AS90 Braveheart

The AS-90 (Braveheart) is an armoured fighting vehicle used by the British Army. A self propelled gun, it was first delivered in 1993. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (997x653, 80 KB)property of BAE SYSTEMS (Copyright© 2005 BAE SYSTEMS. All rights reserved) and are made available for publishing and personal use. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (997x653, 80 KB)property of BAE SYSTEMS (Copyright© 2005 BAE SYSTEMS. All rights reserved) and are made available for publishing and personal use. ... An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is a military vehicle, equipped with protection against hostile attacks and often mounted weapons. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British military. ... A U.S. M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer Self-propelled artillery vehicles mount a large howitzer (or alternatively mortar or rockets) and are used for long-range indirect bombardment support. ...

The AS90 is used by six field regiments Royal Regiment of Artillery (1st, 3rd, 4th, 19th, 26th) and the 40th Royal Horse Artillery, replacing the FV433 "Abbot" 105 mm SPG, the M109 155 mm SPG, or the FH 70 155 mm towed gun. It is built by the Armaments division of Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering (VSEL, owned by BAE Systems since 1999), who provided 179 vehicles from 1992-95 at a cost of £300 million. The Royal Regiment of Artillery, generally known as the Royal Artillery (RA), is, despite its name, a corps of the British Army It is made up of a number of regiments. ... General Characteristics FV 433 Field Artillery, Self-Propelled (Abbot) Length: (gun forward) 5. ... M109 refers to: Messier 109 a Messier object and a spiral galaxy in the Ursa Major constellation. ... Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd (VSEL), based at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. ... BAE Systems is the worlds fourth largest defence contractor and a commercial aerospace products manufacturer. ...

The AS90 is fitted with a 155 mm gun (39 calibre) which fires the NATO L15 projectile out to a range of 24.7 km (30 km with ERA). From 2002 the gun was rebarrelled to 52 calibre to push the unassisted range to 30 km and the ERA range to around 70 km. The flag of NATO NATO 2002 Summit The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949. ...

The vehicle is fitted with a autonomous navigation and gun laying system (AGLS) and all main turret functions are controlled by a Turret Control Computer (TCC).

Characteristics

• Crew: 5, driver plus 4 gun crew
• Length: 9.07 m
• Width: 3.3 m
• Height: 3.0 m
• Armour: 17 mm (maximum, steel)
• Weight: 45 tons
• Calibre: 155 mm
• Range: 24.7 km (39 Cal), 30 km (52 Cal) standard charges
• Rate of fire: 3 rounds in 10 s (burst) 6 rpm (intense) 2 rpm (sustained)
• Secondary armament: 7.62 mm GPMG
• Ammunition carried: 48 projectiles and charges (31 turret and 17 hull), 1000 MG rounds
• Engine: Cummins VTA930T V8 diesel, 660 bhp
• Max Speed: 53 km/h (Road)
• Range: 420 km (Road)
• Ground clearance: 0.41 m; Gradient: 60°; Vertical obstacle: 0.75 m; Trench crossing: 2.8 m; Fording depth: 1.5 m

The general purpose machine gun (GPMG) is a compromise weapon, capable of doing the tasks of a light machine gun, a medium machine gun and a heavy machine gun, but none as well as a specialised weapon. ... Cummins Inc. ... Diesel fuel is a specific distillate fraction of fuel oil that is used in a diesel engine invented by German engineer Rudolf Diesel, and perfected by Charles F. Kettering. ...

Variants

AS-90

AS-90D

Desert version. Thermal protection for crew and extra cooling for engine and machinery. Tracks adapted for reduced wear in sandy conditions.

Braveheart

AS-90D with 52 calibre length gun.

See also