The G6, sometimes denoted as the G6 ''Rhino'',
is a South African
mine-protected
self-propelled howitzer.
It was developed as a turreted, self-propelled variant of the
G5 howitzer series, mating the gun to a six-wheeled armoured chassis.
Design work on the G6 began in the late 1970s to replace the obsolescent
Sexton being retired from service with the artillery regiments of the
South African Army
The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. T ...
.
Serial production commenced between 1988 and 1999.
At the time of its introduction, the G6 was considered one of the most mobile self-propelled howitzers in service.
Its chassis was engineered to be mine-resistant and blastproof, allowing it to survive multiple
TM-46
The TM-46 mine is a large, circular, metal-cased Soviet anti-tank mine. It uses either a pressure or tilt-rod fuze, which is screwed into the top. Anti-tank mines with this type of fuze were capable of inflicting much more damage to armored veh ...
detonations during trials.
The G6 was conceived as a wheeled rather than a tracked vehicle for this purpose, as well as to allow it to deploy long distances by road without consuming excessive quantities of fuel or requiring a
tank transporter.
[
G6s entered service during the last two years of the South African Border War, frequently shelling positions held by the People's Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) during the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale.] Their ability to bombard a target and change positions rapidly in less than two minutes, with minimal preparation, greatly reduced the threat posed by retaliatory Angolan air raids and counter-battery fire
Counter-battery fire (sometimes called counter-fire) is a battlefield tactic employed to defeat the enemy's indirect fire elements (multiple rocket launchers, artillery and mortars), including their target acquisition, as well as their command a ...
. A number of G6s were subsequently manufactured for export and purchased by Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dha ...
and Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
. Export models included a specialist anti-aircraft variant with a GEC-Marconi Marksman turret and twin-barrelled 35mm autocannon.
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
briefly produced the G6 under licence as the '' CC-SP-45'', although this arrangement was later terminated after the system was not adopted by that country's armed forces. Iraq also manufactured its own domestic variant of the G6 as the ''Al Majnoon'' with technical assistance from Canadian artillery engineer Gerald Bull
Gerald Vincent Bull (March 9, 1928 – March 22, 1990) was a Canadian engineer who developed long-range artillery. He moved from project to project in his quest to economically launch a satellite using a huge artillery piece, to which end he des ...
, which later evolved into the much larger and more sophisticated Al Fao
Al-Fao is a self-propelled artillery system designed for the former Iraqi Army by the late Canadian weapons engineer, Gerald Bull. It is one of the world's most powerful artillery pieces, with a calibe ...
.
Ammunition characteristics
*Maximum range:
** 30,000 m with standard HE rounds,
** 39,000 m with HE base bleed rounds, and
** 42,000 m with HE base bleed rounds (BB—fired from G6-52)
** 50,000 m with HE base bleed rounds (BB—fired from G6-52 extended range)
** 52,500 m with a special velocity-enhanced long range projectile (V-LAP—fired from G6).
** 58,000 m with a special velocity-enhanced long range projectile (V-LAP—fired from G6-52).
** 67,450 m M9703A1 V-LAP round (tested successfully to 73,000 m by Denel in G6-52 extended range platform)
** 76,280 m M9703 Practice Inert V-LAP
*Minimum range: 3,000 m.
*Rate of fire
Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. This can be influenced by several factors, including operator training level, mechanical limitations, ammunition availability, and weapon condition. In m ...
: 4 round/min, 2 round/min sustained.
*Ammunition
Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...
: 155 mm ERFB. 47 rounds, 50 charges, 64 primers and fuzes
*Accuracy
Accuracy and precision are two measures of ''observational error''.
''Accuracy'' is how close a given set of measurements (observations or readings) are to their ''true value'', while ''precision'' is how close the measurements are to each other ...
: 0.1% of range in azimuth
An azimuth (; from ar, اَلسُّمُوت, as-sumūt, the directions) is an angular measurement in a spherical coordinate system. More specifically, it is the horizontal angle from a cardinal direction, most commonly north.
