of supplying quick, responsive fire support and is capable of using any Western 155mm round, and even Chinese rounds; its fire control computers require input from an FDC, but targeting information from a compatible FDC is funneled directly into the AUF 1 and turned into a firing solution.  When buttoned up, the crew is protected by an NBC overpressure system with vehicular filtration backup; the AUF 1 can fire while completely buttoned up from its internal ammunition store.  A 4kW APU can power the AUF 1 completely without turning on the engine, operating off of the vehicle’s fuel supply.  The AUF 1 also has an adequate heater and air conditioner. 

     The main gun is an L/40 variant of the M109’s L/39 155mm; the French version, however, has a more compact muzzle brake and a fume extractor.  Whether or not the AUF 1 has a commander’s or loader’s weapon is a bone of contention; AMX did not build any with external weapon mounts, but most of the countries (and/or units) that use the AUF 1 (and later versions) have added such mounts to the commander’s hatch, loader’s hatch, or both.  The version I have detailed below has a choice of possible commander’s weapons.  It can be fed by a resupply vehicle, and mount a conveyor belt system to feed from a vehicle or ground pile.  The magazines are loaded from outside the vehicle at the rear of the turret, and can be loaded with resupply rounds even as the gun is being fired. (Each magazine normally has six rounds of the same type, but this is not strictly necessary.) There are a total of seven magazines. Maximum elevation is 66 degrees, and depression -4 degrees.  When fired, the breech moves back and opens automatically, with a manual override.  Most of the vehicle ammunition is in racks at the rear of the turret, although 22 short-range propelling charges are located near and under the loader’s seat.  The gunner has the interesting ability to fire either single rounds or rounds in bursts of six (with one per phase being fired). Though the autoloader enables the AUF 1 to fire up to 6 rounds in 45 seconds, this fire rate cannot be maintained for more than two minutes (as it will damage the barrel and autoloader if kept up too long); normal fire rates are more like three rounds per minute.  The AUF 1 uses a 40-caliber cannon barrel, which is tipped by a multibaffle muzzle brake. The gun is fed by a semiautomatic autoloader. The magazines store 42 rounds and charges; another 40 propellant charges are stored under the turret floor. There is a hatch in the rear of the vehicle to allow for replenishment through an outside source, and for crew ingress and egress.

     The armor is of all-welded steel, with the driver on the front left, the commander in the turret on the left, the gunner below him, and the loader on the left turret.  Reloading is done via a large hatch on each side which can also receive crew and equipment), and the conveyor belt.  The commander’s position normally has a pintle mount, and a manually-rotating cupola with all-around vision blocks.  The commander has an elbow scope that allows him to see through the gunner’s sights; the gunner has a x10 telescopic sight, an image intensifier, and other night vision devices, as well as a low-magnification (x3) telescope for close-up work.  A sighting reticule and computer information is put into the gunner’s sights. The GCT-155 has an automatic fire detection and suppression system, and an NBC overpressure system. Every minute, the turret is also flushed with fresh air and the discharge gasses from the gun expelled. The GCT-155 is equipped with a GALIX protection system; this is a grenade launcher system the tubes of which are fired manually and may be loaded with smoke, illumination, CS, or fragmentation grenades.  The grenades are fired at an 11-degree angle, and are found (on the GCT-155) in clusters of five on either side of the turret.  There are large baskets on the front of the turret; these are for storing crew equipment and extra ammunition for the crew’s small arms or the commander’s weapon.  (GCT-155s in combat have been seen with the baskets loaded with logs or steel or aluminum plates, or simply sandbags, to increase the protection on those surfaces.)

     Power is provided by an HS-110 turbocharged multifuel engine developing 720 horsepower.  The GCT-155 series uses an automatic transmission, along with conventional driving controls which are hydraulically-boosted. The chassis is a modified form of that of the AMX-30 tank.

The AUF 1T/TA

     In 1988, production was switched to the AUF 1T standard, which is sort of a bridge between the AUF 1 and AUF 2.  This gave the newer vehicle a 12kW APU (as opposed to the 4kW APU of the AUF 1).  The AUF 1T’s APU can power four guns or a gun and an FDC. The loading system became almost totally automatic, with automatic self-laying potential and fire control, giving the AUF 1T the able to act as its own FDC, with GPS aiding this (this is the CITA-20 system). The fire control system, includes automatic gun laying either by coordinates supplied by the fire control computer or an FDC, a ballistic computer applicable to indirect as well as direct fire, and a laser rangefinder for use in direct fire.  The autoloader is fully automatic with fuzes being programmed by the ballistic computer with the round inside the gun.

