Help for money. French howitzers TRF1 for Ukraine
TRF1 howitzer in stowed position with tractor
In connection with the constant loss of artillery, the Kyiv regime is counting on foreign assistance and the receipt of foreign guns. The other day there was information about another delivery of this kind. It is reported that a number of self-propelled 155-mm TRF1 guns will be sent from France to Ukraine. To date, the French army has abandoned such products, but they have found a new owner.
Latest news
On the next episode of the French-Ukrainian cooperation in the military-technical sphere on September 8, the publication l'Opinion reported. From its sources in the military leadership of France, it learned about the impending deal. The publication revealed some details of the future delivery, but other features are still unknown.
According to l'Opinion, this time there is no military-technical assistance on a gratuitous basis, but a full-fledged commercial contract. Ukraine buys French guns. At their own expense or at the expense of a loan, it is not specified. The seller of artillery in this transaction is the French company S2M-Equipment. The Ministry of the Armed Forces of France accompanied the negotiation process and issued the necessary documents and permits.
The number of transferred guns and their total cost are still unknown. The terms and deliveries of weapons and ammunition are not specified. Open data allows some assumptions. So, France can transfer to the customer no more than a few dozen TRF1 products - due to the lack of a larger number of them. In this case, it is possible to transfer a large number of shots with shells of one purpose or another.
So far, the appearance of TRF1 guns in Ukraine has not been reported. Probably, too little time has passed to organize the dispatch, training of crews, shipment and delivery of weapons to the front. However, the dispatch of howitzers may begin in the coming days or weeks, and reports of their appearance in Ukraine will not have to wait long.
Deployment of guns in position. The engine cover and driver's seat are clearly visible
Withdrawn from service
The self-propelled / towed gun 155 mm Tr F1 or TRF1 for short was developed by the GIAT association in the second half of the seventies. This product was intended to replace the existing M50 howitzers, which entered service in the early fifties. The new gun required higher fire and combat characteristics, as well as improved mobility and other advantages.
The finished howitzer of a new type was first shown to the public at the Satory-1979 exhibition. At the same time, testing of prototypes and fine-tuning of the design began, which took several years. As a result of these events in 1984, the TRF1 product was put into service and went into series.
With the help of new guns, the French army planned to re-equip the artillery regiments of motorized infantry and tank divisions. For such a re-equipment, she needed only 105 howitzers, as well as an appropriate amount of auxiliary equipment and spare parts. The production of TRF1 howitzers started in 1984 and was carried out at the Arsenal de Bourges enterprise. The last products for their army were released in 1993.
TRF1 self-propelled guns were actively used in various events and did not perform in the best way. Various difficulties of a technical and other nature regularly arose. Negative experience during operation determined the further fate of such howitzers.
In 2004, a new self-propelled gun CAESAR was adopted by the French army. Serial equipment of this type entered the combat units and gradually replaced the existing TRF1 towed guns. So, already in the middle of the tenth years, only 12 TRF1 products remained in service. All of them belonged to the compound stationed in Djibouti. According to some reports, by the beginning of 2022 their number was reduced to 4 units, and in the spring the remaining guns were also decommissioned.
During loading
The howitzers removed from service were sent for storage or sold abroad. So, Saudi Arabia acquired 28 guns, Morocco - 18 units. Cyprus and Senegal bought 12 and 8 guns respectively. A total of 66 howitzers were sold, and no more than 39 units. remains in storage with the French army or with S2M-Equipment. This allows us to imagine how many guns can be sold to Ukraine.
Technical features
The TRF1 is a 155mm towed or self-propelled howitzer. Over long distances, the gun is transported by a tractor, and it can move around the battlefield using its own power plant. In this case, the howitzer is quite heavy and large. Its length in the stowed position, with flattened beds and a barrel turned forward, reaches 8 m, weight - approx. 10,8 tons
The howitzer received a rifled barrel with a caliber of 155 mm and a length of 40 klb. A two-chamber muzzle brake is provided. The shutter is semi-automatic with a horizontal wedge. Hydropneumatic recoil devices are located below the barrel, and cylinders of a hydraulic balancing mechanism are located on the sides.
The gun chamber is designed to use standard 155-mm NATO shells for various purposes. They use a propellant charge in a burning cap. The firing range of a conventional projectile is determined at 24 km. Active-reactive depart for 30 km. The maximum rate of fire reaches 3 rds. in 15 sec. Settled - up to 6 rds / min.
For TRF1, a carriage of a traditional design was developed, supplemented by new units. The lower machine with a support platform, two sliding beds and a sprung wheel drive was used. On the right bed there is an additional wheel of small diameter. The movable upper machine provides guidance in two planes. Horizontal aiming - 27 ° to the left and up to 38 ° to the right. Vertical – from -6° to +66°.
Shot
The gun is made self-propelled. For this purpose, its own low-power engine is placed on the lower machine gun carriage in front; next to its casing is the driver's seat. With the help of a hydraulic transmission, power is transmitted to the main carriage wheels. Hydraulics is also used for some other operations.
Its own power plant allows the TRF1 howitzer to move short distances without the use of a tractor. The speed does not exceed 8 km/h. It is possible to overcome simple obstacles, climb small slopes, etc. For more difficult terrain, a tractor is required.
The TRF1 calculation includes eight people. The operation of the gun is controlled by a commander, a gunner, a loader with two assistants, a driver and two mechanics. The gun also requires a tractor with its own crew.
Practical benefits
In terms of technical appearance and combat characteristics, the French TRF1 howitzer differs little from other guns of its class, created in the seventies. A significant technical difference is the presence of a power plant and the possibility of independent movement. However, the self-propelled carriage and its impact on the performance characteristics should not be overestimated.
In terms of their firing capabilities, the TRF1 howitzers are similar to the German-Italian FH70, previously transferred to Ukraine. In addition, they can be compared with the newer American M777, which have a similar barrel group and use a unified family of 155-mm rounds. In other words, the French howitzers will not give the Ukrainian formations any new opportunities and advantages.
However last news from France are still of interest. First of all, you need to pay attention to the fact that this time we are talking not about gratuitous assistance, but about the purchase of weapons on a commercial basis. At the same time, a formally independent company acts as the seller, and the French military department only accompanies the transaction.
Not so long ago, France handed over modern CAESAR self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine. Now she is being offered obsolete towed systems that have been decommissioned. It seems that Paris is no longer ready to share modern technology, incl. taken in their own combat units. Aid to the Kyiv regime should not harm the French army, and this is taken into account in new deals.
With all this, Ukraine will be able to get only a limited number of French howitzers. At one time, the GIAT association built just over a hundred TRF1 products. About two thirds of these products, having been removed from service, have already been sold abroad. In addition, some of the products could be written off for technical reasons. As a result, no more than 35-39 howitzers remain for Ukraine. Against the background of previous deliveries, such a number of guns looks doubtful.
Unilateral benefit
Thus, the already familiar scenario is observed again. A foreign country offers Ukraine obsolete weapons with limited capabilities and in insufficient quantities. And this time it is not about help, but about selling for money.
It is obvious that now Paris is not going to help the Kyiv regime at its own expense and harming its own army. However, he will not refuse "help". It's just that now military-technical support will be carried out differently and according to other principles. And no one will hide the fact that the French side intends to solve its own problems and get its own benefit.
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