Royal Ordnance L11A5
| L11A5 | |
|---|---|
Gun on Challenger 1 tank at Bovington Tank Museum, UK, 2010
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| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1966–present |
| Used by | UK, Iran, Jordan |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment |
| Designed | 1957 |
| Manufacturer | Royal Ordnance Factories |
| No. built | 3,012 |
| Variants | L11A1 to L11A7, L30 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1,778 kg (3,920 lb) |
| Length | 6.858 metres (22 ft 6 in) |
| Barrel length | 55 calibres (6.6 metres) |
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| Shell | bagged charge |
| Calibre | 120 mm (4.7 in) |
| Rate of fire | 6–10 rounds per minute |
The Royal Ordnance L11A5 is a 120 mm L/55 rifled tank gun design. It was the first of NATO's 120mm tank guns which became the standard calibre for Western tanks in the later period of the Cold War. By 2005, total of 3,012 L11 guns were produced. List price was US $227,000 (1990).
The L11 was developed by Britain's Royal Ordnance Factories to equip the Chieftain tank as the successor to the 105 mm L7 gun used in the Centurion tank. It was also used on the Challenger 1, which replaced the Chieftain in British and Jordanian service. The weapon has been superseded by the L30 series 120 mm rifled tank gun.
The Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment at Fort Halstead designed a new 120 mm rifled tank gun in 1957. The new gun was deemed to be necessary because the British Army specified engagement ranges greater than those of other armies, for example 2,000 m (2,200 yd), as specified by the US Army, despite studies at the time that suggested engagement ranges were below those of the US Army requirements in the great majority of cases. The L11 was specifically designed to fit into the turret mountings of the Chieftain tank (FV4201). After firing trials in 1961, the L11 was accepted for service on the Chieftain in 1965, and entered service with the British Army in 1966.
During Operation Granby a L11 on a British Army Challenger 1 scored the longest tank-to-tank 'kill' in military history, when it destroyed an Iraqi T-55 at a range of 4.7 km (2.9 miles) with a L23 "Fin" round.
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