G7 howitzer

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G7 105 mm howitzer

The G7 is a South African 105 mm howitzer, produced by Denel. With a maximum range of 32 km (20 miles) it outranges all existing 105 mm howitzers, as well as most current 155 mm howitzers (Denel's own 155's not included). During development, it was known as the Light Experimental Ordnance (LEO), with the G7 label being chosen later to fit in with Denel's two existing howitzer products, the G5 towed 155 mm howitzer and the G6 self-propelled 155 mm howitzer.

In 2004 Denel partnered with General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) to offer the gun in self-propelled form to the United States Army. GDLS provided an armoured vehicle (the LAV III), while Denel provided a G7 mounted inside a specially-designed, unmanned turret. The combined system weighs only 17.5 tons when fully loaded with ammunition, making it light enough to be transportable inside a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The combination took part in a number of successful tests for the US Army, with more currently planned for 2005. Though currently unfunded, the US Army has indicated a requirement for such a system to equip its Stryker Brigade, as due to weight limits the Strykers cannot use current self-propelled howitzers and the towed howitzers it uses at present are a limiting factor on its mobility.

Interest in the system has also been exhibited by the militaries of South Africa, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. In addition, the US Army and United States Marine Corps (USMC) have exhibited interest in the towed version as a possible replacement for their towed 105 mm howitzer stocks.

In parallel with the G7's testing on the LAV-III Denel is also planning to fit it and its turret to a Rooikat armoured vehicle for its offer to the South African Army.