Single battery: Spanish Mod 56 howitzers for Ukraine
Spanish howitzer "105/14" in position
This year, Spain sent various weapons and equipment to Ukraine several times, and also helped with the training of personnel. Now new deliveries of various material parts are being prepared. Thus, it recently became known that the Spanish armed forces will transfer to the Kyiv regime a small number of obsolete 105-mm Mod 56 mountain howitzers. At the same time, it is already clear that there will be no real benefit from such “help”.
According to official data
In early November, new data appeared in the Spanish press about military assistance to Ukraine. In particular, it was reported that a certain number of Ukrainian military personnel would arrive at the Spanish bases. An unnamed number represents artillery units. Under the guidance of local instructors, they will have to master the Spanish howitzers "105/14".
On November 10, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles officially disclosed and clarified current plans to provide military assistance to the Kyiv regime. She recalled that such measures are still divided into three areas: the Spanish side provides various military equipment, trains personnel and organizes medical care.
In the context of the transfer of materiel, the minister officially mentioned the 105/14 howitzers for the first time. The exact number of such guns to be sent to Ukraine is not named, but a battery pack is mentioned. On the basis of the ground forces in the city of Almeria, the preparation of calculations is carried out - a total of 21 people.
In the process of being deployed
The timing of sending howitzers with calculations to Ukraine has not yet been named. It is possible that this battery will go to the place of service in the near future. The process of learning calculations takes several weeks and started a long time ago, so it can be close to completion.
So far, we are talking about only one battery, including only a few howitzers. Obviously, the potential and value of such a unit in the current environment is minimal. Whether the supply of such weapons will continue in the near future has not yet been reported. Spain has such an opportunity, but it is not known whether it will use it.
From the middle of the century
The 105-mm mountain howitzer "105/14" is better known under the original designation Oto Melara M56 / Mod 56. This gun was developed in the first half of the fifties by order of the Italian army. Her alpine units needed a lightweight and compact artillery system for direct fire and overhead trajectories. The work took several years, and in the middle of the decade the howitzer was put into service.
The first customer of the Mod 56 howitzer was the Italian army. During operation, the gun showed high performance and other positive qualities. Soon they became interested in the foreign military, which led to the start of export deliveries. Over the course of several decades, Oto Melara has completed more than 30 foreign orders. Spain was one of the customers.
Mod 56 howitzers have been repeatedly used in real military operations. So, in the first half of the sixties, the British army used them during conflicts in the Arabian Peninsula. A few years later, Italian howitzers were used to a limited extent by Australia and New Zealand in the Vietnam War. Also, the use of the Argentine M56 in the Falklands War was quite widely known.
At one time, Spain acquired about 185-190 Italian mountain howitzers. Their operation continued for half a century, but then obsolescence and resource development appeared. To date, no more than 18-20 howitzers remain in service, and they are not considered as a full-fledged fire weapon. The main part of the guns is used for training purposes or for salutes.
It is known that in the course of decommissioning and decommissioning, a significant part of the 105/14 howitzers went to storage bases. Probably, the guns for Ukraine were taken from conservation. In addition, the presence of some reserves in theory allows you to continue such deliveries. The only question is the number of howitzers still usable.
Special design
The Oto Melara Mod 56 howitzer was developed specifically for mountain units, taking into account the specifics of their combat work. The gun was required to be light in weight and easy to transport, incl. in difficult conditions. At the same time, it was supposed to ensure the fight against manpower, some equipment and buildings of the enemy.
In terms of its architecture, the M56 is practically no different from other towed guns of its time. The system is built on the basis of a carriage with sliding beds and wheels, and also has a rotary upper machine with a shield cover and a swinging part. The assembled gun has a length of 3,65 m and a mass of 1290 kg, not counting the ammunition load.
It is possible to dismantle the gun into 12 units, which can be transported by pack animals or any vehicle. Howitzer assembly takes only a few minutes. When assembled, Mod 56 is towed by a car or rolled over by a crew of seven people. It can be transported by various helicopters, both in the cockpit and on an external sling.
The Mod 56 is built around a 105mm rifled barrel 14klb long. A slotted muzzle brake and a vertical wedge breech are provided. The barrel is mounted on hydropneumatic recoil devices. The oscillating part gives elevation angles from -7° to +65°. The upper machine provides horizontal aiming in a sector 56 ° wide. The gunner uses telescopic and panoramic sights, as well as manual aiming mechanisms.
The howitzer uses unitary shots of the 105 x 372 mm R type. The short barrel accelerates the projectile up to 415 m/s, and the maximum firing range reaches 10 km. Rate of fire - up to 8-10 rds / min.
Problem Help
At the time of its introduction, the Oto Melara Mod 56 mountain howitzer was modern and efficient. weapons. It fully met the requirements of the customer and had characteristic features and capabilities, which contributed to its wide distribution. However, more than half a century has passed since then, and the situation has changed.
The M56 gun has long been obsolete. Caliber 105 mm with a relatively short barrel seriously limits the fire performance and power of the ammunition. In this regard, the Italian howitzer is seriously inferior to the mass of other common samples. In addition, it is towed, and in modern conflict this is an additional threat. In general, Mod 56 has already spent all its potential, laid down in the middle of the last century.
"105/14" as a museum exhibit
As is now known, several of these howitzers will be sent from Spain to Ukraine. The results of this "help" are quite predictable. Judging by the declared number of trained artillerymen, the Spanish army will provide no more than 3-4 guns. A single battery armed with limited performance howitzers would not be a noticeable threat. Moreover, she has every chance of dying at the first retaliatory strike.
Perhaps in the future Spain will continue to send 105-mm howitzers, but in this case the situation will not change fundamentally. The number of guns and the rate of their delivery will be insufficient for a full-fledged rearmament. At the same time, limited characteristics will lead to additional risks, and the Russian army will take all necessary measures to destroy this artillery as soon as possible.
Single battery
Thus, another foreign "ally" again promised Ukraine dubious military-technical assistance. Spain is ready to transfer only a few long-obsolete howitzers with limited performance, and is also preparing calculations for them.
The real results of such "aid" are obvious - Spain means support for the Kyiv regime and gets rid of unnecessary property. At the same time, the Spanish leadership, apparently, is not interested in how exactly the transferred howitzers will be used, and what will be the further fate of the guns and their crews.
- Ryabov Kirill
- Spanish Ministry of Defense, Wikimedia Commons
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