The T5-45/52 also named Condor is 155mm truck-mounted artillery system designed and developed by the South African Company Denel Land Systems. The system was developed for the Indian market after a request for a new wheeled self-propelled howitzer.
Country Users: South Africa
Description
The T5-45/52 also named Condor is 155mm truck-mounted artillery system designed and developed by the South African Company Denel Land Systems. The system was developed for the Indian market after a request for a new wheeled self-propelled howitzer. The T-5-52 was presented during the Pakistan defense exhibition IDEAS in November 2016. According Jane's Information Group website, the South African army has also showed interest to acquire six T5 in 45 caliber, same artillery system as the T5-52 but armed with 155mm 45 caliber gun. The main gun system is mounted a on Czech-made an 8x8 Tatra T815-7 truck. The T5-52 inherent indirect fire flexibility ensures that it can be employed in the traditional gun, howitzer and mortar roles. The T5-52 can be ready to fire within 90 seconds of stopping in its firing position and can be taken out of action within 60 seconds to avoid counter-battery fire.
T-5 howitzert variants:
T5-52: Same as T5-45 but armed with a 155mm 52 caliber gun
Technical Data
-
Armament
The T5-45/52 is armed with the G5 155mm howitzer top-carriage in 52 or 45 caliber configuration mounted at the rear of an 8x8 truck chassis. The gun has an elevation of -3° to +75°, a 80° unrestricted arc of fire at all elevations. It can engage targets with direct fire over a 180° arc out to 3,000 m, and can fire a five-round time-on-target mission to ranges between 13 and 30 km for indirect fire missions. The ordnance has been optimized for the 52 caliber 155mm ballistic system. The projectiles are the extended range type and provide an increased range and target effectiveness when compared with existing systems. The artillery gun system consists of the monoblock barrel fitted with a double baffle muzzle brake, a swing and slide breech mechanism and an electrically activated firing mechanism. Using base bleed projectiles, the weapon has a range of 42,5 km at sea level. The firing range can be extended to 53,9 km using V-LAP (Velocity Enhanced Long Range) ammunition. NATO and other ammunition can be fired, after consultation with the supplier. In firing position, one large spade are lowered to the ground at the rear of the truck and one on each side.
-
Design and protection
The T5-45/52 artillery weapon system is mounted on a modified Czech-made Tatra T815-7 8x8 truck chassis. It has a crew of four and additional two crew members to prepare and supply the ammunition. The cab for the crew and artillery operators is located at the front of the truck. It is an unarmoured cabin but it can be fitted with an armour kit to provide protection against firing of small arms 5.56mm caliber and shell splinters. The T5-45/52 carries 27 onboard projectiles and 26 onboard charges stored in a purpose designed container. Ammunition is stored within close handling distance of the main weapon. This facilitates the process of loading and reduces crew exhaustion. A hydraulic system, driven by PTO’s (Power Take-Off) on the gearbox, supply hydraulic power for the deployment of the outriggers and the top-carriage hydraulics. In the event that the power unit of the hydraulic system fails, another T5-52 can be used as a back-up system, enabling the crew to bring the T5-52 into action.
-
Mobility
The T5-45/52 has excellent tactical and road strategic mobility using a Czech-made Tatra T815-7 8x8 truck chassis motorized with 265 kW turbo-charged diesel engine developing 355 hp. coupled to a ten-speed manual gearbox with a two-speed transfer gearbox. The vehicle can run at a maximum road speed of 85 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 600 km.
-
Combat Equipment
The T5-45/52 is equipped with Command and Control System, consisting of the Automatic Laying and Navigation System, Telecommunication System, Muzzle Velocity Radar System and Gun Management Computer are used to lay the gun for indirect fire. A panoramic optical-mechanical sight is mounted directly to the trunnion, incorporating a compensation system for trunnion cant, which forms a backup for indirect fire. A telescopic sight for direct fire is mounted to the compensation system and gives a direct fire range of up to 3000m. The truck is fitted with a central tyre inflation system to provide control over the air pressure while both static and on the move, for each tire of a vehicle as a way to improve performance on different surfaces.
.
T5-52 155mm 52 calliber
Photo Gallery
T5-45 155mm 45 calliber
T5-52 155mm 52 calliber
