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| General information |
The Otobreda Palmaria is a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer which was developed by the Italian Company OTO Melara for the export market. This vehicle share many components with the Italian main battle tank OF-40, which was in service in the United Arab Emirates Army. The first Palmaria prototype was completed in 1981, and production vehicles were completed in the following year. The first customer to order the Palmaria was Libya, with an order for 210. Nigeria ordered 25 during 1982 and a further 20 Palmaria turrets were ordered by Argentina to be fitted on locally built TAM medium tank chassis. These were completed late in 1986 by which time final deliveries had been made to Libya and Nigeria.
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| Armament |
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The Palmaria is armed with an 155 mm barrel 41 calibre which is fitted with a fume extractor and a muzzle brake and is loaded automatically. Using the automatic loading system, the howitzer can fire one round every 15 seconds, one round every minute for 1 hour or one round every 3 minutes continuously. A 7.62 or 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun can be mounted on the roof for anti-aircraft defence and four 76 mm smoke grenade dischargers are mounted either side of the turret firing towards the front. A complet range of ammunition has been developped for the Palmaria. The standard HE, smoke an illuminating projectiles have a range of 24,700 m, the HE LT projectiles 27,500 m, and the HE rocket-assisted projectile 30,000 m.
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| Protection |
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The the hull and the turret of Palmaria is made in all-welded steel, which provides protection against small arms fire and artillery shell splinters. The driver is seated at the front of the hull on the right side the centre. The other four crew members, commander, gunner, charge handler and magazine operator, are seated in the aluminium turret in the centre of the hull. The Palmaria turret has 360° traverse and the gun can be elevated from -4° to 70° hydraulically, with manual controls for emergency use.
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| Propulsion |
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The Palmraia is motorized with an MTU MB 837 Ea-500 (or Ka-500 developing 1,000 hp) 4-stroke, precombustion chamber, turbocharged, 8-cylinder multifuel developing 750 hp coupled to an Renk RK 304 power shifting transmission with 4-speed, 4 forward and 2 reverse. The Palmaria suspension is of the torsion bar type with seven dual rubber-tyred roadwheels on each side. The first three and last two roadwheels have hydraulic shock-absorbers and bump stops to prevent excessive wheel travel. The adjustable idler is at the front, drive sprocket at the rear and there are five track support return rollers on each side. The upper part of the track and suspension is covered by a steel-reinforced rubber skirt which keeps dust down and provides some level of protection against attack by HEAT projectiles. The Palmaria can run at a maximum speed of 60 km/h, with a maximum cruising range of 500 km.
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| Accessories |
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The Palmaria has an auxiliary power unit to supply the hydraulic and electric power required to operate the turret, consisting of a diesel engine driving through a gearbox, a generator and a hydraulic pump. Standard equipment includes an NBC system, an automatic fire-extinguishing system, bilge pumps and an emergency escape hatch in the floor. Track skirts help to keep down dust during cross-country travel.
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| Specifications |
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Armament
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One 155 mm gun, 1 × 7.62 mm MG, 2 × 4 76 mm smoke grenade dischargers
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Country users
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Argentina, Libya, Nigeria
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Designer Country
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Italy
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Accessories
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NBC protection system, automatic fire-extinguishing system, night vision, automatic loading system, auxiliary power unit
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Crew
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5 soldiers
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Armor
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All-welded steel, protection against small arms fire and artillery shell splinters.
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Combat Weight
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46,000 kg
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Speed
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60 km/hr
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Range
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500 km
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Dimensions
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Length, 11,474 m with gun; Width, 3,35 m;
Height, 2,87 m
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