【Military Subplane】Author: Lele
Although barreled artillery has been around for hundreds of years, the Russia-Ukraine war has shown that many new weapons, including guided munitions, cannot replace their status. Affected by the experience of previous wars, China attaches great importance to the development of barreled artillery, and self-propelled guns and truck guns with a caliber of 155 mm are all installed, and their performance is also excellent. However, after World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union both developed top-level 203 mm guns, which have not been installed in China so far. Interestingly, China's neighbor Pakistan, although its artillery R&D/production capacity is not strong, has imported more than 200 155mm truck guns from China in the past few years, but it has installed two 203mm heavy guns.
▲The appearance of the American-made M110 203mm howitzer is quite shocking
American-made M115 and M110 203 mm howitzers, which are currently in the hands of the Pakistan Army, the largest caliber of barreled artillery, the total number is not less than 100, of which the former is towed, and the latter is tracked self-propelled, both shells are common, and frequently appear in the military exercises of the Pakistan Army. As the pinnacle of the caliber of barreled artillery after World War II, the charge of the 203-mm howitzer is about twice that of the 155-mm caliber, and the power is self-evident. Therefore, Pakistan attaches great importance to the about 60 M110A2 in its hands, compared with the M115 with poor mobility, which is mainly deployed in a fixed manner, with more military performance venues, and the actual use effect is poor. In the late 80s, China also tried to develop 203 mm guns, and finally created the FGT-203 howitzer, which is known as the "first artillery in Asia", but in the end, only a few samples remained, which is regrettable. And the key reason for the gap between China and Pakistan in the field of 203-mm artillery is actually very simple - times have changed.
▲ Samples left by the domestic FGT-203 howitzer
After World War II, all countries attached great importance to the development of body-barreled artillery, and soon found the apex of the caliber of the balance between existing technology and battlefield needs - 203 mm. Compared with the self-propelled enclosed turret that emerged at that time, the firing characteristics of the 203-mm gun made the United States and the Soviet Union apply an open design, or simply a simpler towed type, and special nuclear shells also appeared, which became popular for a while. Considering its unique power and range, countries or regions with purchase channels have introduced 203 mm guns from the United States and the Soviet Union, and Pakistan also obtained the M115 towed 203 mm howitzer during this period. In all fairness, in the 6/70s, the 203-mm gun was still extremely deterrent, and its status was not at all comparable to other fire support weapons. Therefore, in the 80s, after the U.S. military launched the improved and increased range of the M110A2, Pakistan soon purchased about 60 more as the top land combat equipment at that time.
▲The mobility of the M115 towed howitzer is relatively poor
However, by the end of the 80s, when China began to brew domestic 203-mm artillery, the United States had already begun to carry out information reform of artillery. In addition to the well-known guided artillery shells, the core design concept is that the artillery is no longer used as a support platform for receiving information and firing shells alone, but is integrated with the battlefield combat system and exists as an information node. In this case, range and power are no longer the first place, precision and maneuverability are king, and the representative work that finally appeared is the M-777. Although this towed gun itself does not have the ability to maneuver, it is extremely light in weight and can be transferred by heavy helicopters, with very high maneuverability efficiency and sufficient accuracy with the support of advanced fire control. In the mid-90s, France also introduced the epoch-making "Caesar" truck gun, which provided a new idea for countries that could not afford the high cost of tracked self-propelled guns. Whether it is a helicopter plug-in or an off-road vehicle chassis, 155 mm is already the limit of modern technology, and 203 mm cannot withstand it at all.
▲The design of the M-777 is very unique
In fact, when the FGT-203 howitzer was tested in China, it was found that its overall weight was large, the battlefield transfer was relatively clumsy, the muzzle vibrated violently, and the long-range firing accuracy was not as good as that of the 155-mm gun. The most critical thing is that although the 203 mm gun has a large charge, the rate of fire is relatively slow, like the maximum rate of fire of the American-made M110A2 is only 1.5 rounds per minute, and the domestic FGT-203 and Russian-made 2S7 can achieve 2 rounds per minute due to the later development time, and it is difficult to improve it. The rate of fire of the 155 mm gun can reach more than 4 times at will, and the power of a single shell is superimposed, in fact, the damage efficiency of the 155 mm gun per unit time is stronger. Higher accuracy, faster maneuvering, and stronger comprehensive damage capability are the technical advantages of the 155-mm gun, while the 203-mm gun is actually at a disadvantage in addition to the advantages of high single-shot power and long theoretical range (accuracy is difficult to guarantee). It is precisely because of this that the US military will decommission its 203-mm artillery in 1994, and China will suspend the development of the 203-mm gun when the test is basically completed, and only Russia, which is slow in the construction of artillery informatization, is still continuing to develop 203-mm artillery.
▲The Russian-made 2S7 203mm gun is very powerful
Judging from the actual combat experience of the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield, the single-shot power advantage of the 203mm gun is not obvious, and the real high-defense targets still need air or other weapons to destroy, and the problem of weak mobility is becoming more and more prominent, and it is frequently discovered and destroyed by UAVs/cruise missiles. Perhaps by the end of the war, Russia will no longer insist on the development of 203-mm guns. For Pakistan, military resources have always been limited, although the performance of the two 203mm guns is not advanced, and even the maximum range is less than 30 kilometers, but in the high-confrontation forward battlefield, especially for the Indian army near the line of control to build strong fortifications, 203mm guns still have a certain deterrent significance, so they have been in service.
▲The performance of the PCL-181 truck gun is very good
But Pakistan also has a clear vision of the development of body-barreled artillery, having introduced 236 SH-15 155mm truck guns a few years ago. It is generally believed that the technical characteristics of this artillery are equivalent to those of the PCL-181 for domestic use, with a maximum firing range of about 53 kilometers, high precision, strong mobility, and an advanced combat system, basically reaching the world's top level. Compared with the two American-made 203mm guns that only have a name, the SH-15 from China is actually the most relied on ground support firepower for the Pakistan Army. In the past few years, although there have been rumors of the comeback of domestic 203-mm guns in China, as far as we look at it now, it has not really become the basis for reality.
Resources:
https://www.toutiao.com/article/7075842392712020517/?channel=&source=search_tab