Panzerhaubitze 2000
Panzerhaubitze 2000 in profile
Type	Self-propelled artillery
Place of origin	Germany
Specifications
Weight	55.3 tons combat loaded
Length	11.7 m (38.4 feet)
Width	3.6 m (11.8 feet)
Height	3.1 m (10.2 feet)
Crew	5 (Commander, Driver, Gunner, 2 Loaders)
Primary armament	Rheinmetall 155 mm L52 Artillery Gun
Secondary armament	Rheinmetall MG3 7.62 mm machine gun
Engine	MTU 881 Ka-500 986 hp
Power/weight	17.83 hp/ton
Suspension	torsion bar
Operational range	420 km
Speed	60 km/h (37 mph)

The Panzerhaubitze 2000 (English.: "Tank Howitzer 2000"), abbreviated PzH 2000, is a German 155mm self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) together with Rheinmetall for the Bundeswehr (the German Armed Forces). The PzH 2000 is the most powerful conventional artillery systems currently deployed. It is particularly notable for a very high rate of fire; in burst mode it can fire three rounds in 9 seconds, ten rounds in 56 seconds, and can fire between 10 and 13 rounds per minute continuously depending on barrel heating. PzH 2000 has also been selected by the Italian, Dutch and Greek Armies, and more orders are probable as forces upgrade their M109 Paladins. Image File history File links PzH2000_houwitser. ... A U.S. M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer Self-propelled artillery (also called mobile artillery or locomotive artillery) vehicles are a way of giving mobility to artillery. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and defense company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß. It has a long tradition of making guns and artillery pieces. ... Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and defense company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß. It has a long tradition of making guns and artillery pieces. ... The German MG3 is one of the most popular universal machine guns in the World. ... NATO 7. ... A U.S. M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer Self-propelled artillery (also called mobile artillery or locomotive artillery) vehicles are a way of giving mobility to artillery. ... 19th century 12 pounder (5 kg) mountain howitzer displayed by the National Park Service at Fort Laramie in Wyoming, USA A howitzer is a type of artillery piece that is characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small explosive charges to propel projectiles at trajectories with... Krauss-Maffei is an injection molding machine manufacturer based in Germany. ... Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and defense company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß. It has a long tradition of making guns and artillery pieces. ... The Bundeswehr (German for Federal Defence Force;  ) is the name of the unified armed forces of Germany. ... The M109 is an American-made self-propelled 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. ...

The replenishment of shells is automated, two operators can load 60 shells and propelling charges in less than 12 minutes.

Development

In 1986 Italy, the United Kingdom, and Germany, agreed to terminate their existing development of the PzH 155-1 (SP 70) program, which had run into problems and was also clearly inferior to the new guns being introduced by NORICUM based on Gerald Bull's GC-45 howitzer. German industry was asked for proposals to build a new design with an even more powerful gun that would better the SP 70 requirements, based on Bull's Extended Range, Full Bore concepts. Of the returned designs, Wegmann's was clearly the best. Gerald Vincent Bull (March 9, 1928 - March 22, 1990) was a Canadian engineer who developed long range artillery. ... The GC-45 (Gun, Canada, 45-calibre) is a 155 mm howitzer designed by Gerald Bulls Space Research Corporation in the 1970s. ...

PzH 2000 of the German Army used for training

Rheinmetall designed the 155mm 52-calibre gun, which is chromium-lined for its entire 8 metre length and includes a muzzle brake on the end. The gun uses a new standardized charge system with six different charges, which can be combined to provide exactly the power needed and no more. Primer is loaded separately via a conveyor belt, and the entire loading, laying and clearing is completely automated. The maximum range of the gun is 30km with the standard L15A2 round (from the US M109), about 35km with base bleed rounds, and at least 40km with assisted projectiles. In April 2006 a PzH 2000 shot assisted shells (Denel V-Lap) over a distance of 56km with a probable maximum range of over 60km.[1] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3562x2376, 850 KB) de: Beschreibung: Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH 2000) in der Fahrschule FahrSimKette Baumholder Datum: Februar 2002 Autor: Björn Becker File links The following pages link to this file: PzH 2000 ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3562x2376, 850 KB) de: Beschreibung: Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH 2000) in der Fahrschule FahrSimKette Baumholder Datum: Februar 2002 Autor: Björn Becker File links The following pages link to this file: PzH 2000 ... The German Army (German: Heer, [IPA: heɐ]  ) is the land component of the Bundeswehr (Federal Defence Forces) of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and defense company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß. It has a long tradition of making guns and artillery pieces. ... The muzzle brake of the 105 mm gun on an AMX 10 RC fighting vehicle. ... Base bleed is a system used on some artillery shells to increase their range, typically by about 30%. Most of the drag on an artillery shell comes from the nose of the shell, as it pushes the air out of its way at supersonic speeds. ... Category: Possible copyright violations ...

