Are 155mm artillery pieces taking over from 105mm's?

[SteyrAUG]

We've come a long way from the days when everyone still thought German 88's were somehow the end game. Persisted right through the first couple years of the internet. Things made quite an impression on the old timers who faced them and anyone who grew up reading about WWII picked up on just how significant they were then.

For myself, I still remember trying to completely take in GPS guided smart bombs back in 1991. That shit was next level.

[mack7.62]

Flak 88's are guns not howitzer's, an anti-aircraft cannon adapted to anti-tank and tank use. You can use a gun for indirect fire but you won't get the range or accuracy of a howitzer. Modern country battery is fast but it relies on radar and communication, Russia has lost a lot of their radar and their communication in Ukraine has been lacking. Ukraine uses an app similar to the Uber app for calls to fire, target detected the app searches who is nearest to assign the target to and within less than a minute they are tasked with a fire mission done over cell phone. This means the mortars and howitzers don't need to be clustered and that targets can be serviced by different types of tube artillery/mortars firing from different locations which confuses Russian counter battery radar. Russian radar counter battery is in a tough spot but there is also the risk of a drone spotting a unit.

"GIS Arta or GIS Art for Artillery is military software used to coordinate artillery strikes.[1][2] It has been used in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[1] It has fast targeting (one minute), it does not require reconnaissance units to use specialized devices (they use smartphones), and it does not require artillery pieces to be clustered together.[3] It has been compared to the German artillery software ESG Adler.[1][3] It was developed by Ukrainian programmers, with involvement by British digital map companies"

But here is something I think some are missing about towed artillery, it is labor intensive, yes it can emplace and displace fairly quickly once or twice a day but much more than that and the crew risks being turned into exhausted zombies. I think what Ukraine is doing with towed is fire a mission or two then camo the howitzer and move the crew away or into bunkers to wait and see if there is any counter battery. This puts the piece at risk but the crew is more valuable.

[chuckman]

Currently re-reading Red Phoenix, written in the 1980s. They talk about counter battery being pretty quick and based off radar telemetry of artillery shells.

What I know about artillery I can write on a scrap of toilet paper. The one unit I always wish I could get attached to but never did. I loved watching those guys in the field.

I know Camp Lejeune did not have the range for their large artillery (155??) And would have to go to Fort Bragg to train on that.

Finding where artillery is coming from isn't that hard, it's trigonometry and a little bit of math.

[Averageman]

You can drive the range roads on Fort Hood at night and watch arty fire, it's fun.

I dont know much about the 88. what kind of recoil system did it use? Gas or liquid?
I'm guessing a liquid recoil system with what are essentially the first recoil buffers. They look cumbersome, but effective. The thing is tech back then would likely prevent a gas recoil system.

[ROCKET20_GINSU]

Fun topic - good memories…I was artillery back in the late 2000’s. Was trained on 105’s and learning on them / bumping trails was much easier than with a 155. I was based at Bragg so 105’s were used in division though corps artillery / 18th fires brigade had the big guns 155 & HIMARS. Taking a look at the capability and effects not a lot that the 155 can’t do better IMO.


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[Diamondback]

You can drive the range roads on Fort Hood at night and watch arty fire, it's fun.

I dont know much about the 88. what kind of recoil system did it use? Gas or liquid?
I'm guessing a liquid recoil system with what are essentially the first recoil buffers. They look cumbersome, but effective. The thing is tech back then would likely prevent a gas recoil system.

Hydro-pneumatic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8.8_cm_Flak_18/36/37/41