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XT-86 howitzer

The XT-86 howitzer is a 155 mm howitzer developed by the ROC Army in the 1970s and 1990s, but it was never mass-produced. Because the range of the M114A1 155mm howitzer or T-65 155mm howitzer generally deployed by the ROC Army at that time was generally too short ( the maximum range of the M114A1 155mm howitzer was only 15,000 meters), an effort was made to counter the numerous of artillery guns of the same caliber of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense joint service command 202 factory (now under the aegis of Ministry of National Defense DGA manufacturing center) to M114A1 155 mm howitzer modeled on developing a new generation of 155 mm howitzer, that is, XT-86 howitzer.

The most important research and development focus of XT-86 was a 39-caliber barrel produced by the 202 Plant of the Joint Service Command of the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China (using self-tightening design, length 6,04.5 cm, winding degree 20 times diameter/ revolution) with an enlarged combustion chamber (volume 18,845 cubic centimeters) to extend the maximum range. The muzzle was equipped with a three-plate closed muzzle brake to effectively reduce the recoil force generated when the gun is fired, and increase the shooting stability and hit accuracy. The range of high and low shooting angles was from minus 2 degrees to plus 63 degrees, and the directional shooting ranged from minus 24 degrees to plus 25 degrees.

The gun mount was equipped with a pneumatic balancer, which provided better axial support of the barrel and stability of the whole gun than the M114A1 155mm howitzer. The gun mount was equipped with auxiliary devices and a hydraulic control system to make the artillery faster and more labor-saving when setting up positions and withdrawing equipment. The deployment time was 3 minutes, and the artillery crew was also reduced to 7 people.

The gun has a total length of 10 meters, a total height of 2.3 meters, and a weight of 7.3 tons. The maximum range when shooting M107 high-explosive shell was 18.1 kilometers, and when shooting M549A1 rocket-assisted high-explosive shell, the maximum range was 30.1 kilometers. The maximum range when blowing (ERFB-BB) high explosive shell was 32.4 kilometers.

XT-86A1 is an improved version of XT-86. The main focus is on the reactivity of the artillery during maneuvering and the reduction of the deployment/ retraction time. There is no difference in appearance between the gun and the XT-86, but a small gasoline engine is installed in the front of the turret to provide power to drive the auxiliary casters located at the rear of the turret and controlled by hydraulics to expand or close the turret. In addition, jacks, high-low machines and steering machines can also be operated fully automatically by the hydraulic system. The gun mount is also equipped with a rotating turntable, which can be rotated 360 degrees, so that the barrel can be easily fixed to the marching lock, reducing the length and height of the whole gun during the march.

Due to the above improvements, the number of personnel for each artillery squad remains at 7, but in fact only 4 people are required. When towing, the XT-86A1 has a total length of 6.5 meters, a total height of 2.1 meters, and a weight of 10 tons. The shell type and maximum range are the same as XT-86.