Royal Ordnance L9

Royal Ordnance L9
Centurion AVRE 165
Production history
Manufacturer	Royal Ordnance Factories
Specifications
Calibre	165 mm

Royal Ordnance L9 is a British short-barrelled 165 mm gun used for combat engineering, particularly the demolition of defences.

Initially called Ordnance BL 6.5" Mk I, it was later renamed 165mm L9 Demolition Gun.

The gun is capable of firing a 64 lb (29 kg) High Explosive Squash Head (HESH) demolition projectile distances up to 2,400 m (2,600 yd). The HESH shell contains 40 lb of C-4 explosive.

The L9 gun was mounted on Royal Engineers AVRE versions of the Churchill and Centurion tanks after the Second World War.

The gun's primary purpose is the clearing of obstacles such as walls, fences, roadblocks or bunkers, and the destruction of buildings.