Otobreda M-109L

     Notes:  The Italians had been using the M-109 since 1970, with Otobreda manufacturing them under license.  In 1984, the Italian Army asked Otobreda to upgrade three M-109s to what would be known as the M-109L standard.  Eventually, 283 were so modified.

     The base chassis was first upgraded to the M-109A3 standard.  The second major upgrade was the replacement of the original L/33 gun with an Otobreda-designed L/39 howitzer; this gun has a greater recoiling mass which recoils longer than other M-109A3s, and this reduces the amount of ammunition which may be carried, and moves the ready rack to the right side of the turret.  Then again, recoil per shot is less violent than other M-109s. The fire control system was updated with the replacement of the M-109A3’s system is the with the improved fire control system of the German M-109A3G so that it can simply receive instruction data by data-capable radio and have it fed directly into the fire control computer, increasing the speed at which the gun can get into action.  Another fire control computer was installed to give the M-109L a better chance of hitting a target in direct-fire mode. The gun cradle, recoil buffers, elevation and traverse mechanisms, and barrel clamp (made an electrical travel clamp) were also updated.  The gun was given the muzzle brake of the M-109A3G and a fume extractor.  (Between the new muzzle brake, recoil buffers, and recoil mass, recoil length is only 915mm. (Just as a trivia note, this system could be fitted to other M-109s without modifications.)  The M-109L has a power rammer, but not an autoloader; this means that more loaders are necessary.

     Being a version of the M-109A3, the M-109L has a Detroit Diesel 8V71T turbocharged diesel with an output of 450 horsepower.  The transmission, unfortunately, is manual, increasing driver fatigue.  The driver has some new instruments on his panel, including a gear indicator, engine overspeed indicator, and low oil warning indicator.  The hatches and doors lock from inside, except for the driver’s hatch, which is locked with an external padlock and a thumbscrew when the driver is inside the vehicle (or when locking with the padlock is not desired). An improved hydraulic system was installed (M-109A1’s tended to leak).  A turret bustle was added, designed to carry 22 rounds of ammunition, fuzes, and powder bags.  Some 27 mid-life upgrades (MLUs) were also installed.  The M-109A3 was essentially an M-109A1 with the improvements of the M-109A2.

     The driver is on the front left side, and has a conventional steering wheel, gas, clutch, and brake.  The commander is on the right side of the turret and has a manually rotating cupola with all-around vision blocks and a mount for a heavy weapon.  There is also a hatch for a loader, which the rest of the crew uses.  The left side of the turret has a pair of large hatches, as big as the side of the turret, which accesses the ammunition racks of the M-109L.  Further loading can be done through smaller hatches on the rear of the turret and rear of the vehicle.

     The Italian Army has announced intentions to upgrade the gun barrel of the M-109L to an Otobreda-designed L/52 ordnance.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: M-109L conversions were completed by 1992, so they were available for the Twilight War.  However, only 10 had the L/52 gun.

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

M-109L (L/39 Barrel)

$767,543

D, A

500 kg

24.8 tons

6

18

Passive IR (D, G)

Shielded

M-109L (L/52 Barrel)

$799,145

D, A

413 kg

25.35 tons

6

18

Passive IR (D, G)

Shielded

 

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

M-109L (L/39 Barrel)

141/99

35/25

511

161

Trtd

T4

TF8  TS4  TR4  HF10  HS3  HR3

M-109L (L/52 Barrel)

139/97

34/24

511

165

Trtd

T4

TF8  TS4  TR4  HF10  HS3  HR3

 

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

M-109L (L/39 Barrel)

+2

Basic

Otobreda 155mm L/39 155/39 TM howitzer, M-2HB (C)

40x155mm, 500x.50

M-109L (L/52 Barrel)

+2

Basic

Otobreda 155mm L/52 155/52 TM howitzer, M-2HB (C)

40x155mm, 500x.50

 

OTO Melara Palmaria

     Notes:  This self-propelled artillery piece was designed by OTO Melara for the export market; they were never intended for domestic use and the Italian Army does not use them.  The Palmaria’s first sale was to Khadafy’s Libyan Army, who ordered 210.  By 2004, this strength had gone down to 160; from 20-40 were destroyed by NATO during the Libyan Civil War in 2011.  Nigeria bought 25 Palmarias in 1982, and it is possible that a repeat order was delivered in 1990. Argentina bought 25 turrets and the related artillery equipment and mated them to TAM light tank chassis, producing the VCA.

     The Palmaria uses the chassis of the OF-40 tank, topped with a purpose-built turret.  The engine is an MTU MB-837 Ea-500 diesel with 740 horsepower, but with manual transmission (this is not the same engine as on the OF-40). The engine and transmission are unitary, making for quick and easy powerpack changes and installations, even in the field if the necessary equipment are available. Armor is a reduced version of that on the OF-40, giving the Palmaria pretty decent armor protection for a self-propelled howitzer.  The hull armor is steel, but the turret is of aluminum. The tank-inherited suspension is also heavy and stable, with cross-country gallops causing not too severe bumps.  The Palmaria has an 8 kW APU for use when the engine is off, and to decrease fuel consumption of the main engine during stops; this feeds off the vehicle fuel supply.

     Other than the gun-related equipment and the engine, the hull is essentially the OF-40’s hull, with the driver in the front left of the turret (offset to the center); he has three front vision blocks, one of which has a night channel.  The rest of the crew are in the turret, with the commander on the right side of the turret in a manually-rotating cupola and with a weapon mount.  There are no other hatches atop the turret, but each side of the turret has a large hatch for entry and equipment loading (the left one opens to the rear and the right one opens to the front)..  At the rear of the turret is another large hatchway, normally used for ammunition replenishment. There are also two bustle racks on the left rear of the turret.  The Palmaria has an NBC overpressure system, but no backup system other than the crew’s own NBC gear.  In the floor of the vehicle is an emergency escape hatch. There are four smoke grenade launchers on each side of the turret.

     The OTO Melara-designed gun is a 155mm L/41 gun, with a substantial muzzle brake and a fume extractor.  Despite two buffers and a recuperator, recoil has been said to be brutal. The gun has an automatic loader, and allows a sustained ROF of one round every 15 minutes or a burst rate every 10 minutes of 3 rounds in 25 seconds.  On-board ammunition is a bit low; 23 are stored in the turret in two racks, while 7 rounds are stored in the hull behind the turret basket.  Direct and indirect fire sights are installed.  The Palmaria is not designed to operate without an FDC, or to generate fire coordinates without one; however, a computer is installed which allows the coordinates to be fed to the gun and turret, and automatically aligns the turret and elevates or depresses the gun to the correct position.  The gunner then provides fine-tuning using a hand wheel.  The gun has a maximum elevation of +70 degrees and a maximum depression of -4.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: When vehicle losses mounted after the Italian campaign against the Germans, the Italian military put in an open order for all available vehicles, including the Palmaria, and they were produced for the Italian Army.  Later, some were given to the Greeks for use against the Turkish and NATO forces in the Balkans.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$616,958

D, G, AvG, A

750 kg

46 tons

6

15

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G)

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

132/93

33/24

800

274

Trtd

T5

TF26  TS14  TR11  HF32  HS12  HR8

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+1

Basic

155mm L/41 Howitzer, MG-3 (C)

30x155mm, 850x7.62mm