LG1

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GIAT LG-1
A single LG-1 105 mm light howitzer on static display during Singapore Army Open House.
Type	howitzer
Place of origin	France
Service history
Used by	See users
Production history
Designer	GIAT Industries
Manufacturer	GIAT Industries
Specifications
Weight	1520kg
Crew	5

Shell	105 mm NATO
Caliber	105 mm 30 calibre
Breech	horizontal block
Carriage	split trail
Elevation	-3°/+70°
Traverse	360°
Rate of fire	12 rounds per minute
Maximum range	19,500 km

The LG1 is a modern 105 mm/30-calibre towed howitzer designed and produced by GIAT Industries of France.

1 Design
2 Deployment
3 Planned improvements
4 Users
5 References

[edit] Design

The LG1 howitzer is a 105 mm towed artillery piece that features both low weight and a high level of accuracy over long distances. Its lightweight construction gives the barrel a relatively short lifespan. The EFC count is suggested to be approximately 7500; however, during fire and practice, has yielded only around 1500 EFCs. The gun was specifically designed for use by rapid deployment forces with attributes such as ruggedness, ease of operation and reduced weight. It can fire all NATO standard 105 mm ammunition up to a range of 18.5 km and 19.5 km using HE-ER G2 and US M913 rounds.

[edit] Deployment

The gun has found its way into the service of the Belgian Army, Canadian Army, Indonesian Army, Singapore Army, South African Army, and the Royal Thai Army.

Current service version with Canadian artillery is the LG1 Mark II, of which 28 were purchased for the RCHA (Royal Canadian Horse Artillery). Giat supplied the first howitzers in 1996 and fielding was complete by November 1997 and were delivered directly to units in Bosnia.

[edit] Planned improvements

On August 2005, DEPRO (GVB) Incorporated - a Canadian defence firm, was selected by the Canadian Forces to improve their LG-1 guns with improvements ranging from new & better muzzle brake, new-designed spades for better stability during firing and larger tires to replace the small Pirelli tires (which were found to be inadequate for proper ground clearance while on the move). It is expected that this new set of improvements will give the LG-1 howitzers a greater lifespan, reliability and increase the safety margin for the crew.