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 |
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 |