Vietnam Army develops 152mm mobile self-propelled artillery

Vietnam's artillery will receive a series of new weapons and equipment, including the largest 152mm self-propelled gun and the longest-range 130mm gun.

Big plans and initial successes

In recent years, the Vietnamese Army has achieved considerable success in the modernization process. Many projects to upgrade existing artillery types in service, turning them into self-propelled, fast-moving firepower with longer ranges and greater accuracy have been accepted and put into use in units.

The most successful projects include the project to upgrade the 105mm gun on the Ural-375D chassis; the project to upgrade the 23mm ZU-23-2 gun with night-fighting capability on the Zil-131 chassis; and the project to upgrade the 23mm ZU-23-2 gun on the Kamaz-43118 chassis.

Vietnam's upgraded 105mm self-propelled gun.

At the same time, the project "Research, design and manufacture of a basic vehicle for installing a low-altitude anti-aircraft artillery-missile complex" completed by the Military Mechanical Engineering Institute (KTCGQS) under the General Department of Engineering, identified the new generation 3-axle active off-road truck Kamaz-43118 as the standard basic chassis vehicle for upgraded artillery types in Vietnam.

The 105, 122, 130, and 152mm anti-aircraft and ground artillery systems currently in service with the Vietnam Army will be integrated with modern systems with Kamaz-43118 vehicles into complete self-propelled artillery complexes, capable of rapid maneuverability and improved accuracy during firing practice.

Which way to go when upgrading the D-20 gun?

If the upgraded M-46 130mm long-barreled artillery gun will become the longest-range mobile artillery of the Vietnamese Army (excluding rocket artillery), the upgraded D-20 152mm will be the largest-caliber modernized ground-mounted artillery gun.

D-20 152mm towed gun of the Vietnam Army.

Although weighing about 5.7 tons, significantly lighter than the M-46 cannon (about 8.5 tons), the D-20 cannon has some disadvantages such as being quite heavy, and deployment and recovery in the field takes quite a lot of time.

In modern warfare, when the enemy's counter-battery capability is significantly enhanced thanks to advanced reconnaissance equipment such as positioning radar, satellites and reconnaissance drones day and night. After opening fire, if there is just a little delay, not immediately moving out of the old battlefield, the entire unit is likely to suffer losses from the enemy's return fire from the air and ground.

Modernized, with enhanced self-propelled and fast-mobility capabilities, the D-20 gun will become much more perfect, fully exploiting the ability to fire rapidly at 5-6 rounds/minute or up to 65 rounds/hour, providing a powerful, long-range bullet screen, destroying the enemy's fortified positions and defenses.

If equipped with modern positioning and firing element calculation systems, self-propelled artillery vehicles can be positioned far apart instead of close together, reducing the probability of loss when hit by counter-fire or enemy air strikes, while ensuring that they still hit the same target.

This is the art of "dispersed firepower, concentrated firepower" of the Vietnamese Artillery Corps, worthy of the tradition of "Brass legs, iron shoulders, good fighting, accurate shooting" bestowed by President Ho Chi Minh.

Serbian Nora B-52 152mm upgraded self-propelled gun.

Upgrading, self-propelling, and improving mobility, shortening the deployment and recovery time of the D-20 cannon is a wise choice, especially when the largest caliber cannon of the Vietnamese Army is currently determined to be used for a long time, and our country's defense industry has produced ammunition, ensuring the need for combat readiness on a large scale.

Currently, many countries in the world have successfully upgraded the D-20 artillery, a typical example is Serbia. Their M-84 towed artillery version (152mm, a variant of the D-20, but with a longer barrel) uses a 4-axle off-road truck chassis (8x8 configuration) upgraded to the Nora B-52 self-propelled artillery, which is highly appreciated by many military experts and has been put into mass production.

The Serbian Nora B-52 152mm upgraded self-propelled gun does not use a closed turret.

However, Serbia's upgrade solution is too comprehensive when designing a complete closed turret, capable of protecting the gunner crew from small-caliber direct fire and artillery shell fragments and bombs. While with Vietnam's conditions, upgrading in this direction would be quite costly.

Therefore, we can choose a simpler option, not necessarily having to make a closed turret, helping to save costs and make the total vehicle weight lighter, making the most of the off-road features of the basic chassis, improving mobility while still ensuring a range of up to 24km, a firing speed of 5-6 rounds/minute./.

According to Young World