French manufacturer Nexter demonstrated the capabilities of its 105 mm 105 LG1 Mk III light howitzer at the Central Air Force Training Range located in Ustka, Poland, Defence 24 reports. The gun fired salvos of six rounds in less than 15 seconds at ranges p 17 kilometers with good accuracy, despite the strong wind.
Nexter 105 LG1 Light Gun Mark.III at DSA 2018 in Malaysia (Picture source: Army Recognition)
The French howitzer system was tested for many days in Ustka last 29 May, in a variety of weather conditions present on the Polish coast during that period. In Poland, Nexter is represented by a company called Works 11, which organizes activities and presentations for the representatives of the Polish military branches that could be potentially interested in the product.
The demonstration performed on 29 May involved representatives of the General Command of the Armed Forces and of the 18th Mechanized Division that includes the 21st Highland Brigade, the 6th Airborne Brigade and certain Special Operations units.
As noted by Lt. Col. (res.) Marek Fordon who was managing the host of the demonstration on behalf of Works 11, the towed howitzers were withdrawn from the Polish army’s inventory two decades ago. Even though formally no necessity to acquire equipment as such has been expressed in the operational requirements, in some situations a light, mobile towed howitzer is still an optimal solution. This pertains to the highly-mobile elements in particular, namely during airborne operations. Hence an interest for Nexter’s 105 LG1 Mk.III howitzer.
The LG1 howitzer itself has been operated since the 1990s. The Mark III is the latest digitized variant, benefiting from a firing solutions computer and an INS/GPS positioning system. The Topaz system used by the Polish artillery units may be integrated on Nexter’s LG1.
The manufacturer suggests that the design can withstand more than 20 years of service and its endurance, without failure, is defined as 1,500 shots. Meanwhile, the barrel offers EFC life of up to 7,000 shots. Legacy models of the gun are operated by the French, Belgian and Canadian armies and five non-NATO states all around the world. They are used by air-mobile units primarily, or by light infantry units that are forced to work in rough terrain conditions.
