FV433, 105mm, Field Artillery, Self-Propelled "Abbot" is the

self-propelled artillery Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled ...

, or more specifically

self-propelled gun Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled ...

(SPG), variant of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

FV430 series The FV430 series covers a number of armoured fighting vehicles of the British Army, all built on the same chassis. The most common is the FV432 armoured personnel carrier. Although the FV430 series has been in service since the 1960s, and ...

of armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), using much of the

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpar ...

of the FV430 but with a fully rotating

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * M ...

at the rear housing the 105 mm gun and given the vehicle designation of FV433. Designed as a Sexton replacement, its correct designation was "Gun Equipment 105mm L109 (Abbot)"; L109 was little used, probably to avoid confusion with the 155 mm M109 howitzer that entered UK service at about the same time. The name "Abbot" continued the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

style of naming self-propelled artillery after ecclesiastical titles. The FV433 used a different configuration of power pack from other vehicles in the FV430 series.

Development

Ammunition

A completely new ammunition family, comprising shells, fuzes and cartridges, was designed for Abbot's L13 gun, designated 105 mm Field (105 mm Fd). Compared to US 105 mm M1 type ammunition, it used electrical instead of percussion primers, and has longer shells. The widely used US M1 type round was called "105 mm How" in UK service. The 105 mm Fd came in two marks, both separate loading (shell and cartridge loaded separately). The 105 mm Fd Mk 1 was used initially, it had a UK-produced 105 mm How shell, mostly US pattern fuzes and reduced charge 105 mm Fd cartridges with their electrical primers (105 mm M1 uses percussion primers). The Mark 2 adopted a new projectile design including an improved lethality HE shell (heavier with more HE) and full charge cartridges. Its shell types include HE, Smoke, Coloured Marker (Red and Orange), Illuminating, and HESH for direct fire against enemy armoured vehicles. Direct Action, Controlled Variable Time (CVT) and Mechanical Time (MT) fuzes were available for HE and Coloured Marker shells. Initially, there were three cartridges. Sub-zones 1 and 2 were only used to provide short-range in high angle fire and were soon replaced by a plastic spoiler slipped over the shell ogive. Normal cartridge gave charges 1–5, each bag being a different colour in accordance with established UK practice, Mk 1 normal cartridge only went to charge 4. Both marks had charge Super, a single charge cartridge, although the charge was reduced in Mk 1. Charges 5 and Super used extended "bags" that projected beyond the metal cartridge case. The 105 mm Fd uses double (often internationally called triple) base propellants designated N in UK service instead of the single based FNH propellants favoured by the US. The 105 mm Fd Mk 2 is still used with L118 Light Gun.

Gun

Maximum range with 105 mm Fd Mk 1 ammunition was 15 km, the Mk 2 gave 17.4 km. Maximum rate of fire was 6–8 rounds per minute with 40 rounds carried in the vehicle. The gun was able to elevate to 70 degrees and depress to -5 degrees, sufficient to engage enemy AFVs if necessary. Traverse and shell ramming were powered by electrical servo mechanisms, elevation and cartridge ramming were by hand. Due to the number of charges and its compact turret, the Abbot did not have calibrating sights. Instead, the sight mount had both Tangent Elevation (TE) and Angle of Sight Scales with a separate Gun Rule to convert range into TE, corrected for the muzzle velocity variation from standard. The dial sight had all scales internal, illuminated and viewed through a single eyepiece.

Communications

The Abbot was fitted with both line and radio Larkspur B48, then Clansman UK/PRC 352) communications to its battery command post, which used the Apparatus Loud Speaking No. 23, this enabled the gun No. 1 to acknowledge his fire orders merely by clicking his pressel switch. Initially, it also used induction loop communications for the turret and external crew. Shortly after the Field Artillery Computer Equipment (FACE) entered service in the early 1970s, the Gun Rule was removed and the Artillery Weapon Data Transmission System (AWDATS) installed. AWDATS displayed firing data transmitted from FACE in the battery command post via line or radio.

Mobility

The Abbot was able to swim across water, using a flotation screen fixed around the hull, raised to provide buoyancy. The action of the tracks was sufficient to drive it forward at about (see also DD Tank). Each Abbot was supported by an amphibious Stalwart High Mobility Load Carrier with additional ammunition.

Service history

British Army Abbots were replaced by the

AS-90 The AS-90 ("Artillery System for the 1990s"), known officially as Gun Equipment 155 mm L131, is an armoured self-propelled artillery weapon used by the British Army. It can fire standard charges up to using 39 calibre long barrel (com ...

self-propelled gun in the mid-1990s. It was in service with the Indian Army, now replaced by the K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer. No sources refer to Abbots ever being used in combat.

Ammunition

Flickr - davehighbury - Royal Artillery Museum Woolwich London 199

;105mm Field Mark 1 * L32 Cartridge 105mm Field, Normal (Charges 1–4) * L34 Cartridge 105mm Field, (Charge Super) * L33 Shell 105mm Howitzer, HE * L32 Shell 105mm Howitzer, WP * L51 Shell 105mm Howitzer, Smoke * L55 Shell 105mm Howitzer, Illuminating * L43 Shell 105mm Howitzer, HESH * L44 Shell 105mm Howitzer, Practice ;105mm Field Mark 2 * L35 Cartridge 105mm Field, Normal (Charges 1–5) * L36 Cartridge 105mm Field, Super * L31 Shell 105mm Field, HE * L36 Shell 105mm Field, Smoke * L37 Shell 105mm Field, Marker, Red * L38 Shell 105mm Field, Marker, Orange * L34 Shell 105mm Field, Illuminating * L42 Shell 105mm Field, HESH * L41 Shell 105mm Field, Practice

Variants

A simplified Value Engineered Abbot without flotation screen, NBC defence equipment, power traverse, elevation or loading, a simplified dial sight and communications fit was exported to India. A small number were purchased by the UK for use at the

British Army Training Unit Suffield The British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) is a British Army unit located at the vast training area of Canadian Forces Base Suffield near Suffield, Alberta, Canada. BATUS is the British Army's largest armoured training facility, and it can ...

(BATUS) in Alberta, Canada. A SPAAG version using an unmodified chassis with an alternate turret mounting two HSS 831L cannons was prototyped as the "Falcon" but limited ammunition capacity of only 310 rounds per gun led to its cancellation. The Abbot's L13 105mm gun has been reproduced as a towed howitzer on a new carriage for the Indian Army.

Operators

- 146 received for use by

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

regiments (1965–1995) *

Indian Army The Indian Army is the Land warfare, land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Arm ...

- 80 currently in service in the Regiment of Artillery (including 68 Value Engineered Abbots received in the 1960s)

References

Sources

* ''The Abbot Self-propelled Gun'', Interavia International Defense Review, No 12/1965 * User Handbook for Gun, SP, 105mm Fd, Abbot (FV433), Army Code 14311, 1965 * Credits to Andrew Dickinson and David Gibbons.

External links

FV433 Abbot and Falcon AA Vehicle
*

Abbot at Scotland's Secret Bunker
{{ModernUKAFVsNav , style= wide Self-propelled artillery of the United Kingdom Self-propelled artillery of the Cold War 105 mm artillery Amphibious armoured fighting vehicles Tracked self-propelled howitzers Military vehicles introduced in the 1960s

Development

Ammunition

Gun

Communications

Mobility

Service history

Ammunition

Variants

Operators

See also

References

Sources

External links