The Singapore Light Weight Howitzer (SLWH) Pegasus is a

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

-transportable, towed

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

piece. Developed jointly by the

Singapore Armed Forces The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are the military of the Republic of Singapore, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the country. A component of the Ministry of Defence (Singapore), Ministry of D ...

(SAF),

Defence Science and Technology Agency Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) is a statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Defence of the Government of Singapore. DSTA is responsible for performing acquisitions management, systems management, systems developme ...

and

ST Kinetics ST Engineering Land Systems Ltd (STELS), formerly known as ST Kinetics, is a strategic business area of ST Engineering and handles land systems and specialty vehicles. In 2000, ST Engineering acquired the Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS) ...

, it was commissioned on 28 October 2005. The Pegasus has replaced the

GIAT KNDS France (formerly known as Nexter, GIAT Industries or ''Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre'', Army Industries Group) is a French government-owned weapons manufacturer, based in Versailles. The company was wholly government-owned ...

LG1 105 mm howitzer previously in service with the Singapore Artillery.

Design

The

155 mm The 155 mm calibre is widely used for artillery guns. Land warfare Historic calibres France - 1874 The caliber originated in France after the Franco-Prussian War, Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871). A French artillery committee met on 2 ...

, 39-caliber Pegasus is typically towed, but it is also equipped with an independent Lombardini 9LD625-2 engine unit to provide short-range self-propelled capability of up to 12 km/h (7 mph). It can be lifted by the

Republic of Singapore Air Force The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is the aerial service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for controlling and defending the airspace of the country, and providing air support to the Army and Navy. It was establis ...

's CH-47SD "Chinook" helicopter thus making it the first heli-portable self-propelled 155 mm howitzer. In addition, the Pegasus can also be transported by the

C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...

tactical airlift An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long dista ...

er. The Pegasus has a burst rate of fire of three rounds in 24 seconds and a maximum rate of fire of four rounds per minute. It can deliver conventional munitions up to 19 km. Extended range munitions can be fired up to 30 km away. A semi-automatic loading system is provided to increase the rate of fire and reduce crew fatigue. The design of the Pegasus also incorporates several innovative elements. It is built with

titanium alloy Titanium alloys are alloys that contain a mixture of titanium and other chemical elements. Such alloys have very high tensile strength and toughness (even at extreme temperatures). They are light in weight, have extraordinary corrosion resistance ...

and

aluminium alloy An aluminium alloy ( UK/IUPAC) or aluminum alloy ( NA; see spelling differences) is an alloy in which aluminium (Al) is the predominant metal. The typical alloying elements are copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon, tin, nickel and zinc. There ...

materials that are lightweight and yet able to withstand the recoil force of the 155 mm artillery system. Special recoil management design is also employed to reduce the recoil force to a third lower than conventional 155 mm howitzers.

Deployment

The

Singapore Army The Singapore Army is the Ground warfare, land Military branch, service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The largest of the Singapore Armed Forces#Organisation, four branches of the SAF, the Singapore Army traces its origins to the Inf ...

conducted its first live firing of the SLWH Pegasus at the artillery range of

Waiouru Army Camp Waiouru Military Camp is a camp of the New Zealand Army in the central North Island of New Zealand near Waiouru. All New Zealand Army soldiers complete their initial basic training, the All Arms Recruit Course (AARC), at Waiouru Military Cam ...

in New Zealand as part of Exercise Thunder Warrior in January 2006.

Users

* :

Failed contracts

* : The SLWH Pegasus was the preferred candidate for the 145 ultra light howitzer program of the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and 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 ...

. However, ST Kinetics was associated in a case of corruption against the Director General of Indian Ordnance Factory, and blacklisted from participating in the programme.

References

External links