GIAT LG1

GIAT LG-1
GIAT LG-1
	Royal Thai Army firing extended range ammunition from LG1 during training in Lopburi, Thailand
Type	Howitzer
Place of origin	France
Service history
Used by	See operators
Production history
Designer	GIAT Industries (now Nexter group)
Manufacturer	GIAT Industries
Unit cost	$475,000 (Mk II, 1994), $1,998,000 (Mk III, 2023)
No. built	130
Specifications
Mass	1,520 kg (3,350 lb)
Barrel length	3.15 m (10 ft 4 in)
Crew	5
Shell	105 mm NATO
Breech	Horizontal-block
Carriage	Split trail
Elevation	-3°/+70°
Traverse	±25° from centerline
Rate of fire	12 rounds per minute
Maximum firing range	17 kilometres (11 mi) using Base bleed rounds

The LG1 is a modern 105 mm towed howitzer designed and produced by GIAT Industries (now Nexter group) of France.

Design

The LG1 howitzer is a 105 mm towed artillery piece that features both low weight and a high level of accuracy over long distances. Its lightweight construction gives the barrel a relatively short lifespan. The equivalent full charge (EFC) count is suggested to be approximately 7,500; however, during fire and practice, has yielded only around 1,500 EFCs. The gun was specifically designed for use by rapid deployment forces with attributes such as ruggedness, ease of operation and reduced weight. It can fire all NATO standard 105 mm ammunition up to a range of 17 kilometres (11 mi) using HE-ER G3 base bleed rounds.^[5]

Deployment

The gun has been used by the Belgian Army, Canadian Army, Colombian National Army, Indonesian Marine Corps, Singapore Army and the Royal Thai Army.^[3]

Current service version with Canadian artillery is the LG1 Mark II, of which 28 were purchased for the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (RCHA). GYAT supplied the first howitzers in 1996 and fielding was complete by November 1997.

Planned improvements

In August 2005, DEPRO (GVB) Incorporated - a Canadian defence firm, was selected by the Canadian Forces to improve their LG-1 guns with improvements ranging from new & better muzzle brake, new-designed spades for better stability during firing and larger tires to replace the small Pirelli tires (which were found to be inadequate for proper ground clearance while on the move). It is expected that this new set of improvements will give the LG-1 howitzers greater reliability and lifespan, and increase the safety margin for the crew.^{[citation needed]}

Combat history

Operators

Map with LG1 operators in blue and former operators in red

Current operators

Belgium :

Belgian Army - 14^[3]

Canada :

Canadian Army - 28^[3]

Colombia :

Colombian Army - 20 LG1 MkIII ordered in 2008 + 20 ordered in 2012.^[6]^[7]^[8] There were several problems with its buffers and trunnions, along with accuracy issues in its INS Keafott KN-4051 fire control system after a few rounds and constant use/real fire training, therefore the manufacturer included improvements in its buffer system, cradle and trunnions, also the FCS was changed for the Nexter BACARA FCS, tested and approved in 2014.

Indonesia :