Mathematicall ...
, 0.48% of range in range
*In 2012 four rounds of M982 Excalibur
The M982 Excalibur (previously XM982) is a 155 mm extended-range guided artillery shell developed in a collaborative effort between the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and the United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering ...
precision guided munitions
A precision-guided munition (PGM, smart weapon, smart munition, smart bomb) is a guided munition intended to precisely hit a specific target, to minimize collateral damage and increase lethality against intended targets. During the First Gulf ...
were fired to a range of 38 km, all landing within 5 m of the target.
Variants
* G6
* G6 M1A3: exported UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
version
* G6-52 (23 litre
The litre (international spelling) or liter (American English spelling) (SI symbols L and l, other symbol used: ℓ) is a metric unit of volume. It is equal to 1 cubic decimetre (dm3), 1000 cubic centimetres (cm3) or 0.001 cubic metre (m3) ...
chamber)
* G6-52 extended range (25 litre chamber)
* Al-Majnoon: licensed Iraqi version
** Reduced crew to 3–5;
** can fire projectile up to 67 km at a rate of fire of eight rounds/minute;
** increased off-road speeds to nearly 70 km/h;
** implemented multiple rounds simultaneous impact
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, ...
(MRSI) technology and can land six (G6-52L variant) or five (G6-52) rounds simultaneously at targets up to 25 km away.
* G6 Marksman: a British SPAAG
An anti-aircraft vehicle, also known as a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) or self-propelled air defense system (SPAD), is a mobile vehicle with a dedicated anti-aircraft capability.
Specific weapon systems used include machine guns, ...
version, combining the G6's base vehicle with the Marksman turret.
Operators
* South Africa: 43 systems; two are constantly used for training, the rest are in storage Also known as the GV6 Rhino within the South African National Defence Force
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the armed forces of South Africa. The commander of the SANDF is appointed by the President of South Africa from one of the armed services. They are in turn accountable to the Ministe ...
.
* United Arab Emirates: 78 systems
* Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
: 24 systems
Combat history
The first G6 prototype appeared in 1981, during the height of the South African Border War.[ Four engineering development models were being tested with the South African Defence Force by the mid-1980s.][ In October 1987, the South African government ordered all the G6s deployed to Angola for combat trials as part of ]Operation Hooper
Operation Hooper was a military operation in 1987-88 by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the South African Border War. This operation forms part of what has come to be called the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. The Cubans' objective was se ...
. One suffered an engine failure, so only three actually reached Angola, where they joined expeditionary troops of the 4 South African Infantry Battalion
4 South African Infantry Battalion (also known as 4 SAI) is a motorised infantry unit of the South African Army.
History Pretoria Origins
4 SAI was established on 1 January 1962, at Voortrekkerhoogte in Pretoria, but within a month was moved to ...
.[ Operating as an independent battery, the three G6s were instrumental in the bombardment of the strategic Angolan airfield at ]Cuito Cuanavale
Cuito Cuanavale is a town and municipality in Cuando Cubango (Kuando-Kubango) province in Angola. The names Kuito Kuanavale or Kwito Kwanavale are sometimes used, although this is a mutation of the original Portuguese name.
It covers an area of ...
. In this their crews were significantly aided by South African special forces acting as forward artillery observers near the airfield; on one occasion the G6s were able to destroy four Angolan Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nickn ...
s on the ground as they attempted to take off.
The heightened artillery threat to the Cuito Cuanavale airfield eventually forced the Angolan pilots to relocate their operations to another airstrip at Menongue
Menongue, formerly Serpa Pinto, is a town, a municipality, and the capital of Cuando Cubango Province in Angola. The municipality had a population of 320,914 in 2014. It is one of the four municipalities in Angola whose inhabitants are predominan ...
