Francia se prepara para vender varias unidades de su sistema de artillería autopropulsado a rueda CAESAR SPH y el cliente (No revelado), ha solicitado que se realicen ensayos con el moderno proyectil guiado de artillería VULCANO GLR (Guided Long Range) de 155m. Este proyectil del tipo “Smart”, se caracteriza por disponer de dos tipos de guiado que se complementan, GPS y Láser Semi Activo (SAL), lo cual le permite realizar disparos de gran precisión a blancos estáticos o en movimiento y, lo más relevante es que en modernos cañones L52, se pueden obtener alcances de hasta 70 km, según lo informado por su fabricante la empresa Italiana Leonardo.
The tests passed successfully. Leonardo’s Vulcano 155 GLR [Guided Long Range] guided munitions have met the requirements for long-range and precise long-range hitting. According to freely available information, this type of artillery projectile has a range of up to 70 km metric accuracy. 155 GLRs have GPS targeting, including the exchange of ballistic data communication via radio frequency [RF] configuration. 155 GLR are characterized by excellent aerodynamics and a warhead with a fuze, which means that the projectile can be activated in three ways: altimetric, instantaneous, or delayed action.
Leonardo’s 155mm munition allows precise target hitting, whether moving or not if targeted by a laser. Ie these munitions have built-in semi-active laser [SAL] sensors, which in many cases are the reason for a better hit than the use of GPS targeting. The semi-active laser sensor means that the Caesar self-propelled howitzer firing a 155 GLR can hit targets if they are laser-marked by a fighter jet.
At the moment there is no official information on which client has requested such tests. If it is a customer who already operates French self-propelled howitzers, it is easy to guess, because they are not many: besides France, other countries are Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Colombia, Ukraine, and Russia. The latter state acquired them at the time during the war in Ukraine as captured military equipment, which it sent for repairs to Uralvagonzavod, and then returned to the front in Ukraine to use them against Ukraine.
Potential customers
It can be assumed that Ukraine is not the customer who wanted such tests. Brazil or Colombia can want these tests. BulgarianMilitary.com already wrote two days ago [June 22nd] that Brazil is conducting a procedure to acquire 36 self-propelled howitzers. It is logical, that before choosing a supplier, the buyer country wants tests to ensure the effectiveness of the product.
Colombia is also a potential customer who wanted to conduct tests with Leonardo’s 155mm artillery munition. Bogota has actually already chosen this howitzer, but the country is currently undergoing complex political processes and changes in the political ruling circle, which has not yet guaranteed a deal between France and Colombia.
Another potential client is a country in the Middle East – Iraq. BulgarianMilitary.com already wrote in February this year that Iraq is looking for new weapons systems to upgrade the army’s armaments and improve its combat capability.
According to experts, Iraq is very interested in acquiring several 155mm Caesar self-propelled howitzers from the French company Nexter Group. Baghdad has been said to be interested in this model since 2017 when the French sent four Caesar howitzers to help the Iraqi army in the battle of Mosul. A year later, the French deployed a Caesar self-propelled howitzer on the border with Syria to support the Syrian Democratic Forces in the battle of Baghdad Faukani.
Fuente: https://bulgarianmilitary.com
