Mysterious customer buys several hundred thousand Rheinmetall-Denel howitzer charges
Rheinmetall has announced that a mysterious international customer has placed an order for “several hundred thousand” artillery propelling charges.
The company said that the massive order, which is worth worth over US$80 million (A$130.4 million), is for its Tactical Modular Charges by Rheinmetall Denel Munition and are due to be delivered in 2021.
Made by Rheinmetall Denel Munition, Tactical Modular Charges are designed to propel 155mm artillery shells. Rheinmetall says that their modular design simplifies logistics as well as handling procedures in self-propelled howitzer systems.
It adds that using Tactical Modular Charges also reduces both barrel wear and muzzle flash while firing, which extends howitzer barrel life and makes the artillery piece harder to detech by the enemy.
During test firing at the Alkantpan proving ground in South Africa, a 52-calibre G6 howitzer hurled a shell 76 kilometres, which Rheinmetall says is the longest ranged ever attained by a conventional 155mm artillery projectile
Other test firings saw 52-calibre PzH2000 self-propelled howitzer achieve a range of 67 kilometres, while a shell fired by an unidentified 39-calibre field howitzer reached 54 kilometres.
Rheinmetall Denel Munition is jointly owned by Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH (51%) of Germany and Denel (Pty) Ltd. South Africa.
