Self-propelled artillery: autoloading and 52 are the trend.
Armada International › Vol. 27 Nbr. 4, August 2003
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Self-propelled artillery: autoloading and 52 are the trend.
The passing of the Crusader left many uncertainties in its wake. Many others, away from the US Army, were waiting to see how that project would emerge and how it would impinge on their own future developments and requirements. In the meantime, self-propelled artillery equipment from past design generations will have to be retained, with no immediate prospect of any far-reaching changes in the immediate offing, other than a general trend towards greater mobility and less weight.
The American self-propelled artillery community was indeed plunged into a state of uncertainty and semi-uproar by the demise of the US Army's planned XM2001/XM2002 Crusader 155 mm self-propelled artillery system during 2001. The US Army banked heavily on the Crusader as being the way ahead and had planned much to follow its introduction, but the Crusader was axed. It simply got too heavy and complicated for the type of operations for which the US armed forces expect to be called upon in the years ahead. The circumstances and deployment factors inherent in the recent campaign in Iraq merely emphasised the fact that the anticipated battle scenarios of the Cold War period seem increasingly' unlikely to reoccur. The Crusader therefore had to go--and it did. An indication of some possible future trends can be seen in one US programme currently underway, although it will be many years before US Army gunners get their hands on any resultant ...See the full content of this document
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