     The AUF 1TA replaces CITA-20 system with the ATLAS FCS, which includes a muzzle velocity radar and an upgraded turret and chassis.  The gun has been replaced by an L/52 barrel. Two radios have been replaced by secure frequency-hopping radios, and two other long-range radios which are simply encrypted.  All are data-capable.  The automatic fire control system combined with burst fire capability allows the gun by itself to MRSI.  The burst fire capability has been increased to 10 rounds.  The AUF 1T essentially upgraded almost all turret components.  Other enhancements, such as GPS unit with mapping computer, a small tank for drinking water (holds 40 liters) and a ration heater have been added. The APU has also been upgraded to a powerful unit developing 40 kW.  A small radar set has been added; this can trigger the GALIX system or simply notify the soldiers of threats in the area.  This radar has a range of 3 kilometers, can track up to five ground or air targets (the closest five are automatically detected), and is connected to a screen at the commander’s position that display both data for the five targets and the disposition of the GALIX system.

     Power for the AUF 1TA is by a version of the Mack E9-750. This version has double turbochargers, which are more reliable on steep side slopes than the HS-110 and HS-110-2.  The output is rated at 750 horsepower, and the engine offers a greater lifespan and a longer operating life.

The AUF 2 gun system

     The AUF 2 does not come with a base chassis; instead, Nexter supplies the turret and gun system of the AUF 1TA and mates it to an existing chassis.  The French use the chassis of an AMX-30B2, and have converted 70 from the AUF 1 to the AUF 2 standard as of February 2018. Since most of the loading, gun, and computer and communications is in the turret, this is easier than one might think.

     The gun is the L/52 howitzer, along with upgraded  electronics based those of AUF 1/1T/TA (as appropriate).  The autoloader is also upgraded, and makes the AUF 2 capable of 1-2 minutes of 10-per-minute fire.  The gun and autoloader are also capable of firing smaller burst in order to perform MRSI fire, and the French (and several other countries) are developing modular propellant charge families that will be able to be used by the AUF 2.  Radios are usually supplied by the using country; computerization and night vision is supplied by Nexter.  The commander’s/loader’s weapon is generally supplied by the receiving country.  The 40 kW APU is also installed as part of this package, and any modifications to the chassis necessary to fit the turret to the chassis or modify it to its new role are done.  All told, the AUF 2 turret weighs 19 tons, but this is normally 2-6 tons less than the original tank weighed.  The AUF 2 is normally equipped with a French version of a BMS (though Iraqi versions use a US BMS), along with extra data-capable radios for use by the BMS and the vehicle state computer; this is a total of three frequency-hopping long-range data-capable radios, two medium-range frequency-hopping radios, one of which is data-capable, and one short-range frequency-hopping radio.  The GPS has an Inertial backup. The AUF 2 also has the other applicable improvements of the AUF 1TA. The possible combinations that Nexter is ready to modify right now is listed above; however, with the right offer, they may be willing to put this modification on other chassis.  They will not be detailed here, at least for now.  The chassis used by the French is a form of that of the AMX-30B2 tank (with repowering and a suspension upgrade), and it is that vehicle which is reflected in the stats below.  The AUF 2 has the full armor protection of the AMX-B2’s hull, but only a small increase in protection for the turret.

*The AUF 2 has belly armor of AV6Sp, and a roof armor of AV6.  IR detection is one level more difficult.

GIAT Caesar

     Notes:  This is essentially a heavy howitzer put on a medium truck chassis. “Caesar” is actually a common name for the vehicle; the actual name is an acronym (CAESAR – Camion Equipe d’un Systeme d’ARtillierrie, or “truck equipped with an artillery system”). The Caesar was designed for airmobile and airborne units, as well as for export to countries who do not have the coin for full-sized SP artillery.  Users include France, Saudi Arabia (perhaps the largest user of the Caesar), Indonesia, and Thailand; the Danish Army has also adopted the Caesar. The Lebanese received a military grant from the Saudis, and this will over the next few years, give the Lebanese 28 Caesar vehicles. The French have received their order, but are considering another order of 32 Caesars, this time mounted on a Tatra 8x8 chassis (a variant of the T815-7). This version is known as the Caesar 2. (The Caesar Mk 2 is a different vehicle; the primary change is a more heavily-armored cab and a V-hull) The Caesar is also being considered for use by the Australians, and are also being looked at by the Indians. Even the British and the US are considering the Caesar for their light, airmobile, and airborne units. Caesars were used by the French in Afghanistan and Mali, and recently, four Caesars were sent to the new Iraqi Army for use in the battle to take back Mosul from ISIS. The Thais used them in a border skirmish with Cambodia in 2011.  Two Saudi systems were sold whole to the country, but the rest of their order of 78 are being assembled in Saudi Arabia.  The French have indicated that they are willing to replace the 52-caliber gun with an L/39 gun for export; the vehicle’s software is already able to handle the shorter gun.  No orders for an L/39-equipped Caesar have been yet made.

