MORANA 155mm Howitzer: Excalibur’s Artillery Innovation at Eurosatory 2024.

At the Eurosatory 2024 defense exhibition, the new MORANA 155 mm self-propelled howitzer was unveiled by Excalibur. This advanced artillery system is designed to provide rapid and effective support to operational and tactical groupings of ground forces. The MORANA howitzer features a sophisticated fire control system and diagnostic system, enabling it to autonomously perform combat tasks.
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MORANA howitzer combines a vehicle chassis with an independent artillery turret system, ensuring crew protection through armor (Picture source: ArmyRecognition)

The MORANA howitzer was unveiled by the Czech Ambassador to France, Michel Fleischmann, Deputy Minister of Defense Tomáš Kopečný, and the President of the DSIA Association of the Czech Republic, Jiří Hynek. The presentation underscored the importance of artillery for regional security and recognized the MORANA as a significant contribution to European defense capabilities. 

The unique construction of the MORANA howitzer combines a vehicle chassis with an independent artillery turret system, ensuring crew protection through armor. It merges the advantages of lighter self-propelled artillery systems with those of heavier systems with battle towers. This design offers a low weight for easy transport, high mobility on paved roads and difficult terrain, and eliminates the logistical needs of tracked artillery systems. The MORANA also has a fully automatic loading system, weapon guidance and aiming, and a large ammunition capacity.

Equipped with a powerful onboard control and diagnostic system, the MORANA includes subsystems for diagnostics, navigation, automatic gun guiding, autonomous calculation of shooting elements, and ammunition management. The automatic guiding system allows for rapid and fully automated gun adjustments. The onboard control system can prepare the howitzer for firing within 40 seconds of stopping at the firing position, with all operations controlled from the protected cabin. 

The technical characteristics of the MORANA include a 155 mm / 52 caliber primary weapon capable of reaching over 41 kilometers. It carries 45 rounds and can fire up to six rounds in the first minute after establishing position. The howitzer is capable of Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact (MRSI) fire mode and is equipped with advanced GPS/INS navigation, a ballistic trajectory calculator, and diagnostic computer systems. These systems are operated via a simplified user interface, enabling rapid and precise actions. Gun aiming and firing can be performed automatically or manually.

The howitzer is mounted on the latest TATRA four-axle chassis, known for its durability and ability to maintain perfect grip and reduce wear when crossing uneven terrain. This chassis offers excellent performance both on and off-road. The vehicle is equipped with real-time diagnostics, a 600 hp engine, an automatic transmission, and a Central Tire Inflation System (CTIS). Its wider wheelbase and steerable axles offer unprecedented stability and maneuverability. The MORANA can be deployed by rail, sea, or air.

Due to its fully automated system, the MORANA requires only a crew of three: a driver, an aimer, and a commander. The crew operates from a modular EA Puma cabin protected to STANAG 4569 Level 2 against ballistic and landmine threats. The cabin is pressurized and equipped with NBC filters, heating, and air conditioning.

In emergency situations, the MORANA can directly engage enemy positions, structures, and moving vehicles with a range of 5 kilometers during the day and 3 kilometers at night. An integrated secondary weapon offers additional protection and firepower for close engagements and low-altitude UAVs. The system also includes a manual aiming mode using supportive optical devices if the ballistic and navigation computer systems are unavailable.

Finally, the MORANA's turret is powered independently, ensuring weapon operability even if the vehicle engine stops. A 24 V auxiliary hydraulic power unit supports the weapon systems and turret operations, including battery checks, hydraulic pressure regulation, and cooling of propellant charges.