FGT-203 203mm Towed Gun

The FGT-203 mm towed artillery, a Chinese self-developed the largest caliber field artillery, was developed by the China North Industries Corporation. Since the gun is not equipped with troops, it has been difficult to verify the real name, but the nameplate on the exhibit here reads "FGT-203 type towed howitzer", which is widely circulated in the magazine and military network. The FGT-203 is a Spanish artillery number and was a 203 mm howitzer that Spain began to develop in the late 1970s with the support of the Space Research Corporation.

The earliest exposure of the gun was at the Athens Defense Exhibition in October 1988, when the Spanish SITESCA company exhibited a new 203 mm 45-fold ammunition model. The new 203mm plus howitzer was developed using a 155mm plus howitzer technology from a British company. It was named "FGT-203-45-ST" and uses a full-range range extender with a range of 40 kilometers. The range of the bottom of the project can reach more than 50 kilometers.

The system has a long range, high power and high precision. It can be equipped with a variety of special ammunition, which is the firepower backbone of long-range attacks. Although the gun was dismounted, its range exceeded that of the same type of artillery in the United States and Russia, and it was given the title of "Asia's No. 1 Gun". The project was developed in the 1980s, and finally the development work was confirmed at the end of 1991. The technical development and non-compliance with modern warfare requirements were terminated, and the 155mm artillery and large-caliber long-range rocket launcher system was developed.

From June 1988 to October 1991, the 203mm traction gun system was tested in eight rounds in four stages, with a total of 235 actual projectiles. In June 1988, with the sound of a cannon, China’s first record in the joint development with foreign countries rang the 203mm artillery.

Although the 203mm howitzer uses a shorter 45-caliber body tube, the second element barrel interface is installed in the front, which makes him not only longer than the 37-caliber M110 series in the United States, but also longer than Russia's 57-caliber 2S7. . Therefore, the gun has a longer range and greater power. The US M110 series has a maximum range of only 29.1 kilometers [rocket extended range], and Russia's 2S7 has a maximum range of 47.5 kilometers, which makes long-range attacks take the lead.

The rate of fire is fast. The US M110 gun has a maximum rate of fire of 1.5 rounds per minute and a sustained rate of fire of 0.5 rounds per minute. The domestically produced 203 howitzer has a maximum rate of fire of 2 rounds per minute and a sustained rate of fire of 1 round per minute. Better than American artillery. The Russian 2S7 artillery has a comparable rate of fire as the domestic 203 howitzer. The fast rate of fire means that there are many bombs falling at the same time, that is, the firepower density is high and the damage ability is high.

The ammunition is powerful. Compared with all the same international caliber artillery guns, China's artillery shells are in the leading position with a weight of 101 kilograms: the M110 artillery shells weigh only 97 kilograms, and because of the super-regulated high-explosive warheads installed in military ammunition, artillery shells power is also more than the Russian 2S7 110 kg warhead. China's 203mm howitzer is equipped with a fully combustible cartridge, all of which can be burned out in the drug room. With the large drug room, large charge, long tube, low pressure design, the ablation of the cannon was slowed down and the life of the barrel was greatly improved.

As early as the 1980s, China began to develop 203 mm howitzers. At that time, it was believed that the development of such artillery could improve the ability of deep strikes and greatly enhance the power and mobility of our military's suppression of weapons. Many countries in the world are equipped with such caliber guns, and China must carry out such research and development work. Finally, the world's advanced 203mm howitzer came to the fore.

For the Chinese artillery and artillery producers who are under the Soviet Union, the 203mm cannon is definitely a completely unfamiliar large-caliber suppressor type. The 2S7 "peony" 203mm long-range artillery that the Soviets were equipped at the time was also a quasi-strategic weapon because of its tactical nuclear strike capability. It could not be exported to China, whose relationship has deteriorated for many years. But the road to nowhere, the door to reform and opening up has brought new opportunities. Under the leadership of the artillery genius Gerald Bull, in 1983 China introduced the Austrian GHN-45 155mm traction and howitzer and a full set of production technology, including machining centers, CNC machine tools, automatic programming stations, coordinate measuring machines and body tubes. Tight equipment. The gun is a masterpiece of Dr. Bull - a modified version of the Canadian GC-45 towed howitzer.

After 1989, due to well-known reasons, the joint development plan of the artillery had to be shelved, and Inner Mongolia No. 2 Machinery Manufacturing Plant also concentrated on the development of the 203 mm self-propelled howitzer. During the period, the towed and howitzer was sold to the W90 model, and the latter was said to have received an export order.

According to past practice, this kind of artillery should be called a cannon (the cannon is more than 40 times the diameter of the cannon). However, many countries in the world no longer divide the howitzer and the cannon, and they are all called howitzers. In fact, the original distinction criteria and concepts are not very scientific. In accordance with this situation, my country has also eliminated the distinction between cannons and howitzers, which are collectively referred to as howitzers.

Although the aforementioned many advantages of the 203 howitzer are mentioned, this type of artillery also has its insurmountable shortcomings. First of all, the accuracy is poor. This is because the range is far away. This type of gun is difficult to perform when precision shooting is required.

Secondly, the relatively slow rate of fire results in low fire density and poor performance. The maximum firing rate of the 152 plus howitzer is 4-5 times that of the 203 howitzer. Although the 203 cannon is powerful, the power of the two 152 cannons can exceed 203. Therefore, if the range is not considered, the actual performance of the 203 howitzer in tactical use is significantly lower than the 152 plus howitzer.

Again, the 203 howitzer is very cumbersome, the maneuverability of the force is not as good as other artillery pieces, and it is easy to expose the target. After being hit, the position is removed slowly, and the damage rate is greater than other artillery. Therefore, whether to use the 203 howitzer in combat, but also to conduct a comprehensive measurement of advantages and disadvantages. The 203 howitzer can only be used if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

At the end of 1991, the development of the FGT-203mm towed artillery came to an end. The project terminated the research and development project for technical reasons and did not meet the requirements of modern warfare, and instead developed a 155mm artillery and a large-caliber long-range rocket launcher system.