Caesar 1

     In French service, the Caesar is built on a Renault Sherpa 10 chassis; for Saudi Arabia, a Unimog U-2450L chassis is used.  In both cases, the crew rides in the enlarged cab, which comes in armored and non-armored versions.  In addition, the armor kit can contain a V-bottom for mine mitigation.  Based on the Sherpa, the vehicle has a diesel engine with a power of 240 horsepower and a 6x6 suspension, and an automatic transmission. There are doors on either side of the extended cab, each with bullet-resistant windows.  The windshield is likewise bullet-resistant.  Based on a Unimog, you have basically the same type and size of vehicle, but the engine is 237 horsepower.  The Unimog is a bit longer, but this is does not affect vehicle layout, although it is lighter.  The vehicle can be air-dropped or delivered by aircraft such as the C-130 or the G.222, or even a heavy-lift helicopter such as the Mi-26 or CH-47.

     In either case, the armament of the Caesar is an L/52 155mm howitzer.  You pretty much can’t miss it when you look at the vehicle; it is exposed on the back of the vehicle (which, in the case of the Sherpa, is extended).  The vehicle must deploy four hydraulic jacks, two at the sides of the rear and two at the rear, before firing (this takes 6 phases).  A roll-out platform can also be deployed behind the gun, giving the crew a lift off the mud and the gunner a step up to his sights. Traverse for the gun is 15 degrees to either side of center; larger changes in deflection require repositioning of the vehicle.  The rear of the gun can be raised, putting into traveling configuration or allowing a depression of 0 degrees for some direct fire shots.  (However, ammunition for direct fire shots is not normally carried on the Caesar.) Elevation limit is 60 degrees.  Unfortunately, the mounting allows only limited traverse; the Caesar can make a deflection change of only 15 degrees in either direction and otherwise, the crew must reposition the vehicle.  There is almost no space on the Caesar for ready-use rounds; the Caesar is dependent on other trucks or vehicles for its ammunition supply.  There is room for a 10kW APU.

     Fire control is surprisingly advanced for such a vehicle, using the FAST-Hit computerized fire management. (Saudi Caesars use a Thales ATLAS fire control system, which is approximately equivalent to the FAST-Hit.) This system will automatically position the gun for a shot (as much as it can, see above), and will indicate whether the truck needs repositioning and tell the driver which direction to pull into a firing position to get the crew’s shots.  The Caesar is equipped with a SAGEM 30 GPS/Inertial Navigation system, which provides navigation information on a screen inside the cab.  The Caesar also has a French-made BMS, the Thales C4I system; this system is used by most of NATO and Western nations and can be adjusted to work with other types of BMSs.  (France is also willing to replace the entire BMS with one more to customer’s liking, along with the navigation system and radios.) The Caesar needs no surveyed and calibrated firing positions and targets.  The gun has a semiautomatic loading system; the system loads the round into the breech from a magazine and if the fuze is programmable, programs it; otherwise, the crew must set the fuze (on the round at the top of the magazine). The crew must index the amount of propellant charges the magazine loads into the gun, but the magazine loads them.  (In a longer bombardment than the Caesar has rounds, the rounds and propellant charges may be fed into the magazine by hand, while the magazine is feeding the gun; this lowers ROF to (2).  All of this is controlled by the TOP (a French acronym for Gun Operation Terminal), which is a fully digital control computer for the Caesar.  The gun can be fired from the magazine from within the cab, allowing shoot-and-scoot firing.

     The cab has an NBC Overpressure system, though the rest of the vehicle has no NBC protection; crews are reliant upon their own masks and suits.  The cab does, however, have a heater and air conditioner. The standard crew for a Caesar is 5; however, a crew of as little as three can operate the howitzer, and crews of as large as six can be carried and used.  Armor consists of aluminum panels backed with Kevlar and carbon-fiber.  Flexible Kevlar curtains can be raised on the sides of the gun platform, but this is not normally done as crews say they just get in the way.  The cabs tend to be squared off, allowing easy installation of armor.  The suspension is designed to lower almost to the ground, facilitating work with the howitzer.

