AS-90
| AS-90 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type | Self-propelled artillery |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering |
| No. built | 179 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 45.0 tons (100,800 lb) |
| Length | 9.07 m (29 ft 9 in) |
| Width | 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) |
| Height | 2.49 m (8 ft 2 in) |
|
|
|
| Armour | max. 17 mm (0.66 in) steel |
|
Main
armament |
155 mm L31 39 calibre gun (48 rounds) |
|
Secondary
armament |
7.62 mm NATO L7 GPMG |
| Engine |
Cummins VTA903T V8 diesel 660 hp (493 kW) |
| Power/weight | 14.66 hp/t |
| Suspension | Hydropneumatic (Hydrogas) |
|
Operational
range |
420 km (261 mi) on road |
| Speed | 53 km/h (33 mph) |
The AS-90 (Artillery System for the 1990s; known officially as Gun Equipment 155 mm L131) is an armoured self-propelled artillery piece used by the British Army.
The AS-90 was first deployed by the British Army in 1993. 179 AS-90s were acquired to re-equip six of the eight self-propelled field artillery regiments (each 24 guns) in the 1 (BR) Corps, replacing the 105 mm FV433 Abbot SPG and older M109 155 mm Self Propelled Gun. It remains in UK service and will equip three field regiments supporting armoured infantry brigades for the foreseeable future. 134 were in service in 2008, reduced to 117 in 2015.
AS-90 was designed and built by the Armaments division of Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering (VSEL), whose parent company became BAE Systems in 1999. VSEL provided 179 vehicles between 1992 and 1995 at a cost of £300 million ($480 million USD).
The AS-90 underwent a capability enhancement program in 2008 and 2009, primarily relating to upgrades of the AS-90's electronic system.
In 1999, Marconi Electronic Systems was contracted to upgrade British Army AS-90s to include a 52 calibre gun in order to increase the range of the artillery. Critical to the program was a bi-modular charge system from Somchem of South Africa (selected after extensive trials of ammunition from many suppliers), which offered greatly reduced barrel wear. However, this ammunition failed to meet the requirement for insensitive munitions and the project was terminated.
AS-90 started in the mid-1980s as a private venture on the 'gamble' that the tri-national SP70 would fail. When this duly occurred, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued a cardinal point specification on one page for a new 155 mm SPG. Four tenders were submitted, and AS-90 was the only offer that was not 'brochureware'. The MoD was also required to consider the US "Paladin", an upgraded M109 howitzer.
The MoD has undertaken studies in 2006-09 to "up gun" the Royal Navy's main shipboard gun armament, the 4.5 inch Mark 8 naval gun, to accept 155 mm ammunition from the AS-90. This would introduce a common gun calibre for the British Army and Royal Navy, helping with ammunition logistics, and encouraging joint Army-Navy development of extended range and precision guided shells.
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