The Royal Thai Army Tests the Firing of the LG1 MK3 105mm Towed Light Howitzer

04 Oktober 2023

12 of LG1 MK3 105mm howitzer artillery with Land Rover Defender 4x4 towed vehicles have test firing at RTA Artillery Center's firing range Khao Phulon, Lopburi Province, Thailand (all photos : UDT)

Facebook page of United Defense Technology Co., Ltd. (UDT) Thailand, distributor of NEXTER Company, France, manufacturer of 105mm towed ballistic light cannon, Type 1 LG1 Mk III, for the Royal Thai Army (RTA) stationed in 11th Artillery Battalion, the 1st Artillery Regiment, His Majesty's Guard, 1st Division, His Majesty's Guard, 12 guns along with a Land Rover Defender 4x4 artillery towing vehicle, released images and video of the test firing of the guns on August 30, 2023.

Test firing of 12 LG1 Mk III 105mm towed light cannons, which were moved to the firing location at Khao Phu Lon Artillery Range, Artillery Center, Bhumibol Camp, Lopburi Province by 12 Land Rover Defender 4x4 trucks.

The firing test took place around August 2023, by firing to determine the initial velocity of each gun in order to record the gun's history. It can be seen in the video that because the ground on the shooting field was hard, the arm was not dug in to absorb the recoil of the gun, by having the gunner stand up to provide weight while firing.

The LG1 Mk III 105mm light cannon is equipped with a digital fire control system, a display mounted on the gun. Install a GPS satellite coordinate system including a soil temperature measurement system to drive air currents and link with the Forward Observation Officer (FOO).

Make it possible to hit the target correctly in the first shot. Adjusting the trajectory of the bullet drop zone that receives information about the bullet drop point from the forward spotter. The assistant can do it quickly and with very high accuracy. The test shot will be for inspection, measuring initial speed, and measuring soil temperature to find the average shooting data for each gun.

The Royal Thai Army has announced a project to purchase 2 items of 105mm type 1 towed light cannon by specific method in the amount of 834,400,000 baht ($26,722,194 or 22,677,763 Euros) for 12 LG1 Mk III guns on 28 November 2020. The winner of the bid is UNITED DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY Thailand. Delivery of the first 6 guns is scheduled in  January 2023 and 6 next guns in early August 2023.

The Royal Thai Army also needs new 105mm light cannons to replace a large number of old systems that have been in use for a long time and are outdated, such as 12 M425 towed light cannons and 32 M618A2 towed light cannons that were built in Thailand, etc. Defence Technology Institute and  Artillery Center, The Royal Thai Army also have a joint project to research and develop a 105mm CS/AH2 light cannon.

(AAG)