The Type 66 is a 152 mm towed howitzer used by the
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...
of China. The gun system is developed from the
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
D-20 towed artillery. In addition to conventional shells the gun is capable of firing Type MP-152
Rocket-assisted projectile
A rocket-assisted projectile (RAP) is a cannon, howitzer, mortar, or recoilless rifle round incorporating a rocket motor for independent propulsion. This gives the projectile greater speed and range than a non-assisted ballistic shell, which is p ...
s.
In some cases a gun-shield is fitted but this is not universal.
Versions
*
Type 66-1: Improved version.
*
6x6 mobile gun
Six-wheel drive (6WD or 6×6) is an all-wheel drive drivetrain configuration of three axles with at least two wheels on each axle capable of being driven simultaneously by the vehicle's engine. Unlike four-wheel drive drivetrains, the configurat ...
: Self-propelled version.
*
Type 83 SPH
The Type 83 is a 152 mm self-propelled howitzer used by the People's Liberation Army of China.
This self-propelled gun system was developed by Factory 674 ( Harbin First Machinery Building Group Ltd) and based on a tracked chassis. The pro ...
: Improved towed and self-propelled versions.
Operators
;
* 90 in service in 2002
;
* 4 received in 1999
;
* 46 in service
;
*
People's Liberation Army Ground Force
The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF; ) is the land-based service branch of the People's Liberation Army and the largest and oldest branch of the entire Chinese armed forces. The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 1927 as the Chines ...
- 500
Former operators
*
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...
: 9
Gallery
File:Sri Lanka Military 0011.jpg, In Sri Lanka military service
File:Type 66 152mm Flying Leatherneck.jpg, A Type 66 at the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum
The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum is a United States Marine Corps aviation museum currently located at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, San Diego, California. The museum contains exhibits and artifacts relating to the history and legacy of ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Type 66 122MM TOWED GUN-HOWITZER* http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/d-20.htm
152 mm artillery
Field artillery of the Cold War
Artillery of the People's Republic of China
China–Soviet Union relations