AS-90

The AS-90 Braveheart is an armoured fighting vehicle used by the British Army. A self-propelled artillery piece, it was first delivered to the British in 1993.

The AS90 is used by six field regiments of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (1st, 3rd, 4th, 19th, 26th and 40th RHA), replacing the FV-433 Abbot 105 mm SP, the M109 155 mm SP, or the FH 70 155mm towed gun. It is built by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering (VSEL, owned by BAe Systems since 1999), who provided 179 vehicles from 1992-95 at a cost of £300 million.

The AS90 is fiited with a 155mm gun (39 calibre) which fires the NATO L15 projectile out to a range of 24.7 km (30 km with ERA). From 2002 the gun was rebarrelled to 52 calibre to push the unassisted range to 30 km and the ERA range to around 70 km.

The vehicle is fitted with a autonomous navigation and gun laying system (AGLS) and all main turret functions are controlled by a Turret Control Computer (TCC). A specialised desert version, the AS-90D, is also used.

• Crew: 5, driver plus 4 gun operators
• Length: 9.07 m
• