Type 66 howitzer
{{Infobox weapon
| name = Type 66
| image = Type 66 152mm Flying Leatherneck.jpg
| image_size = 300
| alt =
| caption =
| type = Gun-howitzer
| origin = China
| is_ranged = yes
| is_explosive =
| is_artillery = yes
| is_vehicle =
| is_missile =
| is_UK =
| service = {{plainlist|
}}
| used_by = See operators
| wars =
| designer =
| design_date =
| manufacturer = Norinco
| developed_from =
| developed_into =
| unit_cost =
| production_date =
| number =
| variants =
| spec_label =
| mass = {{cvt|5720|kg|abbr=on}}
| length = {{cvt|8.69|m|abbr=on}}
| part_length =
| width = {{cvt|2.42|m|abbr=on}}
| height = {{cvt|2.52|m|abbr=on}}
| diameter =
| crew = 12
| passengers =
| cartridge =
| cartridge_weight =
| caliber = {{cvt|152.4|mm|abbr=on}}
| barrels =
| action = Vertical sliding block
| rate = 8 rpm
| velocity =
| range =
| max_range = {{cvt|17,230|m|yd|abbr=on}}
| feed =
| sights = Panoramic, telescopic
| breech =
| recoil =
| carriage = Split trail
| elevation = +45°/-5°
| traverse = 58°
| filling =
| filling_weight =
| detonation =
| yield =
| ref = {{sfn|Foss|2011|page=935}}
}}
The Type 66 is a 152 mm towed howitzer used by the People's Liberation Army of China. The gun system is developed from the Soviet D-20 towed artillery. In addition to conventional shells the gun is capable of firing Type MP-152 rocket-assisted projectiles. In some cases a gun-shield is fitted but this is not universal.{{cite web |url= https://collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-47979.html |title=Gun - 152 mm, Chinese Gun Howitzer Type 66 (1970-1990)|website= Collections |publisher=Royal Armouries |access-date=3 February 2022}}
Design
The Type 66 {{cvt|152|mm|abbr=on}} gun-howitzer is a Chinese copy of the Soviet D-20 gun-howitzer built by Norinco, with a few minor differences in appearance.{{sfn|Foss|2011|page=935}} It has a distinctive thick, stocky barrel with a large muzzle brake.{{sfn|Blasko|2006|page=130}}
The Type 66 is usually towed by a 6×6 truck at speeds at up to {{cvt|60|km/h|abbr=on}}. The split trail carriage features a Type 58 panoramic sight with a ×3.7 magnification power and a 10° field of view, a Type 58 collimator, and a Type 66 telescopic sight with a magnification power of ×5.5 and an 11° field of view. The carriage also have a castor wheel mounted on each trail to help the crew deploy the gun. When in firing position, these castor wheels rest on top of each trail, while a circular firing jack and two spades (one on each trail leg) provide support for the gun.{{sfn|Foss|2011|pages=935−936}}
The Type 66 can fire High-explosive (HE), Smoke, and Illuminating shells using a variable six-charge bag propellant system. It can also fire the Type MP-152 rocket-assisted projectile (RAP) shell to provide extended range. The Chinese claim that the RAP round accuracy is the same of conventional projectiles.{{sfn|Foss|2011|page=936}} It can also fire precision-guided munitions, though their availability is limited.{{sfn|Department of the Army|2021|page=B-2}}
While the Type 66 is somewhat obsolete compared to modern artillery, it is a simple and robust system capable of operating under severe conditions with minimal maintenance support, and when "employed competently and in mass, it can still deliver decisive firepower", according to the United States Army sources.{{sfn|Department of the Army|2021|page=B-3}}
Versions
- Type 83 SPH − Tracked self-propelled gun-howitzer based on the Type 66.{{sfn|Foss|2011|pages=799−801}} According to US Army sources, it's a Type 66 mated to a generic Soviet armoured fighting vehicle chassis.{{sfn|Department of the Army|2021|page=B-2}}
Operators
=Current=
- {{CHN}} − 500 in service with the PLA {{as of|lc=yes|2024}}{{sfn|IISS|2024|page=256}}
- {{flag|Sri Lanka}} − 46 in service {{as of|lc=yes|2024}}{{sfn|IISS|2024|page=256}}
=Former=
- {{flaglist|Albania}} − 18 in service in 2011{{sfn|Foss|2011|page=974}}
- {{BOL}} − 18 delivered in 1992{{sfn|Foss|2011|page=973}}
- {{flag|Iraq|1963}} − Used during the Gulf War
- 22px Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam − 9{{cite book |title=Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis July 2006 – May 2009 |publisher=Ministry Of Defence Democratic Socialist Republic Of Sri Lanka |url=http://slembassyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Sri-Lankan-Humanitarian-Operation-Factual-Analysis.pdf |access-date=9 September 2021}}
Gallery
File:Sri Lanka Military 0011.jpg|In Sri Lanka military service.
File:Type 66 152mm Flying Leatherneck.jpg|A Type 66 at the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum.
References
{{Reflist}}
=Bibliography=
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite book |last1=Blasko |first1=Dennis J. |title=The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century |date=2006 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-98877-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0tGTAgAAQBAJ |access-date=17 January 2025 |language=en}}
- {{cite book |last1=Department of the Army |first1=Headquarters |title=ATP 7-100.3 Chinese Tactics |date=2021 |publisher=Army Publishing Directorate |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://irp.fas.org/doddir/army/atp7-100-3.pdf}}
- {{cite journal |last1=International Institute for Strategic Studies |title=Chapter Five: Asia |journal=The Military Balance |date=12 February 2024 |volume=124 |issue=1 |pages=218-327 |doi=10.1080/04597222.2024.2298593 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/04597222.2024.2298593 |access-date=16 January 2025 |issn=0459-7222 |ref={{sfnref|IISS|2024}}|url-access=subscription }}
- {{cite book |editor1-last=Foss |editor1-first=Christopher F |editor1-link=Christopher F Foss |title=Jane's Armour and Artillery 2011-2012 |date=2011 |publisher=Jane's Information Group |isbn=978-0-7106-2960-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/janesarmourartil0000unse |language=en}}
{{refend}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20071212223630/http://www.sinodefence.com/army/artillery/type66_152mm.asp Type 66 122MM TOWED GUN-HOWITZER]
- http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/d-20.htm
Category:Field artillery of the Cold War