Page 70 - Australian Defence Magazine June 2021

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LAND FORCES SPH
JUNE 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
“ANY STUDY OF THE LAND 8116 PROGRAM MUST LOGICALLY BEGIN WITH A QUESTION; WHY DOES ARMY NEED A PROTECTED MOBILE FIRES CAPABILITY IN THE SHAPE OF A SELF-PROPELLED HOWITZER?”
ity, as delivered by Protected Mobile Fires, will allow a Joint Force to operate in medium to high intensity warfare in support of “highly manoeuvrable” armoured vehicles, such as Army’s Abrams M1A1 Main Battle Tanks, Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles and Combat Engineer- ing Vehicles, and the Infantry Fighting Vehicles to be de- livered under Land 400/3.
“They further provide a potent counter-battery fire ca- pability, supressing and destroying enemy artillery before it can be used effectively against friendly troops,” the spokesperson explained to ADM.
Protected Mobile Fires will become Army’s predominant 155mm artillery system in the future and will be supported by existing towed BAE Systems M777A2 howitzers when light and air-mobile forces are required. However, the spokesperson acknowledged that the latter weapon lacks the protection, mobility and range required to integrate with current and emerging armoured combat vehicles.
“Protected Mobile Fires is a key capability in the ADF’s Protected Manoeuvre System, which is characterised by highly lethal, tactically manoeuvrable, and heavily ar-
moured and protected land systems,” the spokesperson added. “The Protected Manoeuvre System has the fire- power, protection and mobility necessary to fight and win in mid to high-intensity warfare.”
Defence says the 155mm, 39 calibre M777A2 will re- main “an important capability” for the ADF in support of light and air-mobile forces (the 155mm gun can be air- lifted aboard RAAF C-130J-30 Hercules transports and as an underslung load by Army’s CH-47F Chinook heli- copters), while the Protected Mobile Fires capability will support Army’s armoured vehicles. Army is also currently considering its future organisational structures and loca- tion options to accommodate the Protected Mobile Fires capability and has made no decisions at this point in time.
“Protected Mobile Fires will be the ADF’s primary 155mm artillery system, complemented by the current M777A2 Lightweight Towed Howitzer, significantly enhancing the ADF’s indirect fires capability,” the spokesperson summed up. “The system seeks to address a known capability gap that has existed since the cancellation of the Self-Propelled Howitzer Land 17 Phase 1C project in 2012.”
LAND 8116 GESTATION
Land 17 Phase 1C was Army’s previous attempt to acquire a self-propelled howitzer capability that we mentioned ear- lier, but this program was ultimately killed off in May 2012
ABOVE: International variants of the Huntsman are already in service with several European nations.
HANWHA DEFENSE AUSTRALIA