Wegmann supplied both the chassis, sharing some components with the Leopard 1, and the turret for the gun. The system has superb cross-country performance and considerable protection in the case of counter-fire. The turret includes a phased array radar on the front glacis for monitoring outgoing rounds and correcting for windage. Laying can also be automatically provided via encrypted radio links from rear area command. A crew of three was needed for full operation, commander, layer and driver. The Leopard (or Leopard 1) is a German designed and produced main battle tank that first entered service in 1965 and was used as the main battle tank for Germany, several other European countries, Australia, Canada, Brazil and Chile. ... For the ultrasonic and medical imaging application, see phased array ultrasonics. ... This long range radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll. ... Windage is a force created on an object by friction when there is relative movement between air and the object. ...

Wegman eventually won a contract in 1996 for 185 to be delivered to Germany's rapid reaction force, followed by another 410 for the main force. Wegmann and Krauss-Maffei, the two main German military tracked vehicle designers, merged in 1998. Krauss-Maffei is an injection molding machine manufacturer based in Germany. ...

A number of armies have tested the system and its ability to provide accurate fire at 40km has been a major selling point. In addition to sales of complete systems, the turret has been mounted on a German frigate to test it as a naval gun (the project was called Modular Naval Artillery Concept, or MONARC) and it was intended to be used as a naval gun on the upcoming Type 125 frigate of Germany, which will now receive 127mm guns from Oto Melara. For the bird, see Frigatebird. ... Monarc is title of Mariah Careys own label, under Island Records Inc. ... F125 is the project name for the Type 125 class of frigates, currently in development for the German Navy by ARGE F125, a joint-venture of Thyssen-Krupp and Lürssen. ...

The British Army had also adopted the gun itself for use on upgraded version of their AS90 Braveheart system, but these plans were later put on hold and an upgraded version of the Royal Ordnance (BAE) gun chosen instead. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The AS-90 (Artillery System for the 1990s) is a lightly-armoured self-propelled artillery piece used by the British Army. ... Royal Ordnance was the state-run arms manufacturer in the United Kingdom which was privatised in 1984 and sold off by the government to British Aerospace (BAe) in 1987. ... BAe evolution since 1955 until 1999 merger to form BAE Systems British Aerospace (BAe) was a British aircraft manufacturer, now part of BAE SYSTEMS. The company was formed on April 29, 1977 by the Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act. ...

The PzH 2000 was considered for the US Army's Crusader concept system, but several requirements of the Crusader made it unsuitable. In particular the Crusader placed the crew and gun in separate compartments, allowing a single highly-armored crew compartment to control the firing of an entire battery of guns. The United States Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... The XM2001 Crusader was to be the United States Armys next-generation self-propelled howitzer (SPH), designed to improve survivability, lethality, mobility, and effectiveness and planned to be introduced by 2008. ...

Combat Record

The PzH 2000 was used for the first time by the Dutch Army in August of 2006 against Taliban targets in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Medusa. [2] Since then it has been used regularly in support of ground troops of the Dutch Task Force Uruzgan, also in Afghanistan. The Royal Netherlands Army (Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land forces element of the military of the Netherlands. ... The Taliban (Pashto: , stupid or seekers of ignorance) are a fundamentalist Sunni Muslim and ethnic Pashtun movement that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when their leaders were removed from power by American aerial bombardment and Northern Alliance ground forces. ... Kandahar or Qandahar (Pashto: قندھار) is one of the largest of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Dutch ISAF-operation Task Force Uruzgan (TFU) is part of NATOs ISAF force in Afghanistan. ...

General Statistics

General Characteristics

• Crew: 5 (commander, driver, gunner, 2 loaders)
• Length: 11.7 meters (38.4 feet)
• Width: 3.6 meters (11.8 feet)
• Height: 3.1 meters (10.2 feet)
• Combat weight: 55.3 tons

Armament

• Primary: Rheinmetall 155 mm L52 Artillery Gun
  • Rate of fire: 3 firings per 10 seconds, 8 firings per minute, 20 firings per 3 minutes
  • Range (of the artillery fire): 30 km (19 miles), 56 km (34 miles) with rocket-assisted projectile
• Secondary: MG3 - 7.62 × 51 mm machine gun

Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and defense company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß. It has a long tradition of making guns and artillery pieces. ... The German MG3 is one of the most popular universal machine guns in the World. ... NATO 7. ...

Mobility

• Engine: MTU 881 Ka-500
  • Power: 986 hp
  • Power/weight: 17.83 hp/ton
• Top road speed: 60 km/h (37 mph)
• Top off-road speed: 45 km/h (28 mph)
• Range (of the vehicle): 420 km (261 miles)
• Fuel Economy: 240 L/100 km

Operators

•  Germany : 185
•  Italy : 70
•  Netherlands : 39 (18 on order)
•  Greece : 24

Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Netherlands. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Greece. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Panzerhaubitze 2000

• PzH 2000 Photos at Prime Portal
• Article on the Official Heer website (in German)
• Army Technology
• Dutch PzH 2000 Firing at Taliban Positions at Youtube