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105-mm. M-56 Howitzer

The 105 mm Howitzer M2A1 was the standard medium field howitzer for the United States in World War II, seeing action in both European and Pacific theatres. Entering production in 1941, it quickly entered the war against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Pacific, where it gained a reputation for its accuracy and powerful punch. The M101 fired 105 mm high explosive (HE) semi-fixed ammunition and had a range of 11,200 meters (12,200 yd), making it suitable for supporting infantry.

All of these qualities of the weapon, along with its widespread production, led to its adoption by many countries after the war. Its ammunition type also became the standard for many foreign countries' later models. The development of the first Yugoslave artillery weapon, the 76.2 mm M48 mountain gun, started in 1947. Immediately after the end of the first phase of the development of the M48 mountain gun, the development of the 105 mm M56 howitzer started with a goal to design a 14km-range weapon. In a relatively short period, by the end of 1957, the development was completed and the decision to introduce it into operational use was made. The latest modernization resulted in a 33 caliber barrel. This howitzer has been the most exported model of the Yugoslav military industry from the category of artillery weapons and is still operational in several foreign armies.

Yugoimport SDPR of Serbia and Montenegro is marketing a number of artillery upgrades including one for the 105 mm M56 towed howitzer, which was originally designed and built in the former Yugoslavia many years ago. In addition to being used in large quantities by Yugoslavia, it was exported to a number of countries including Cyprus, El Salvador, Guatemala, Indonesia and Mexico.

Out of conventional artillery armament for direct support, the 105mm howitzer M-56 represents a very successful design. When compared to other weapons of like design, it is characterized by great range, precision, accuracy and high mobility. The favorable rate and length of fire have been achieved through a special thermoregulator hydroelastic system. The weapon posssess to a large extent the characteristics of an anti-tank weapon, and can fire at armored targets of ranges up to 1,000 meters. As a rule, it is serviced by a seven man crew.

The Yugoslave modernization work created M56A1 variant, which focuses on replacing the original barrel 105-mm / 28 caliber with a tube of 105-mm / 33 caliber, made with A steel stronger, which will allow the projectiles are fired from a stronger kinetic. This new barrel has been evaluated for a life cycle of at least 18,000 shots of ammunition.

Other modifications include a new dual braking device the slipstream of the barrel, which are aimed to better gases released upon firing, it prevents excessive elevation of the tube, suitable for rapid firing sequence and raise safety levels for system operators. This device is usually placed at the business end of the weapon (exterior). Furthermore it has been integrated a closing chamber (breech block) and a horizontally sliding mechanism manufactured from harder steel, a hydropneumatic balancer to compensate for the increased weight caused by the larger tube and the rear thrust weapon now between 900 and 1,150 mm. To facilitate the towing, given the increased weight of the artillery piece, an additional mass in each of the support legs as a counterweight has been added.