 The G-6, developed around the ordnance and ammunition fam¬ily of the G-5. entered production in 1987. It will initially be is¬sued to the armoured brigades, and later to the mechanised brigades. Not only is the ballistic performance of the gun's 155 mm ordnance superb, but the G-6 is also the most powerful self-propelled equipment on a wheeled chassis. The only other major-calibre wheeled SPG - the Czech 153 mm howitzer on an 8x8 Kolos chassis - does not come near to matching the G-6 in the capability of its ordnance.
As in the case of the Ratel ICV, the choice of wheels rather than tracks was made after detailed consideration of the likely nature of operations and the terrain of the theatre. Wheels grant the vehicle strategic mobility independent of tank transporters or trains. The distances in southern Africa are also too great for any tracked vehicle to have the mobility demanded by the highly flexible, fast-moving operational style of the SA Army Fortuna-tely this fact goes hand in hand with terrain which allows wheeled vehicles good off-road and cross-country mobility. Wheeled vehicles are also rather more amenable to use and maintenance by CF personnel whose training tends to be a little rusty. Other advantages of wheels over tracks which the SADF' and Armscor found attractive are: 40 to 60% lower vehicle cost; a service life three times as long; 60% lower fuel consumption; and intervals between maintenance doubled or even trebled. Another advantage of the wheeled vehicle is that it requires half the power of a tracked vehicle of the same weight to achieve a given performance. Above all, however, it was the far greater operational and tactical mobility of the wheeled vehicle that decided the day. While there is no doubt that a wheeled vehicle's cross-country mobility is lower than that achieved by tracks, this was found to apply in only about 10% of likely situations in southern Africa. In almost all of these, a self-propelled gun - unlike an MBT — will still have time to drive around terrain it cannot cross,
Because the G-6 was developed from scratch, without having been. built onto an existing' chassis, it was possible to design. it around the turret and that. in turn. around the ordnance. This has resulted in maximum use being- made of internal space. The actual ordnance is identical to that of the G-5, apart from the modifications necessary for a vehicle mounting.
As well as the tactical flexibility resulting from its mobility and its protection against counter-battery fire, the G-6 offers useful savings in manpower and the ability to protect itself in an unsecured area.
Specifications & Planning Data
- Type. Armoured self-propelled gun/howitzer
- Crew. 5
- Length. 9 m
- Width. 3,3 m
- Height. 3,25 m
- Weight. 37 000 kg.
- Engine. Air-cooled diesel of 410 kW
- Transmission. Automatic with manual override; 6 forward and 1 reverse gear,
selectable 6 x 4 or 6 x drive.
- Brakes. Hydro-pneumatic service and crawl brakes,
mechanical parking brake.
- Performance
a. Road Speed : 90 km/h
b. Off-road Speed : 30 to 40 km/.h
c. Road Range : 600 km
d. Gradient : 18°
e. Side Slope : 13.5°
f. Step : 50 cm
g. Trench : 1.5 m
h. Ford : 1 m
- Suspension. 6 x 6
- Caliber. 155mm fitted with a fume extractor
- Barrel Length. 45 calibers
- Minimum and Maximum Distances per Charge
a. Lower Trajectory
i. Charge 1
1. Zone 1 : 3 000 – 5 300 m.
2. Zone 2 : 3 000 – 7 900 m.
3. Zone 3 : 3 000 – 12 000 m.
4. Zone 4 : 3 000 – 18 100 m.
ii. Charge 2. Zone 5 : 3 000 – 26 300 m.
iii. Charge 3. Zone 6 : 3 000 – 30 600 m.
iv. Base-bleed projectiles : up to 39 000 m at sea level (45 000 m at higher altitudes)
b. Upper Trajectory
i. Charge 1
1. Zone 1 : 2 400 m – 5 300 m.
2. Zone 2 : 3 700 m – 7 900 m.
3. Zone 3 : 5 700 m – 12 000 m.
4. Zone 4 : 8 300 m – 18 100 m.
ii. Charge 2. Zone 5 : 12 700 m – 26 300 m.
iii. Charge 3. Zone 6 : 21 600 m – 30 600 m.
- Elevation. –5° to +75°
- Traverse. 80°
- Rate of Fire
a. Maximum : 4
b. Sustained: 2
- Safety Planning Distances for High Explosive
a. Training
i. Normal : 1 300 m.
ii. Reduced : 910 m.
b. Operational
i. Troops in Open : 500 m.
ii. Troops Protected : 250 m.
- Accuracy. 0,48% of range in range; 0,1% of range in azimuth at 75% of maximum range with ERFB projectiles.
- Ammunition. 47 projectiles (16 in vehicle front,
31 in fighting compartment)
50 charges
64 primers and fuses
The G-6 uses the same ammunition family as the G-5
- Secondary Armament. 1 x 7.62 mm turret-mounted GPMG
8 x 81 mm smoke/HE grenade launchers
4 firing ports in the turret sides
Information taken from “South African Arms & Armour”, by Helmoed-Römer Heitman and “BATTLE HANDLING OF THE SAA (FD), VOLUME III: BATTLE HANDLING OF THE MEDIUM REGIMENT”, SCHOOL OF ARTILLERY, 1984 |