Automation on wheels. Excalibur Army unveils Morana self-propelled howitzer
SAU Morana at Eurosatory-2022
During the recent military-technical exhibition Eurosatory-2022 in France, the Czech company Excalibur Army (part of the Czechoslovak Group) for the first time presented the promising Morana self-propelled artillery mount. A full-fledged prototype was shown in the exhibition pavilion, which will soon be tested. It was built using modern components and up-to-date solutions, which is expected to provide high performance characteristics.
New at the exhibition
The “world premiere” of the new Czech self-propelled gun took place on June 13, on the opening day of Eurosatory-2022. Until June 17, visitors to the event could inspect the presented prototype and familiarize themselves with the disclosed information. At the same time, the Excalibur Army presented not only the new Morana self-propelled guns, but also several already known samples of this class, and there was an opportunity to compare them.
As reported, the self-propelled guns "Morana" is an initiative development of the Excalibur Army. The company carried out the overall coordination of work and designed some of the key elements. At the same time, the development of a swinging artillery unit with a gun was entrusted to the Slovak company ZTS Špeciál, also part of the Czechoslovak Group. The chassis with the required characteristics was provided by Tatra.
To date, the companies have completed the design and built the first prototype shown at the exhibition. In the near future, it must pass factory tests and confirm the design characteristics. After that, a full-fledged entry into the international market is expected.
First of all, customers will be offered a complete wheeled self-propelled gun assembly. In addition, Excalibur Army plans to sell combat modules separately. Probably, in this case, the company is ready to help the customer with the installation of his tower on a suitable chassis.
The timing of all the necessary tests and other activities has not yet been called. The experience of recent projects from the Excalibur Army and the Czechoslovak Group shows that this can take only a few years. After that, Morana's prospects will depend only on the availability of orders.
Technical features
The Morana product is a self-propelled artillery mount on a wheeled cargo chassis. In general architecture, this machine is similar to a number of other modern self-propelled guns. At the same time, the project uses a number of important ideas and solutions aimed at improving combat performance and qualities. In particular, the fighting compartment of this self-propelled guns is actually a stand-alone module and can be used on different platforms.
The self-propelled gun in its exhibition form is built on the Tatra Force (815-7) chassis. This is a four-axle all-wheel drive cabover machine with the ability to accommodate various loads. The customer can choose an engine model up to 400 hp. and compatible transmission. What configuration was used in the construction of the Morana self-propelled guns is not specified. The chassis is equipped with hydraulic jacks for hanging before firing.
The chassis is equipped with an armored cab with a distinctive appearance. Level 2 protection according to NATO standards is declared - the armor must withstand shelling from machine guns and undermining 6 kg of TNT under the wheel or bottom. A collective system of protection against weapons of mass destruction is envisaged. The cabin is made in two rows and has four crew seats, each with its own door.
Behind the cockpit there is a hardware compartment, and the aft part of the chassis is given over to the original fighting compartment. The latter is an automatic remote-controlled armored turret with all the necessary devices. The compartment is made partially autonomous: it has backup power supplies and additional crew seats.
The tower is guided horizontally within + 60 ° to the right and left of the neutral position. In the frontal part there is a gun mount with guidance from -3 ° to + 70 °. It has a 155-mm rifled howitzer gun with a 52-klb barrel. The barrel has an overall muzzle brake; The chamber complies with modern NATO standards. Shutter type unknown.
The Morana is equipped with a 40 round automatic loader. Another 5 shells and charges are stored in additional stacks and can be transferred to the machine by the crew. Separate charging is used with a propellant charge in caps. As reported, when receiving a command to prepare a shot, the machine gun delivers a projectile and a full charge to the firing line, and then removes the extra caps and sends them to the chamber.
Combat module in raised position
In salvo mode, the machine gun gives a rate of fire of up to 6 rds / min. With continuous shooting, this parameter is reduced to 5 rds / min. The maximum range of fire is declared at the level of 41,5 km - when using active rockets with improved aerodynamics.
For self-defense, a remotely controlled combat module is installed on the tower. It is located in front of the compartment, to the right of the gun. In the stowed position, the module is retracted under the armor. This product is equipped with day and night optical means, as well as a 12,7-mm machine gun. The possibility of mounting a 14,5-mm KPVT product is declared, but this weapon redundant.
The Morana self-propelled guns receive modern means of communication, navigation, a weather station, a projectile velocity meter and a fire control system. The on-board computer monitors the location of the car and receives data on targets. After stopping at the firing position, the angles are calculated and the gun is aimed. From stopping to the first shot, 20-30 seconds pass, and most of this time is spent on the extension of the jacks. The self-propelled gun is intended for firing from closed positions, incl. in a barrage of fire. Direct fire is also possible. In this case, DBM optics are used as a sight.
The regular crew of "Morana" includes three people - the driver, the commander-gunner, the manager of the fighting compartment, and the gunner-operator of the combat module. If necessary, the crew is reinforced by a fourth gunner. On the march and during normal firing, they are all in the cockpit. In an emergency situation, two gunners can go to their jobs in the tower and continue to work. All basic operations, including the supply of shells, they will have to perform manually.
New Technologies
In general, the Morana project is another attempt to create a modern wheeled self-propelled gun with howitzer weapons and maximum automation of all processes. In this regard, the new self-propelled gun differs little from other projects of the Excalibur Army and other companies. However, this project has an important innovation of great interest.
In accordance with the latest trends, an original autonomous fighting compartment was developed for the Morana self-propelled guns - a tower with all the necessary instruments and means. Such a unit has important features and capabilities that can become a competitive advantage.
First of all, this is the fundamental possibility of mounting the tower on different platforms that have the necessary load capacity and power supply facilities. These can be truck chassis of various types, tracked vehicles, or even boats or small ships. Perhaps, the option of a stationary firing point will also be offered. Depending on the features of the carrier, the tower can be controlled remotely or from built-in workstations.
A long-barreled 155-mm gun, depending on the ammunition used, should show high fire performance. At the same time, its combat qualities are enhanced by automating the calculation of data, guidance and loading. The living operator is actually withdrawn from these processes, and all operations are performed automatically. This speeds up work and provides other known benefits.
In a curious way, the integration of a remotely controlled combat module was completed. In the Morana project, it is used not only as a means of self-defense, but also as part of the fire control system. With the help of standard optics for DBMS, it is proposed to search for targets and control the gun in direct fire mode.
However, ACS is not without obvious shortcomings. Basically, these are problems specific to wheeled self-propelled guns in general. These include a decrease in the chassis resource due to loads and vibrations during firing, low survivability of automotive units and chassis during shelling, limited horizontal aiming angles, etc. It should also be noted that the automation of key systems is associated with certain technical risks that may manifest themselves at any stage.
Alleged superiority
The presented project of the Morana wheeled self-propelled guns is, at least, of technical interest. Using well-known and new ideas, Czech and Slovak companies have managed to obtain a high level of automation and a range of related possibilities. Thanks to this, the new fighting compartment compares favorably with other modern modules with howitzer weapons, and due to this, the Morana self-propelled guns as a whole can outperform its competitors.
However, the calculated characteristics of the self-propelled gun and its turret with weapons have not yet been confirmed by full tests. If the Morana self-propelled guns cope with these tasks and show their best side, orders should be expected. How soon this will happen is unclear, but Excalibur Army and Czechoslovak Group are looking to the future with optimism. Whether customers share this opinion - time will tell.
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