Towed artillery--range and light weight is the motto.
Armada International › Vol. 27 Nbr. 4, August 2003
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Towed artillery--range and light weight is the motto.
Following the growing acceptance of self-propelled artillery from World War II onwards, many pundits have been forecasting the demise of its towed brother. According to some accepted thinking, towed artillery is too exposed on the battlefield, takes too long to get in and out of action and relies on vulnerable tractor vehicles to move it any distance. All this may be true, but towed artillery is still around for several reasons, not the least being that it can be transported long distances much more easily than its self-propelled counterparts, notably when rapid deployment and special forces are involved.
Towed artillery will be us for a far ahead as can be forecast for several other reasons other than just portability. There is the cost factor; for, as a general rule, towed artillery is less expensive in unit and maintenance terms than the more complex self-propelled platforms. It makes fewer demands on transport-related infrastructure, such as bridging, especially when some self-propelled systems weigh almost as much as battle tanks. In addition, there are some types of battlefield terrain where the deployment of self-propelled artillery would be well nigh impossible. Combat in mountainous areas presents but one example of this terrain factor, while for amphibious warfare towed artillery remains the norm. To round matters off, many towed artillery systems are readily air-portable, ...See the full content of this document
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