Self-propelled artillery installation "Sholef" (Israel)
The further fate of foreign-made self-propelled self-propelled guns became apparent in the late seventies. Operated for about ten years, cars in the medium term had to become obsolete morally and physically, because of which they should start the search for a replacement for them. New SAU proposed to develop independently, by the Israeli defense industry. Using ready-made units and some new devices, it was planned to get a combat vehicle with the highest possible technical and operational characteristics. Certain features of the technical specifications allowed even to count on world leadership in the field of self-propelled artillery.
The development of the new project was entrusted to the Soltam company, which had already accumulated considerable experience in the creation and production of artillery systems of various classes. In addition, the project on the rights of subcontractors should have been involved and other companies that produce these or other systems. They were required to prepare the required chassis, instrumentation, etc.
A promising self-propelled project was officially named “Sholef” - “Professional Shooter”. In foreign materials on the car also often featured the English name Slammer, actually representing a translation of the original name. It can be assumed that in the future the English name could become the official designation of the export version.
In accordance with the existing requirements of the customer, the lead contractor of the project formed the overall look of the future self-propelled guns. To obtain the necessary characteristics, it was planned to use a slightly redone serial chassis tank, on which it was necessary to mount a tower of a new design with a 155 mm gun. According to some reports, the latter should have been developed on the basis of one of the foreign samples. Particular attention in the Scholef project was given to fire control tools and gun maintenance automation. Due to this, as a result, it was possible to obtain very high combat characteristics.
As the basis for the self-propelled gun, the chassis of the main tank of the Merkava Mark I was chosen. Such armored vehicles were mass-produced in sufficiently large quantities and were in service. In the foreseeable future, the Mk I model tanks were planned to be replaced by newer Mk II, as a result, a significant number of tracked chassis could be released. The use of used tank chassis allowed to significantly reduce the cost of the program of mass production of ACS, as well as accelerate the production of such equipment.
Designers of the company "Soltam" and related enterprises, shaping the overall appearance of the future self-propelled unit, decided to do without serious processing of the existing chassis. As a result, the hull and its equipment remained almost unchanged when the tank was converted into self-propelled guns. In this case, however, required the installation of new units and other minor improvements.
Despite the required improvements, the body retained a recognizable shape and characteristics. Still used armored corps with a relatively high level of protection. In its place remained a large inclined upper frontal part, which is also the engine compartment cover. The roof of the central part of the hull was modified to install a larger shoulder strap tower. The layout remained standard for Israeli-designed tanks: in the front of the hull was the engine compartment, and all the other compartments were manned volume with a control compartment and a combat compartment.
In front of the chassis, the Continental AVDS 9AR 1790 diesel engine with an 1200 hp should have been mounted. In one compartment with the engine was a semi-automatic transmission with hydrostatic transmission. Torque issued to the front drive wheels.
The project "Sholef" / Slammer meant the preservation of the existing chassis. On each side of the hull there were six double rubberized road wheels. Suspension rollers - individual springs on the system Christie. Two front and two rear rollers had additional hydraulic shock absorbers. An interesting feature of the chassis was the use of five supporting rollers on each board. Driving wheels were placed in the front of the hull, guides - in the stern.
To accommodate large and heavy weapons, as well as related equipment, it was necessary to develop a new tower. She received a welded cap of complex shape. Relatively thin armor was used, able to protect only from bullets or splinters. The tower had a tapering frontal part with a large opening for the withdrawal of guns, consisting of two main elements of the board, as well as aft with beveled side parts. In the center of the forage sheet was a large hatch, next to which placed the automatic supply of ammunition.
The main element of the new fighting compartment was the 155-mm gun of a new type. It was developed by Soltam, however, according to some data, the South African G5 howitzer was taken as the basis of its design. One way or another, most of the components of the prospective artillery system were developed by Israel from scratch. The gun mount was fixed in the front embrasure of the tower and equipped with its own drives. The guide was carried out using hydraulics or reserve hand drives. The Cholef self-propelled gun could fire in any direction with elevation angles from -5 ° to + 70 °.
To obtain the highest possible combat performance, it was proposed to use an 155-mm cannon with a barrel of 52 caliber. The rifled barrel was equipped with a developed muzzle brake and an ejector. The breech received an automatic wedge gate, as well as automatic recharge, including a system for replacing the fuse. In this case, the crew retained the possibility of manual control and full maintenance of weapons. In the transport position, the gun barrel had to be held in place with the aid of a stop mounted in the frontal part of the body. In order to simplify the operation, the stop received hydraulic actuators with a remote control, with the help of which it was lifted and fixed.
The gun of "Sholef" used separate loading shots with variable propellant charge. We managed to place racks for 75 shots in a fairly large fighting compartment. Of these, 60 was in first-line packs and could be used without any prior preparation. If necessary, the self-propelled gun could get ammunition from the ground. For this purpose, a special lift of the folding structure was located in the aft part of the tower. When used, the loaders were only supposed to lay ammunition on the tray; all other operations performed automation.
The Israeli-designed gun had full compatibility with all existing 155 mm caliber ammunition complying with NATO standards. Thanks to this, the Sholef / Slammer self-propelled gun could use different-purpose shots with different characteristics. In particular, in order to obtain the maximum firing range, specialists of “Soltam” developed several new active-rocket projectiles.
