105 mm (4.1 in) is a common NATO-standard
artillery
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 siege ...
and
tank gun
A tank gun is the main armament of a tank. Modern tank guns are high-velocity, large-caliber artilleries capable of firing kinetic energy penetrators, high-explosive anti-tank, and cannon-launched guided projectiles. Anti-aircraft guns can a ...
caliber.
The rifled tank round is defined by STANAG 4458. The artillery round is defined by AOP-29 part 3 with reference to STANAG 4425.
Artillery
Since the early 21st century, most NATO armies have settled on
155 mm
155 mm (6.1 in) is a common, NATO-standard, artillery caliber. It is defined in AOP-29 part 1 with reference to STANAG 4425. It is commonly used in field guns, howitzers, and gun-howitzers.
Land warfare
The caliber originated in France aft ...
weapons as having a good compromise between range and power whilst having a single calibre, which simplifies logistics; however some military forces have retained 105 mm towed howitzers for their lighter weight and greater portability, including their rapid
airlift and
airdrop
An airdrop is a type of airlift in which items including weapons, equipment, humanitarian aid or leaflets are delivered by military or civilian aircraft without their landing. Developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible tr ...
capabilities. The reduced power and decreased range of 105 mm ammunition has led to its obsolescence in full-sized self-propelled guns such as the American
M108 howitzer
The M108 Howitzer is an American self-propelled 105 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s as a replacement for the M52 self-propelled howitzer.
The M108 was powered by a Detroit Diesel turbocharged 8V-71T 8-cylinders 405 hp engi ...
and British
FV433 Abbot SPG
FV433, 105mm, Field Artillery, Self-Propelled "Abbot" is the self-propelled artillery, or more specifically self-propelled gun (SPG), variant of the British Army FV430 series of armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), using much of the chassis of ...
. Russian guns and those of former Soviet bloc countries tend to use slightly larger, 122 mm (4.8 in) and
130 mm (5.1 in) weapons in similar roles.
105 mm artillery guns
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FV433 Abbot SPG
FV433, 105mm, Field Artillery, Self-Propelled "Abbot" is the self-propelled artillery, or more specifically self-propelled gun (SPG), variant of the British Army FV430 series of armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), using much of the chassis of ...
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G7 howitzer ()
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GIAT LG1 ()
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Indian field gun ()
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KH178 105 mm towed howitzer
The KH178 ("Korean Howitzer 1 (First) 78") is a South Korean 105 mm 38 caliber towed howitzer. It was designed and developed by the Agency for Defense Development for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and manufactured by Hyundai WIA.
History
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L118 light gun
The L118 light gun is a 105 mm towed howitzer. It was originally designed and produced in England for the British Army in the 1970s. It has since been widely exported. The L119 and the United States Army's M119 are variants that use a different ...
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M119 howitzer
The M119 howitzer is the American version of the British L119 light gun, a lightweight British 105 mm howitzer also used by the United States Army. The M119 is typically towed by the M1097 or M1152 High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehic ...
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M-56 howitzer ()
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M101 howitzer ()
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M102 howitzer
The M102 is a light, towable 105 mm howitzer used by the United States Army in the Vietnam War, the First Gulf War, and the Iraq War.
Overview
The M102 105 mm howitzer is used in air mobile (helicopter), attack plane, and light infantry ...
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M108 howitzer
The M108 Howitzer is an American self-propelled 105 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s as a replacement for the M52 self-propelled howitzer.
The M108 was powered by a Detroit Diesel turbocharged 8V-71T 8-cylinders 405 hp engi ...
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Mk 61 105 mm self-propelled howitzer ()
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OTO Melara Mod 56
The OTO-Melara Mod 56 is an Italian-made 105 mm pack howitzer built and developed by OTO-Melara. It fires the standard US type M1 ammunition.
History
The OTO Melara 105 mm Mod 56 began life in the 1950s to meet the requirement for a modern ...
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Type 74 105 mm self-propelled howitzer
The Type 74 105 mm self-propelled howitzer is only used by Japan. It shares a number of automotive components with the Type 73 Armored Personnel Carrier which was developed during the same time. Komatsu developed the chassis, while the howit ...
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Tank guns
During the
Cold War, the concept of the
main battle tank
A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the role of armor-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more powerful engines, better suspension sys ...
was established and guns of 105 mm (
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
) and 100 mm (
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist repub ...
) were the standard until the advent of guns of 120 mm (
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
) and 125 mm (
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist repub ...
) from the 1960s to the 1990s. The
L7 was widely used by NATO countries, and with it was popularized the now-standard
105×617mmR
The 105×617mm (4.1 inch) also known as 105×617mmR is a common, NATO-standard, tank gun cartridge used in 105mm guns such as those derived from the Royal Ordnance L7.
The 105×617mmR cartridge was originally developed from the calibre Ordnance ...
round, still used both in lighter-weight applications such as the
Stingray light tank
The Stingray, sometimes known as the Commando Stingray, is a light tank produced by Textron Marine & Land Systems division (formerly Cadillac Gage). It was specifically designed to use as many existing components of other American armored figh ...
and the
Stryker Mobile Gun System
The M1128 Mobile Gun System (MGS) is an eight-wheeled armored car of the Stryker armored fighting vehicle family, mounting a 105 mm tank gun, based on the Canadian LAV III light-armored vehicle manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems for ...
as well as older MBTs.
105 mm tank guns
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CN 105 F1
The Canon de 105 mm modèle F1 (or CN-105-F1) is a French 105 mm tank gun used with the AMX-30.
History
The CN 105 F1 was designed at the end of the 1950s by the arsenal of Bourges (EFAB) under the project name D1512, its development was ...
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CN 105-57
The CN-105-57, also known as CN 105/57 or D1504, is a light French 105 mm tank gun.
Design
The CN 105-57 is a light 105 mm rifled tank gun originally designed to be mounted on light tanks with oscillating turret such as the French AMX-13 and t ...
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Cockerill 105 HP Gun ()
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Royal Ordnance L7 ()
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XM35 ()
References
{{reflist
Artillery
Ammunition