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T-155 FIRTINA 155mm Self Propelled Howitzers (SPH)

Turkish land forces are armed with nearly 1100 self-propelled artillery vehicles of various types. One of the numerous examples of this type is T-155 Firtina (Storm) SPH. It is the first domestic artillery system produced by Turkey. This vehicle was developed on the basis of the Korean K9 machine, which waa acquired in accordance with the wishes of the Turkish army and the capabilities of the industry. To date Turkey built about 300 serial T-155, which made them the most massive of modern examples of self-propelled artillery in Turkish army.

The development of the T-155 Firtina began in the late 1990s. In the light of the lessons learned from the 155mm M-44T and M-52T self-propelled howitzer modernization programs, the T-155 Firtina Modern Howitzer Development Program was initiated in 1995, taking into account the tactical and technical use concepts of the Turkish Land Forces Artillery Units and the fire support needs of the future battlefield. Within the scope of the program, the first prototype with a 155mm/39 caliber barrel with a maximum range of 30 km and a maximum range of 30 km, which was started in 1995 by the Project Management of the Land Forces Weapons and Ammunition Technical and Project Management. At the end, the Turkish commanders came to the conclusion about necessity of creation or acquisition of a new sample 155mm self-propelled howitzers. Such a fighting machine in the future was to replace the hopelessly outdated models of foreign designs, created in the mid-century. It soon became clear that the industry of Turkey could not cope with the task of self-development required of the sample.

The results of the study of existing proposals, the Turkish military chose the self-propelled K9 Thunder from the South Korean company Samsung Techwin. Turkey contributed to the design of the original sample, some changes and replaced some onboard equipment. All of these improvements meant the application of private components of Turkish origin.

A prototype was produced in 1997, but as a result of the need for a longer range, a new prototype was produced. It was decided that the howitzer would have a 155/52 caliber weapon system. Production of the second prototype howitzer with 155 mm/52 caliber weapon system started in 2000. The hull and turret designs and analyzes of the howitzer were completely computerized using modern design programs. The production of the hull, turret and suspension systems of the prototype howitzer was completed in September 2000, and the integration of the components supplied from abroad was completed in December 2000. In 2001, Turkey and South Korea signed an agreement on launching the production of modified self-propelled guns in the interests of the Turkish army.

In the same year the first two prototypes were built and tested. Recycled K9 ACS received Turkish designation T-155 Firtina. In 2002, this self-propelled gun was adopted by the Turkish army and put them in series. According to the licence agreement with Samsung Techwin, the first eight T-155s were built in South Korea, while the remaining batch of more than 300 units would be produced in Turkey. The total reported cost of purchase and technology transfer for the Turkish government was $1 billion.

Serial production of the 140 New Generation T-155 FIRTINA [= Storm] Self Propelled Howitzers (SPH) commenced at the 1st Main Maintenance Factory Directorate in 2018. According to the Aselsan 2017 Activity Report, the first phase of Qualification Tests with the FIRTINA-II prototype were carried out in 2017. On December 14, 2018 Aselsan secured a contract valued at US$194,6 Million to deliver New Generation Fire Control Systems for the 140 FIRTINA-II SPHs that were ordered for the Turkish Land Forces Command.

Though essentially using the main systems of the K9 howitzer, including the South Korean designed 155/52 calibre gun system, majority of the chassis, automatic ammunition feeding mechanism, and the German designed MTU-881 KA 500 diesel engine, the T-155 has considerable differences in its turret design, parts of the chassis, the navigation system, and electronic systems (such as the radio and fire control system) which were developed in Turkey. Unlike the K9, T-155 Firtina lacks commander's digital panoramic sight. Through the Inertial Navigation System produced by ASELSAN the howitzer is able to determine the coordinates of the targets at 17.5 meters deviation. Firtina can open fire within 30 seconds.

Storm can use any kind of NATO standard 155mm howitzer ammunition as its main weapon. There are 48 pieces of kit'a ammunition with an electrically operated automatic bullet filling system. Storm, which has a high rate of fire, can fire 3 shots at targets between 8 and 25 km in 15 seconds. In this way, it can meet the firing power of three howitzers alone. With the Poyraz ammunition vehicle, it takes 20 minutes to load 48 shells. The T-155 FIRTINA-I is powered by German MTU-881 KA 500 1,000hp diesel engine coupled with Allison’s X1100-5 fully automatic transmission built in South Korea under Allison license. Thanks to its advanced suspension system consisting of 12 hydro-pneumatic suspension units and wheels mounted on it, it can operate comfortably on all kinds of terrain, including rough terrain. With a Power-to-weight ratio of 21hp/t, it can support Storm's operations for a long time. Storm, which is digitally integrated into the ADOP-2000 system, aims to establish an effective voice and data communication with safe, reliable, flexible, fast, mobile, high survivability, electronic warfare protection and fire principles through its 9600 series frequency hopping digital radios owned by Aselsan. allows for tracking. Türkiye originally planned to manufacture 350 Firtina howitzers, 280 for the Turkish Army and 70 for sale. Between 2005 and 2010, around 281 were delivered. They were first deployed in Türkiye's Operation Sun at the end of 2007 to fight the PKK in northern Iraq. It was also used in the Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016 and the Operation Olive Branch in 2018. In 2021, Turkish forces used Firtina howitzers to destroy three YPG/PKK headquarters buildings, a shelter and a position used by the armed group. In its more than 35-year violent campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terror organisation by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.