| Soltam M-71 | |
|---|---|
 A deployed M-71 | |
| Type | Howitzer |
| Place of origin | Israel |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See users |
| Wars | Yom Kippur War Lebanese Civil War South African Border War 1982 Lebanon War Gaza War Myanmar Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Soltam Systems |
| Designed | 1971–1974 |
| Manufacturer | Soltam |
| Produced | 1975– |
| Variants | Soltam M-68 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 9,200 kg (20,300 lb) |
| Barrel length | 6.045 m (19 ft 10 in) L/39 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Caliber | 155 mm NATO |
| Breech | Horizontal sliding block |
| Carriage | Split trail |
| Elevation | -3° to 52° |
| Traverse | ±37.5° from centerline |
| Muzzle velocity | 820 m/s (2,700 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 21 km (13 mi) (NATO standard ammunition) 23.5 km (14.6 mi) (Tampella standard ammunition) |
| Maximum firing range | 28.5 km (17.7 mi) |
The M-71 is a 155 mm 39 caliber towed howitzer manufactured by Israeli company Soltam Systems.
Design
The weapon was based on the earlier Soltam M-68 and uses the same recoil system, breech and carriage but had a longer gun barrel (39 calibre versus 33 calibre of M-68). It is fitted with a compressed air-driven rammer to permit rapid and easy loading at all angles of elevation as well as having a rechargeable battery mounted on the right trail for auxiliary power. It can fire a 43.7 kilograms (96 lb) high-explosive shell up to a maximum range of 23.5 kilometers (14.6 mi) at a muzzle velocity of 820 meters per second (2,700 ft/s).
Deployment
In addition to Israel, this weapon is in service with Chile, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, South Africa, Slovenia and Myanmar. A version of this weapon was developed to mount on a modified Centurion chassis (M-72), but this vehicle never reached production.
Operators
Botswana
Cameroon: 18
Chile: 60 howitzers used by the Chilean Army, 36 Soltam M-68s acquired in the 1970s later upgraded to Soltam M-71 standard and 24 Soltam M-71 howitzers acquired in the 1980s. 24 designated G-4 howitzers acquired by the Chilean Marine Corps in South Africa in 1992.
Israel
Myanmar: 72
Philippines:
- Philippine Army: 20
- Philippine Marine Corps: 6
Singapore: 13 or 38 - modified to the M-71S standard using less crew + addition of APU.
Slovenia: 18; M839 variant.
South Africa: 32; designated G-4.
Thailand: 32
References
- ^ Kinard, Jeff (28 March 2007). Artillery: An Illustrated History of Its Impact (2007 ed.). ABC-CLIO Publishers. pp. 301–302. ISBN 978-1-85109-561-2.
- ^ "M-71" (PDF). Elbit Systems. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ "155mm Soltam M-71". Weaponsystems.net. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- "Soltam Systems 155 mm M-71 gun-howitzer (Israel)". Jane's Armour and Artillery.
- "M-68/-71 155mm". www.globalsecurity.org.
- "Singapore artillery pieces". United States, Library Of Congress.
- "Botswana". 7 February 2013.
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (2021). The Military Balance. Taylor & Francis. p. 454. ISBN 9781032012278.
- ^ Ciranno Maureira, Antonio (2007). "La artillería de campaña en Chile". Tecnología militar (in Spanish) (2): 48–50.
- García, Nicolás (23 August 2019). "The Chilean Marine Corps trains in the highlands and in Patagonia". Infodefensa.com. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "Trade Registers". Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- "Myanmar". Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- https://thediplomat.com/2016/03/aquinos-military-modernization-unprecedented-but-insufficient/
- Solmerin, Florante (23 June 2013). "Army eyes hi-tech mounted artillery". Manila Standard Today. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ^ "PHL military gets 3 brand-new 155-mm howitzers, 9 more en route". Philippine News Agency. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- https://thediplomat.com/2016/03/aquinos-military-modernization-unprecedented-but-insufficient/
- "Defense & Industries; - ST Kinetics ou les ambitions de Singapour dans l'armement". www.frstrategie.org. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017.
- "Fact file: G6 L45 self-propelled towed gun-howitzer". 10 February 2011.
External links
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