Caesar Mk 2

     In Saudi and Thai service, the users of the Caesar 1 have elected to go with the Caesar Mk2 standard.  This can be supplied as a kit if necessary, and consists of thicker armor for the cab, stiffening panels for the side curtains that incidentally add another level of AV to the side curtain armor; and a bolt-on V-shaped hull. Though the V-shaped hull is not a full MRAP-type hull, it does mitigate some mine and IED damage.  In addition, the cab has a hatch above the left-hand rear seat, and in front of the hatch is a pintle mount with a light machinegun.  (There is, however, limited ammunition carried as part of the basic load.)  The cab is a little longer, adding space behind the rear seat for personal gear and perhaps personal ammunition or ammunition for the top machinegun.  Aside from some weight differences, the Caesar Mk 2 is otherwise like the Caesar 1 for game purposes.

Caesar 2

     The Caesar 2 (not to be mistaken with the Caesar Mk 2) is the version of the Caesar that the French Army is upgrading to.  The Danish have also chosen it as a light artillery vehicle. Currently the Caesar 2 is just beginning its service with France and Denmark; France received their first in 2015 and the Danes in 2017.  This version is based on a version Czech of the Tatra T815-7, the T815-7MOR89.  This is a large truck chassis capable of better off-road and road performance, and also able to carry much more onboard ammunition, a large, armored cab, a mine-protected hull, and has a high 8x8 suspension.  The Caesar 2 can be airlifted by the C-130 or G.222, but no current heavy-lift helicopters can lift the Caesar 2.  It is equipped with the same fire control suite as the Caesar, as well as the same side Kevlar panels (Including the back), but has a 15kW APU.  It also includes the BMS, and personal accoutrements (such as air conditioning), as well as luxuries such as a refrigerated 40-liter water tank, ration heater, and a sort of HUD for the driver, displaying speed, RPMs, fuel state, distance travelled, and a section at the bottom of the windshield connected to the vehicle’s IR headlights and Passive IR mounted in the grill.  In addition to French use, the Caesar 2 is being offered on the international market.

     The chassis is powered by a Cummins ISMe 420 30 turbocharged diesel engine developing 410 horsepower.  The suspension is advanced, with a central tire pneumatic adjustment system and adjustable pneumatic shock absorbers.  Not only do the shock absorbers give the Caesar 2 better performance off-road, they can raise or lower the ground clearance.  The wheels are suspended individually, allowing each to move independently with the terrain. The gun is mounted at the rear of the vehicle; the center area has ammunition, charge, and fuze stowage, as well as room for equipment and excess personal gear and excess small arms ammunition stowage; it also houses in armored compartments the computer core and modules, including the BMS and GPS/Inertial navigation system along with the mapping module.  Two long stabilizers are lowered, one on each side of the vehicle, before firing.  The sides of the rear of the vehicle have light cranes, able to lift a pallet of 15 155mm rounds and their charges and fuzes to the height of the midsection of a crewmember standing on the gun next to one of the two magazines (about 900 kilograms).

     In addition to the equipment listed above, the cab has an extended section which contains the water tank, ration heater, and two bunks.  The cab has four doors with steps leading to each.  The hull is a full MRAP hull, including suspended seats for the cab occupants.

     Nexter (the company that produces the Caesar 2) has indicated that it is willing to mount the Caesar 2 gun and systems on another vehicle of similar size and cargo capacity, such as some Renault, Sisu, or MAN trucks, for example.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The Caesar 1 was placed into limited production in 1995 for use by French Forces. The Caesar Mk2 and the Caesar 2 do not exist in the Twilight 2000 v2.2 timeline.

     Merc 2000 Notes: This vehicle was viewed by some countries as an inexpensive alternative to heavier tracked guns.

*Hull Armor is the AV for the cab sides, front, and rear; the entire vehicle has a floor armor of 4Sp while the cab roof has an AV of 3. The rear area has an AV of 0, though Kevlar curtains may be erected on a tubular frame to protect the sides.  Kevlar curtains, if deployed, have an AV of 2.

** Hull Armor is the AV for the cab sides, front, and rear; the entire vehicle has a floor armor of 4Sp while the cab roof has an AV of 4. The rear area has an AV of 0, though Kevlar curtains and backing may be erected on a tubular frame to protect the sides.  Kevlar curtains, if deployed, have an AV of 3. The hull is a semi-MRAP hull, with no antishock seats; see Rules for Vehicles for details.

