Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH 2000) 155 mm self-propelled howitzer

Posted by: Andrei Dcs

Panzerhaubitze 2000, abbreviated PzH 2000, is a German 155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall.

PzH 2000 currently is one of the most powerful conventional artillery systems in service.

It is used by the German Army and also in many other nations, in many cases replacing the American M109 from active service.

Panzerhaubitze 2000 translates in English as „armoured howitzer 2000”.

PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer was developed for the German Army by the German companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall.

Design works took place for almost a decade, between 1987 and 1996. The production of the capable Panzerhaubitze 2000 began in 1996 with a then price per unit of 9 million Deutsche Marks.

PzH 2000 entered service with the German Army in 1998 and, since then, it has also been acquired by Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, and Qatar.

PzH 2000 is a large and heavy armoured self-propelled howitzer having a combat mass of 55.8 tonnes (61.5 short tons) and measuring 11.7 m (38 ft 5 in) in length, 3.6 m (11 ft 10 in) in width, and 3.1 m (10 ft 2 in) in height.

It has a crew of five (5) consisting of commander, driver, gunner, and two loaders.

PzH 2000 has a standard rate of fire of ten (10) rounds per minute, with 3 rounds in 9.0 seconds in burst mode.

The effective firing range of PzH is between 30 and 47 km (19 to 29 miles) reaching 67 km (42 mi) with rocket assisted projectiles (RAPs).

The PzH 2000 155 mm self-propelled howitzer has a welded steel armor offering protection against 14.5 mm projectiles, also having additional bomblet protection.

Panzerhaubitze 2000 SpH is equiped with a 155 mm Rheinmetall L52 artillery gun with 60 rounds.

As secondary armament, is fitted with a 7.62 mm Rheinmetall MG3 machine gun.

The German PzH 2000 is powered by a 986 hp (1,000 PS, 736 kW) MTU 881 Ka-500 engine and has a power-to-weight ratio of 17.92 PS/t.

Using a torsion bar suspension, PzH 2000 SpH has an operational range of 420 km (260 mi) and a maximum speed of 67 km/h (41 mph) on road and 45 km/h (28 mph) off-road.