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Land Systems / Battlefield


SRS GC-45 / Noricum GHN-45


155mm Towed Field Howitzer [ 1976 ]



The GC-45 155mm towed howitzer system was designed by Canadian-American engineer Gerald Bull and went on to serve several military forces of the world.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/22/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
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Gerald Bull, a Canadian-American weapons engineer, invested much time and effort into developing artillery shells of longer range than what was being had previously in the Cold War period (1947-1991). During the 1970s, through his Space Research Corporation (SRC) in Canada, he designed the "GC-45", a towed 155mm field howitzer system which was eventually adopted by many national powers while going on to see local production by some. The GC-45 became Bull's major claim to fame and his expertise in the field, coupled to his relationship with the Iraqi government at the time, ultimately led to his assassination by an unknown party.

The original, base GC-45 weighed 18,120lb and sat on a four-wheeled split-trail carriage assembly. The mounting hardware allowed for elevation and traversal of the gun tube in the usual way. Rate-of-fire could reach up to five rounds-per-minute sustained and maximum firing range was 40 kilometers. The breech was of a conventional interrupted thread screw. A gun shield was optional, the recoil system integrated to the mounting hardware and the barrel was capped by a large slotted muzzle brake.©MilitaryFactory.com
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Three shells were eventually devised by Bull: ERFB-BB (Base Bleed), ERFB (Full Bore) and HE M107. The ERFB-BB weighed 48 kilograms and had a muzzle velocity of nearly 3,000 feet-per-second with a range out to 39.6 kilometers. The ERFB weighed 45.5 kilograms and was rated at 2,940 feet-per-second with a range out to 29.9 kilometers. The HE M107 weighed 43 kilograms, was rated at 2,210 feet-per-second and ranged out to 17.8 kilometers. The shells were specifically designed with a focus on range and not so much accuracy (dispersion).

In 1977, Bull teamed with South Africa's Denel which resulted in a new mounting system being developed that incorporated a small powerplant for relocating the artillery piece under its own power over short distances (the weapon could still be towed as normal). Further development by Denel ultimately produced the local "G5" gun system detailed elsewhere on this site.

Bull then relocated to Europe and continued his own development work under the brand name of Noricum. This period produced its own product, the "GHN-45", which incorporated newer features and refinements that caught the attention of China, Israel, Singapore and Thailand (local production of this weapon took place in China, Israel and Singapore). From there, Bull became involved with Saddam Hussein's Iraq which sought a long range weapon to keep the Iranians at bay. Arms embargoes limited much of the importation possibilities of the GHN-45 so the South African G5 was substituted for in some cases. Some GHN-45 guns were used by Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War though many were destroyed where they sat in the subsequent coalition offensive.

The FGH-155 became a further development of the GC-45 which revised the rifling work and the FGH-203 was a 203mm caliber form with exceptional range (up to 50 kilometers). The latter was fitted to a 6x6 wheeled chassis by the Iraqi Army to produce the "Al-Fao" Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH) vehicle at one point - another joint venture with the Iraqi government which put Bull in the crosshairs of both Israel and Iran.

In all, Bull's guns were taken on by the forces of China, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey. Bull himself was assassinated in 1990. Production of his systems, which began in 1980s, continues in one form or another today (2017) while many have seen combat actions in the various wars of the 20th and 21st centuries.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
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Specifications



Service Year
1976

Origin
Canada national flag graphic
Canada

Crew
8
CREWMEN
Production
650
UNITS


Space Research Corporation - Canada / Noricum - Austria / NORINCO - China / Denel - South Africa
(View other Vehicle-Related Manufacturers)
National flag of China National flag of Iraq National flag of Iran National flag of Israel National flag of Kuwait National flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia National flag of Singapore National flag of South Africa National flag of Thailand China; Iran; Iraq; Israel; Kuwait; Thailand; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; South Africa
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Fire Support / Assault / Breaching
Support allied forces through direct / in-direct fire, assault forward positions, and / or breach fortified areas of the battlefield.


Weight
30,314 lb
13,750 kg
Tonnage
15.2 tons
LIGHT
(Showcased structural values pertain to the SRS GC-45 production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)
Powerplant: None. This is a towed artillery piece. A small engine is installed on some models to allow for relocation of the artillery piece under its own power over short distances.
Range
24.9 mi
(40.0 km)
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the SRS GC-45 production variant. Compare this entry against any other in our database)
1 x 155mm gun barrel.


Supported Types


Graphical image of an artillery gun tube/barrel


(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)
Dependent upon ammunition carrier.


GC-45 - Base Series Designation
GHN-45 - Austrian Designation with revisions / refinements.
FGH-155 - Improved form with deeper rifling grooves.
FGH-203 - 203mm caliber form; 50 km range.
845P - Israeli local production model by Soltam.
PLL01 - Chinese local production model
WA021 - Alternative Chinese designation
FH-88 - Singaporean local production model by ODE.


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