The FH-2000 or Field Howitzer 2000 was developed by Singapore Technologies for the

Singapore Army The Singapore Army is the land service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The largest of the four branches of the SAF, the Singapore Army traces its origins to the 1st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR), which was formed i ...

. It is a 155 mm/52-calibre towed howitzer gun. It fires projectiles to a maximum range of 42 kilometers using special extended range ammunition, that was field tested in New Zealand. It has a crew of eight and uses a 75 hp diesel

auxiliary power unit An auxiliary power unit (APU) is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft and naval ships as well as some large land vehicles. Aircraft APUs generally produce 115&n ...

to give it a self-propelled speed of 16 kilometers an hour movement without towing. It's reported that the FH-2000 will be replaced over time by the Next Generation Howitzer project.

Development

The FH-2000 is a development of the

FH-88 The FH-88 or Field Howitzer 88 was the first locally designed howitzer developed for the Singapore Army. It is a 155 mm/39-calibre towed howitzer gun. Development Ordnance Development and Engineering of Singapore (ODE, now Singapore Technol ...

gun system, which was first produced in 1983 and uses many of the same components. Development of the FH-2000 began in 1990, with the first prototype produced in 1991. The initial prototype was developed further, and acceptance tests were completed in December 1993. The gun differs in a number of ways from the earlier FH-88 most notable is the longer 52 calibre barrel as compared to the 39 calibre barrel of the FH-88. Additionally, ST Kinetics assisted Turkey in the design and manufacture of its own 155mm/52calibre Panter towed howitzer system, which is understood to be based on the FH-2000 design but upgraded locally with an uprated diesel

Auxiliary Power Unit An auxiliary power unit (APU) is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft and naval ships as well as some large land vehicles. Aircraft APUs generally produce 115&n ...

(APU) of 160 hp instead of the original 75 hp, thus giving it a self-propelled speed of 18 km/h as compared to 10 km/h for the FH-2000.

Design

The firing platform, when fully deployed, support the howitzer using a tripod mechanical structure. Firing loads are transmitted to the ground through this tripod, isolating the hydraulic cylinders of the platform, which provides for greater reliability. The FH-2000 shares compontents with the FH-88, including the sighting system and APU. The FH2000 can be fitted with a series of sighting systems from optical to electro-optical, which are linked to the fire control computers. The breech mechanism is semi-automatic and it opens automatically during counter recoil. An electronically controlled and hydraulically powered flick rammer rams the projectile into the barrel chamber with high consistency.

History

Deployment

By 1995, 18 guns were deployed with the 23rd Singapore Artillery Battalion in three batteries of six guns. The gun has been offered for export, and the Indonesian army has taken delivery of a number of these units.

1997 incident

On 9 March 1997, a 155mm artillery round exploded in the barrel of a FH-2000 gun howitzer during a live firing exercise conducted by the 23rd Battalion of Singapore Artillery at the artillery range of

Waiouru Army Camp Waiouru Military Camp is a camp of the New Zealand Army in the central North Island of New Zealand near Waiouru. All New Zealand Army soldiers complete their initial basic training, the All Arms Recruit Course (AARC), at Waiouru Military Camp. ...

, near

Waiouru Waiouru is a small town in the Ruapehu District, in New Zealand's Manawatū-Whanganui region. It is located on the south-eastern North Island Volcanic Plateau, north of Palmerston North and 25 kilometres south-east of Mount Ruapehu. The town ...

in New Zealand. This resulted in the deaths of two full-time national servicemen, Third Sergeant Ronnie Tan Han Chong and

Lance Corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equi ...

Low Yin Tit. 12 other servicemen were injured in the incident, including a

Staff Sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...

from

New Zealand Army , image = New Zealand Army Logo.png , image_size = 175px , caption = , start_date = , country = , branch = ...

, who was acting as the

New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; mi, Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, "Line of Defence of New Zealand") are the armed forces of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and her realm, prom ...

liaison officer/observer to the visiting SAF battalion. A Committee of Inquiry found that the most probable cause of the incident was a faulty

artillery fuze An artillery fuze or fuse is the type of munition fuze used with artillery munitions, typically projectiles fired by guns (field, anti-aircraft, coast and naval), howitzers and mortars. A fuze is a device that initiates an explosive function in a ...

that was fitted to the 155 mm projectile which, when loaded into the gun howitzer,

detonated Detonation () is a type of combustion involving a supersonic exothermic front accelerating through a medium that eventually drives a shock front propagating directly in front of it. Detonations propagate supersonically through shock waves with ...

prematurely by action of the

flick rammer Flick of Flicks may refer to: Arts * Flick, slang term for film or movie **Chick flick, slang, sometimes derogatory, term for films aimed at a female audience * ''Flick'' (2000 film), Irish film * ''Flick'' (2008 film), a campy British horror ...

. Subsequently,

Chartered Industries of Singapore ST Engineering Land Systems Ltd (STELS), Trade name, doing business as ST Kinetics, is a strategic business area of ST Engineering and handles land systems and specialty vehicles. In 2000, ST Engineering acquired the Chartered Industries of Sin ...

conducted an

X-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

check on the same batch of fuzes from where the faulty fuze was taken from and found that approximately 1.3% of these fuzes were faulty. The families of the two deceased SAF servicemen, as well as other injured servicemen, were compensated. Various SAF and New Zealand personnel were also awarded, in recognition of their acts of bravery and professionalism during the incident. Lieutenant-Colonel Toh Boh Kwee, First Warrant Officer Mohinder Singh, First Sergeant Teo Boon Hong and Lieutenant Leroy Forrester NZDF received the Pingat Jasa Perwira (Tentera) for risking their lives to help injured soldiers immediately after the explosion.

Operators

* : Singaporean Army * :

Indonesian Army The Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its ...

Failed Exports

* : The FH-2000 was competing to win a contract against BAE's FH77 worth Rs 9,000 crore (USD$2 Billion), but ST Kinetics was being investigated by the

Central Bureau of Investigation The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier investigating agency of India. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Originally set up to investigate bribery and governmen ...

for alleged corruption links against former Ordnance Factory Board chief Sudipto Ghosh.

Development

Design

History

Deployment

1997 incident

Operators

Failed Exports

See also

References

External links

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