Size matters: KNDS pitches long-barreled artillery for 60-kilometer base range

PARIS — KNDS, the French-German maker of the Leopard tank and the Caesar truck-mounted gun, pitched a new howitzer with a barrel longer than any NATO production artillery, which the company said gives the weapon a range of up to 60 kilometers (37 miles) with standard high-explosive shells.

The howitzer uses KNDS Germany’s Artillery Gun Module mounted on a tracked Boxer chassis and fitted with a French barrel. The company has already fired a prototype of the gun, and aims for serial production between 2032 and 2035, KNDS France artillery engineer Pierre Septfons told a handful of journalists in a briefing at the Eurosatory defense show near Paris on Monday.

The 155mm howitzer, named Loras for long-range artillery system, is equipped with a 58 caliber gun tube, about 12% longer than the 52 caliber barrels that equip most recent European cannons and compared with 39 caliber for the United States’ M109 Paladin. Longer barrels translate into longer range, and KNDS is also increasing the maximum powder charge to propel shells even farther.

“The goal was to be able to do 60 kilometers using conventional ammunition, so as not to have to use rocket-assisted projectile munitions,” Septfons said.

The base range of 52 caliber guns firing 155mm munitions is roughly 40 kilometers.

KNDS is self-funding development of the howitzer and the associated munitions, though the company received some help from France’s Directorate General for Armament in early-stage studies “to reassure us that we were on the right track,” according to Septfons.

The U.S. scrapped its Extended Range Cannon Artillery program in March 2024 after the prototype ERCA howitzer fitted with a 58 caliber barrel suffered excessive wear of the gun tube despite a relatively limited number of rounds fired.

While barrel wear increases with length due to greater forces, the KNDS gun has a larger combustion chamber than the ERCA howitzer, with a “much gentler pressure curve,” Septfons said.

European artillery makers have steadily continued to develop 52 caliber guns, creating a body of expertise that better equips them to mitigate barrel wear, the engineer said.

Loading in the Loras is fully automatic, though the gun’s automation is more recent than that of the Panzerhaubitze 2000, according to Septfons. Operational reports from Ukraine have indicated lower availability rates for some of the fully automated howitzers in battlefield conditions compared to more simple systems such as the Caesar.

While the AGM incorporates some elements of the Panzerhaubitze, particularly for shell loading, the overall system is “much newer,” with up-to-date electronics and a brand new loading mechanism, Septfons said. The barrel is produced at KNDS France facilities in Bourges in central France, and the cost is “marginally more” than for a 52 caliber barrel, the engineer said.

The Loras gun will be able to take between one and eight modular propellant charges, compared with between one and six for the Caesar. The gun could reach distances of around 100 kilometers with ramjet-propelled or gliding munitions, though KNDS plans to focus on basic munitions, and cooperate with partners who want to develop more advanced shells, Septfons said.

The Loras will be able to fire standard 52 caliber shells but won’t necessarily fire farther with those, and KNDS is developing a range of specific munitions for the 58-caliber gun, according to Septfons.

“The idea here is to have a complete family of conventional shells, including high-explosive, illumination, and smoke rounds, that can harness the gun’s full potential and fire up to 60 kilometers,” the KNDS engineer said.

“For now, we’re really focusing on conventional munitions, and the idea is to be open to partnerships with other manufacturers” for munitions such as ramjet-powered shells, Septfons said.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——法国-德国合资的豹式坦克和凯撒车载火炮制造商KNDS推出了一款新型榴弹炮，其炮管比任何北约生产的火炮都要长。该公司表示，这使得该武器使用标准高爆弹的射程可达60公里（37英里）。

这款榴弹炮采用德国KNDS公司的火炮模块，安装在履带式“拳击手”坦克底盘上，并配以法国产炮管。KNDS法国公司火炮工程师皮埃尔·塞普特丰斯周一在巴黎附近的欧洲防务展上向少数记者透露，该公司已经试射过该炮的原型，并计划在2032年至2035年间进行批量生产。

这款名为“洛拉斯”（Loras，意为远程火炮系统）的155毫米榴弹炮，配备了一根58倍径的炮管，比大多数欧洲新型火炮的52倍径炮管长约12%，也比美国M109“帕拉丁”榴弹炮的39倍径炮管长。更长的炮管意味着更远的射程，KNDS公司还增加了最大装药量，以使炮弹射程更远。

“我们的目标是使用常规弹药射程达到 60 公里，这样就不用使用火箭助推炮弹了，”塞普特方斯说。

52倍径火炮发射155毫米弹药的基本射程约为40公里。

据 Septfons 称，KNDS 公司正在自筹资金开发榴弹炮和相关弹药，尽管在早期研究中，该公司得到了法国军备总局的一些帮助，“以确保我们走在正确的道路上”。

2024 年 3 月，美国取消了其远程火炮计划，此前，配备 58 倍径炮管的 ERCA 原型榴弹炮尽管发射的炮弹数量相对有限，但炮管却出现了过度磨损。

塞普特方斯表示，虽然由于受力增大，炮管磨损会随着炮管长度的增加而增加，但KNDS火炮的燃烧室比ERCA榴弹炮更大，压力曲线“要平缓得多”。

这位工程师说，欧洲火炮制造商一直在稳步发展 52 口径火炮，积累了丰富的专业知识，使他们能够更好地减少炮管磨损。

据Septfons公司称，Loras榴弹炮的装填是全自动的，但其自动化程度比Panzerhaubitze 2000要新。来自乌克兰的作战报告显示，与Caesar等更简单的系统相比，一些全自动榴弹炮在战场上的可用率较低。

塞普特丰斯表示，虽然AGM导弹系统借鉴了Panzerhaubitze导弹的部分设计元素，尤其是在炮弹装填方面，但整体而言，它“要新颖得多”，配备了最先进的电子设备和全新的装填机构。他还提到，该导弹的炮管由法国中部布尔日市的KNDS France工厂生产，成本“略高于”52倍径炮管。

洛拉斯火炮可装填1至8个模块化推进剂，而凯撒火炮则可装填1至6个。塞普特丰斯表示，洛拉斯火炮使用冲压式喷气推进或滑翔式弹药时射程可达约100公里，但KNDS计划专注于基础弹药的研发，并与希望开发更先进炮弹的合作伙伴开展合作。

据 Septfons 称，Loras 可以发射标准的 52 口径炮弹，但射程不一定会更远，KNDS 正在为 58 口径炮开发一系列专用弹药。

KNDS工程师表示：“我们的想法是制造一系列完整的常规炮弹，包括高爆弹、照明弹和烟雾弹，从而充分发挥火炮的潜力，射程可达60公里。”

塞普特方斯表示：“目前，我们确实专注于常规弹药，但我们也愿意与其他制造商合作，共同研发冲压式喷气发动机炮弹等弹药。”

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。