Self-propelled gun received a modern fire control system, which had a number of important features. It consisted of a digital calculator, day and night sighting devices and control panels of the gun installation. Provided for the use of inertial navigation system. From a certain point in the project also used satellite navigation. Established communication tools allowed to obtain targeting from third-party sources.
The most modern equipment of the combat compartment and the maximum automation of the main processes led to obtaining the appropriate capabilities. ACS "Sholef", having received target designation in advance, could open fire already through 15 since after arriving at the firing line. Fire was allowed both in direct fire and from closed positions. Automatic loading allowed to make the first three shots in just 15 with. After that, the rate of fire reached 9 rounds per minute. Standard 155-mm projectiles were sent to a range of 25-30 km. When using active-reactive ammunition, the shot range reached 38-40 km.
For self-defense, the crew was asked to use a large-caliber machine gun M2HB mounted on one of the hatches in the roof of the tower. His total ammunition included 1000 cartridges. In the framework of further development, self-propelled guns could get other means of protection, such as smoke grenade launchers or thermo smoke equipment.
The regular crew of the self-propelled artillery installation consisted of four people. In the front compartment of the housing control housed a driver. His workplace fully corresponded to the base model used on the Merkava tank. Access to the control compartment was provided by a roof hatch. The commander, gunner and loader were in the fighting compartment. They were asked to use two hatches in the roof and aft hull of the hull. Workplaces inside the tower were equipped with all the necessary equipment to monitor the work of weapons and other systems.
Taking into account local peculiarities and traditions, the habitable compartment received an air conditioner. Later, when using newer chassis, the self-propelled gun could receive a collective protection system against weapons mass destruction. In case of long-term combat work at a distance from the base or camp, the car was equipped with means for heating food.
Self-propelled gun "Sholef" should have a rather high performance, but the price for this was the large dimensions of the machine. The length of the ACS on the hull reached 9 m, the length of the cannon forward was 13,5 m. The width of the machine was 3,7 m, the height of the turret roof was 3,5 m. / h and overcome on one refueling to 45 km of the way. There was an opportunity to overcome various obstacles, including water obstacles on the ford.
The development of the Szolmer / Slammer project was completed in the early eighties, and soon specialists from several defense enterprises began building the first prototype. The prototype was launched for testing in the 1984 year. About two years later, a second experimental machine was sent to the test site, which had some differences of one kind or another. Prototypes showed themselves well during the first tests. Confirming all the calculated characteristics, they went to the military tests conducted on the basis of one of the units of the Israeli army.
As part of the new checks, all the advantages of a long-barreled weapon, automatic controls and loaders, a modern fire control system, etc. were reaffirmed. In terms of technical and operational characteristics, as well as combat capabilities, a promising self-propelled gun was of great interest to the Israel Defense Forces. The Soltam company and subcontractors could well expect to receive a large contract. To replace the aging self-propelled M109A5 self-propelled guns, at least a few hundred "Choles" were required.
However, the order was not followed. The military decided to abandon the proposed model of equipment, even if it has outstanding characteristics. The reasons for this decision were simple and banal - the self-propelled gun was too expensive. With noticeable advantages over the mainstream M109A5 in basic performance, the “Sholef” was almost twice as expensive. Even the use of serial chassis borrowed from decommissioned tanks did not allow to reduce the cost to acceptable values. Not being able to buy the required number of promising self-propelled guns, the army was forced to abandon an interesting project. Work on the new project in the interests of its own armed forces was terminated.
It should be noted that the new self-propelled gun could have some export potential. The “Sholef” project provided for minimal changes to the base chassis, so that the ACS could be built on the chassis of different models of the “Merkava” family. This feature of the project could also be used to create other combat vehicles based on foreign-made tank chassis. Thus, in the presence of interest from third countries, a new project could emerge, providing for some improvements to the existing tower and its subsequent installation on a foreign chassis. This approach made it possible to preserve the basic characteristics at the level of the existing prototypes, although it could lead to a reduction in some parameters, for example, the volume of ammunition packs.
However, the foreign military showed no interest in promising Israeli development. Apparently, the reason for the lack of orders was the main problem that had already prevented the "Sholef" from entering the Israeli army: it was too expensive for mass production and operation. As a result, the ACS of the Soltam company was unable to enter the international market of military equipment and win its share.
The project "Sholef" / Slammer was built two experienced self-propelled guns. No longer needed equipment was sent to museums, where it remains to this day.
The main goal of the Sholef project was the creation of a new self-propelled artillery mount capable, in the medium term, of replacing American-made M109A5 obsolete machines. From the point of view of technology and combat capabilities, the task was successfully solved. However, the unacceptable price of finished machines became a direct consequence of obtaining high performance. As a result, the army abandoned the promising machine and continued to operate the existing equipment. The M109A5 self-propelled guns are still in service and to date - due to solid age and the development of a resource - are one of the main concerns for the command. In the foreseeable future, it is planned to put into service a new SAU, however, the revival of the “Scholef” project is no longer discussed.
On the materials of the sites:
http://military-today.com/
http://army-guide.com/
http://armoredgun.org/
http://tanknutdave.com/
- Ryabov Kirill
- Military-today.com, Wikimedia Commons
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