GCT 155MM Au F1 Self Propelled Howitzer on T-72 CHASSIS - 1992

Description

The GCT 155mm AUF1 is based on the French Army AMX30 main battle tank (MBT) chassis and equipped with a 155mm 39-caliber gun with an auto-loading system, giving a rate of fire of 8 rounds per minute, and a sustained rate of fire of 6 rounds per minute. It is also equipped with a roof-mounted 12.7mm anti-aircraft gun. The AUF1 has an effective range of 23,500 meters firing conventional rounds and 28,000 meters using Rocket Assisted Projectiles (RAPs). The AUF1 155mm howitzer and turret are designed for integration onto a wider range of armored chassis such as AMX30, Leopard 1, Arjun and T-72. The 155 mm GCT turret was originally developed for use with the Giat Industries 155 mm self-propelled gun (known bythe French Army as the CN 155 AU F1-T)that was subsequently sold to the French, Iraqi, Kuwaiti and Saudi Arabian armies. In 1992, the turret was displayed on a Russian Federation and Associated States (CIS) T-72 MBT chassis. The GCT turret was one of the four 155 mm turret systems evaluated in India installed on a T-72 MBT chassis. During a defence equipment exhibition held at Le Bourget in mid-1992, the company showed a Russian T-72 MBT chassis fitted with the complete turret of the GCT self-propelled artillery system. This was aimed at the Indian market which has a requirement for a 155 mm system on a T-72M1 MBT chassis has been manufactured in India. This system was demonstrated in India together with the South African Denel Land Systems T6, the Slovak Republic Zuzana and the now BAE Systems Land Systems UK AS90 turret, all of which were installed on a locally supplied T-72M1 MBT chassis. (Scale : 1/35e)