Soltam M-71

Soltam M-71
A deployed M-71
Type	Howitzer
Place of origin	Israel
Service history
Used by	See users
Production history
Designer	Soltam
Designed	1974
Manufacturer	Soltam
Produced	1975
Variants	Soltam M-68
Specifications
Weight	9,200 kg (20,300 lb)
Barrel length	6.045 m (19 ft 10 in) L/39
Crew	8

Caliber	155 mm NATO
Breech	horizontal block
Carriage	split trail
Elevation	-5°/75°
Traverse	±20° from centerline
Muzzle velocity	820 m/s (2,700 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	23.5 km (14.6 mi)

The M-71 is a 155 mm 39 calibre towed howitzer manufactured by Soltam, Israel.

Design

The weapon was based on the earlier Soltam M-68 and uses the same recoil system, breech and carriage but had a longer gun barrel (39 calibre versus 33 calibre of M-68). It is fitted with a compressed air-driven rammer to permit rapid and ease of loading at all angles of elevation as well as having a rechargeable battery mounted on the right trail for auxiliary power.^[1] It can fire a 43.7 kilograms (96 lb) high-explosive shell up to a maximum range of 23.5 kilometers (14.6 mi) at a muzzle velocity of 820 meters per second (2,700 ft/s).

The Soltam M-71 in travel/towing configuration

Deployment

In addition to Israel, this weapon is in service with Chile,^[2] Singapore,^[3] Thailand, South Africa, Slovenia and Myanmar. A version of this weapon was developed to mount on a modified Centurion chassis (M-72), but this vehicle never reached production.