The Singapore Light Weight Howitzer (SLWH) Pegasus is a

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

-transportable, towed

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 ...

piece. Developed jointly by the

Singapore Armed Forces The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are the military services of the Republic of Singapore, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the country. A military component of the Ministry of Defence (MINDE ...

(SAF), Defence Science and Technology Agency and

ST Kinetics ST Engineering Land Systems Ltd (STELS), 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 Singapore (CIS) ...

, it was commissioned on 28 October 2005. The Pegasus has replaced the

GIAT Nexter Systems (formerly known as GIAT Industries or ''Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre'', Army Industries Group) is a French government-owned weapons manufacturer, based in Roanne, Loire. Group organization The Nexter group is ...

LG1 The LG1 is a modern 105 mm towed howitzer designed and produced by GIAT Industries (now Nexter group) of France. Design The LG1 howitzer is a 105 mm towed artillery piece that features both low weight and a high level of accuracy over lon ...

105 mm howitzer previously in service with the

Singapore Artillery The Artillery is a formation of the Singapore Army, comprising four active battalions—the 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th Battalions—and an undisclosed number of reservist battalions. The primary role of the Artillery formation is to deliver time ...

Design

The 155 mm, 39-caliber Pegasus is typically towed, but it is also equipped with an independent Lombardini 9LD625-2 engine unit to provide short-range self-propelled capability of up to 12 km/h (7 mph). It can be lifted by the

Republic of Singapore Air Force The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is the aerial service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for controlling and defending the airspace of the country, and providing air support to the Army and Navy. It was establish ...

's CH-47SD "Chinook" helicopter thus making it the first heli-portable self-propelled 155 mm howitzer. In addition, the Pegasus can also be transported by the

C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...

tactical airlift An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long distance ...

er. The Pegasus has a burst rate of fire of three rounds in 24 seconds and a maximum rate of fire of four rounds per minute. It can deliver conventional munitions up to 19 km. Extended range munitions can be fired up to 30 km away. A semi-automatic loading system is provided to increase the rate of fire and reduce crew fatigue. The design of the Pegasus also incorporates several innovative elements. It is built with

titanium alloy Titanium alloys are alloys that contain a mixture of titanium and other chemical elements. Such alloys have very high tensile strength and toughness (even at extreme temperatures). They are light in weight, have extraordinary corrosion resista ...

and

aluminium alloy An aluminium alloy (or aluminum alloy; see spelling differences) is an alloy in which aluminium (Al) is the predominant metal. The typical alloying elements are copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon, tin, nickel and zinc. There are two principal ...

materials that are lightweight and yet able to withstand the recoil force of the 155 mm artillery system. Special recoil management design is also employed to reduce the recoil force to a third lower than conventional 155 mm howitzers.

Deployment

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 ...

conducted its first live firing of the SLWH Pegasus 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. ...

in New Zealand as part of Exercise Thunder Warrior in January 2006. The SLWH Pegasus was the preferred candidate for the 145 ultra light howitzer program of the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

. However, ST Kinetics was associated in a case of corruption against the Director General of Indian Ordnance Factory, and blacklisted from participating in the programme.

Users

References

External links

Singapore Technologies official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slwh Pegasus Self-propelled artillery 155 mm artillery Artillery of Singapore

Design

Deployment

Users

See also

References

External links