*** Hull Armor is the AV for the cab sides, front, and rear; the entire vehicle has a floor armor of 6Sp while the cab roof has an AV of 4. The rear area has an AV of 0, though Kevlar curtains and backing may be erected on a tubular frame to protect the sides.  Kevlar curtains, if deployed, have an AV of 3.  The Caesar 2 has an MRAP hull with antishock seats for the crew in the cab.

GIAT Mk F3

     Notes:  The Mk F3, or Cn-155-F3-Am in French service (Canon de 155 mm Mle F3 Automoteur) was designed in the early 1950s to replace France’s World War 2-vintage M-41 Gorilla SP howitzer.  GIAT based the design on the AMX-13 light tank; at the time, it was the smallest 155mm self-propelled howitzer in service, and it looks sort of like a small version of the US M-107 and M-110 howitzers.  The Mk F3 is light and has a low RL cost; however, it was criticized for lack of protection for its gun crew. In time, the Mk F3 was used by 10 Middle Eastern and South American countries; orders continued to be brisk, and the Mk F3 was full production and parts production for over 40 years.  Over 600 Mk F3s were produced in the period 1962-1997; most post-1970s production was undertaken for export customers.  Spare parts are still being produced by Nexter. The Mk F3 is still in active service in some South American countries, and Morocco.

     With the Mk F3, what you essentially have is a turretless AMX-13 with the turret ring replaced by a traversing table, the idler wheel removed, and a 155mm howitzer mated to the top of the chassis.  The gun is slightly offset to the right of the vehicle, and mounted at the rear of the vehicle. The original gun used was a short L/33 howitzer, but later, export operators had the gun replaced with an L/39 gun.  Either gun is capable of a maximum fire rate of three rounds per minute. The original engine was a SOFAM 8Gxb 250-horsepower gas engine, but later this too was replaced by a 280-horsepower turbocharged Detroit Diesel or Baudouin diesel engine.  The Mk F3 is not able to swim, but can conduct deep fording, to the point that it has only inches of freeboard available and the glacis has a splashboard to prevent the driver’s compartment from being swamped.  In order to center the gun’s line of fire better, the standard idler wheel of the AMX-13 was removed and the fifth roadwheel acted as the idler wheel.  This modification also meant that no hydraulic stabilizers were necessary.  The tracks are normally all-steel, but rubber pads may be added in conditions where causing less damage to roads is necessary.  The roadwheels are likewise steel, but have rubber rims on them.

     The Mk F3 may have a crew of eight, but only two of them ride in the Mk F3.  The others ride in one of the vehicles the Mk F3 moves with.  The Mk F3 has almost no onboard space for ammunition, and the Mk F3 is usually accompanied by 2-4 AMX-VCAs and AMX-VCIs carrying the rest of the crew, ammunition, and sometimes extra ammunition handlers.  Most of these vehicles will also be towing trailers with more ammunition and equipment. A RATAC artillery radar vehicle is normally also part of the mix. If necessary, the rest of the gun’s crew can cluster themselves on the deck of the Mk F3, hanging on to whatever they can find, but the French Army does not recommend this; in addition, they’d have to dodge any rounds or shrapnel that comes their way.  The driver is the front left of the vehicle, steering with tillers.  The engine is to his right, and behind the driver is the commander’s position (with a split hatch opening to the left and right).  He does not have a weapon mount, as it would interfere with the gun crew when they are working; however, he does have an unmounted machinegun to use.  The commander and the driver operate the radios, with help from the rest of the crew when the gun is in firing position. The driver has three vision blocks to the front; the center one can be removed and replaced by a night vision block.  The commander has three vision blocks (two to the front and one to the left side).  One each side of the upper hull are removable stowage lockers, four per side.  The only other seat is for the gunner, which he uses when the gun is being fired, and is to the rear and left of the howitzer.  Mounted on the hull roof to the front of his position is a loudspeaker, and the front of the vehicle has a winch with a capacity of 18 tons and 400 meters of cable.  The cable can be led out the front and the rear.  Armor protection is thin, able to stop small arms fire and shrapnel, but not much more.  There is no provision to automatically put out fires on the vehicle, and there is nothing like a vehicle collective NBC system; they must rely on fire extinguishers and their own masks and MOPP gear.

     Twilight 2000:  This vehicle was in heavy use during the Twilight 2000 timeline; by 2000, they could be found in Western Europe, most of South America, and large parts of the Middle East.

*The “turret” is actually the howitzer, and the Turret AV does not actually protect anyone.