, which was beyond the range of the G5 and G6 but severely diminished their ability to time and execute their missions, given Menongue's distance from the actual fighting. However, they also began making South African artillery positions the primary targets of their raids, forcing the G6 crews to constantly shift positions after each bombardment.[ The G6s themselves were considered so valuable that an air defence contingent from South Africa's 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment was subsequently attached to the battery for the remainder of the campaign.][
The G6 is not known to have seen combat again until 2015, when a single battery was deployed with the United Arab Emirates Defence Force to ]Aden
Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...
during the Yemeni Crisis. The howitzers were landed in Aden by ship and escorted by a large Emirati armoured formation. They have since been used to shell Houthi
The Houthi movement (; ar, ٱلْحُوثِيُّون ''al-Ḥūthīyūn'' ), officially called Ansar Allah (' ''Partisans of God'' or ''Supporters of God'') and colloquially simply Houthis, is an Islamist political and armed movement that ...
militant positions in support of Emirati and allied Yemeni offensives carried out near Taiz
Taiz ( ar, تَعِزّ, Taʿizz) is a city in southwestern Yemen. It is located in the Yemeni Highlands, near the port city of Mocha, Yemen, Mocha on the Red Sea, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is the capital of Taiz Governorate. W ...
.
Gallery
File:G6 Howitzer6.JPG
File:G6 Howitzer5.JPG
File:G6 Howitzer2.JPG
File:G6 Howitzer4.JPG
File:G6 Kanon.jpg
See also
*Gerald Bull
Gerald Vincent Bull (March 9, 1928 – March 22, 1990) was a Canadian engineer who developed long-range artillery. He moved from project to project in his quest to economically launch a satellite using a huge artillery piece, to which end he des ...
*Al-Fao
Al-Fao is a self-propelled artillery system designed for the former Iraqi Army by the late Canadian weapons engineer, Gerald Bull. It is one of the world's most powerful artillery pieces, with a calibe ...
*Archer
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...
* DRDO ATAGS
*ATMOS 2000
ATMOS (Autonomous Truck Mounted howitzer System) is a 155 mm/52 calibre self-propelled gun system manufactured by Israeli military manufacturer Soltam Systems.
The system is long range, fast moving, truck mounted with high firepower and mobi ...
*A-222 Bereg
The A-222 Bereg (russian: Берег; "Coast") is a Russian 130 mm self-propelled coastal artillery gun, which was developed in the 1980s (entering service in 1988) and was first shown to the public in 1993 at an arms fair in Abu Dhabi.
The ...
*2S22 Bohdana
The 2S22 Bohdana is a 155 mm NATO-standard artillery caliber, wheeled self-propelled howitzer developed in Ukraine. It is mounted on the 6×6 chassis of the KrAZ-6322. It has an armoured cabin and storage for around 20 shells. The howitzer ...
*CAESAR
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...
* DANA
*AHS Kryl
The AHS Kryl is a 155 mm NATO-compatible self-propelled wheeled howitzer (or more precisely a gun-howitzer) designed in Poland by Centrum Produkcji Wojskowej Huta Stalowa Wola. It is a licensed copy of the Israeli ATMOS 2000 52-caliber gun m ...
*Nora B-52
The Nora B-52 is a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer developed by Military Technical Institute and manufactured by Yugoimport SDPR in Velika Plana, Serbia.
History
The first self-propelled Nora B (developed on the basis of Nora C) was designed by ...
* PCL-09
*PCL-161
The PCL-161 is a truck-mounted 122 mm self-propelled howitzer used by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Force.
Development
The PCL-161 was first unveiled while doing exercises in Tibet Autonomous Region in October 2020. It is speculate ...
* PCL-181
* PLL-09
* Type 19
*ZUZANA
Zuzana is a common female given name in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is often translated to other languages as Zuzanna (Polish), Suzanne, Susan, or Susannah – all commonly derived from the Hebrew language name Shoshana, meaning "lilly" ...
References
External links
G6 profile from FAS
{{DEFAULTSORT:G6 Howitzer
Wheeled self-propelled howitzers
Cold War artillery of South Africa
155 mm artillery
Denel
Military vehicles introduced in the 1980s