#AS90BraveheartforUkraine

Britain is set to hand over the AS-90 ACS and ammunition to Ukraine

The British website Express.co.uk reports that Ukraine should be receiving 20 mobile artillery guns and tens of thousands of shells.

Website’s sources confirmed that 45,000 British-made high explosive shells will be sent along with the AS90 self-propelled Howitzers to Poland this week, where the Ukrainian forces would be taught to use and maintain them before they are deployed to the front.

Self-propelled artillery will be transferred from the arsenal of the British Armed Forces.

AS-90 is a self-propelled howitzer manufactured by the United Kingdom’s defense industry. The main user is the British Army.

AS-90 is fitted with a 155-mm caliber gun barrel, its length of 39 calibers can make a shot with conventional ammunition at a range of 24.7 km, and with a barrel length of 52 calibers – up to 30 km.

The ACS features an electric generator that works independently of the main engine. The vehicle is equipped with an autonomous navigation and targeting system. The layer’s station is equipped with a direct fire sight.

Transfer from the derivative position to the combat position takes less than a minute. The maintenance crew of the self-propelled artillery can stay inside the cab, and the barrel can be engaged and disengaged without leaving the cab.

Previously, on April 19, it was announced that the United States and Great Britain would be providing additional artillery to Ukraine.

After a meeting with NATO leaders, Joe Biden claimed that the Allies would be supplying Ukraine with more artillery for defense in the war with Russia. When asked whether it will be the United States shipping that additional artillery, Biden said yes.

AS-90

The AS-90 ("Artillery System for the 1990s"), known officially as Gun Equipment 155 mm L131, is an armoured self-propelled artillery weapon used by the British Army.

History

AS-90 was designed and built by the Armaments division of Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering (VSEL), whose parent company became BAE Systems in 1999. VSEL provided 179 vehicles between 1992 and 1995 at a cost of £300 million ($480 million). The AS-90 was first deployed by the British Army in 1993.[1] The AS-90s were acquired to re-equip six of the eight self-propelled field artillery regiments (each of 24 guns) in the I (BR) Corps, replacing the 105 mm FV433 Abbot SPG and older M109 155 mm Self Propelled Gun and FH70 towed howitzer.

Development

AS-90 started in the mid-1980s as a private venture on the gamble that the tri-national SP70 would fail. When this subsequently occurred, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued a cardinal point specification on one page for a new 155 mm self-propelled gun. The MoD was also required to consider the US "Paladin", an upgraded M109 howitzer. The MoD undertook studies in 2006–09 to "up-gun" the Royal Navy's main shipboard gun armament, the 4.5 inch Mark 8 naval gun, to accept 155 mm ammunition from the AS-90. This would have introduced a common gun calibre for the British Army and Royal Navy, helping with ammunition logistics, and encouraging joint Army-Navy development of extended-range and precision-guided shells. The Royal Navy did not adopt this gun system.

Type Self-propelled howitzer
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
In service 1992-present
Wars Iraq War
Production history
Manufacturer Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering
Produced 1992-1995
No. built 179
Specifications
Mass 45.0 long tons (45.7 t; 50.4 short tons)
Length 9.07 m (29 ft 9 in)
Width 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in)
Height 2.49 m (8 ft 2 in)
Crew 5 to move or 10 to use (incl. driver)
Armour max. 17 mm (0.66 in) steel
Main Armament 155 mm L31 39 calibre gun (48 rounds)
Secondary Armament 7.62 mm NATO L7 General Purpose Machine Gun
Engine Cummins VTA903T V8 diesel engine 660 hp (493 kW)
Power/weight 14.66 hp/t
Suspension Hydropneumatic (Hydrogas)
Operational Range 420 km (261 mi) on road
Maximum speed 53 km/h (33 mph)

for more detailed information about AS-90 Howitzer., please do visit the following web pages at...
https://mil.in.ua/en/news/britain-is-set-to-hand-over-the-as-90-acs-and-ammunition-to-ukraine-media/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AS-90