Haubits FH77

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Haubits FH77/A
The Haubits FH77/A
Type	Howitzer
Place of origin	Sweden
Service history
In service	1978 – present
Used by	Operators
Wars	Kargil War
Production history
Designer	Bofors
Designed	1978
Manufacturer	Bofors
Unit cost	$695,000 (1986)[1]
Produced	1978–1984
No. built	720[2]
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	11,500 kg (25,400 lb)
Length	Combat: 11.60 m (38 ft 1 in)
Barrel length	5.89 m (19 ft 4 in) L/38
Width	Combat: 9.73 m (31 ft 11 in)
Crew	9 to 14
Shell	155 mm NATO
Caliber	155 mm
Action	semi-fixed ammunition, propellant charge is contained in a plastic cartridge case with a steel head
Breech	Vertically sliding breech block, hydraulic ramming
Carriage	split trail with castor wheels
Elevation	-5°/+70°
Traverse	30° left or right from centreline
Rate of fire	4 rounds in 9 seconds, 6 rounds in 25 seconds, sustained 3 revolutions per minute for 20 minutes
Muzzle velocity	300 to 770 m/s (980 to 2,530 ft/s)
Effective firing range	21 km (13 mi)
Maximum firing range	24 km (15 mi) (with base bleed-round) 60 km+ (using Ramjet Propelled Artillery Shell, under development)[3]
Feed system	hydraulically powered flick rammer assisted loading
Engine	Volvo B20 APU
Maximum speed	6 km/h

Fälthaubits 77 (transl. Field Howitzer 77) or FH77 is a Swedish 155 mm howitzer, developed and manufactured by Bofors.^[4] It is also colloquially known as the Bofors gun in India.^[5] There were several versions, the original (sometimes referred to as Haubits 77 A) with a 38 calibre barrel and sliding block mechanism, the export version FH77 B version with a 39 calibre barrel and an interrupted ogival screw breech. For the demonstrator of the Archer Artillery System, some FH77A were modified into FH 77 AD L/45, while the series production were FH77Bs rebuilt into FH77 BW L/52. The carriage was also used for the KARIN, used in the Swedish coastal artillery.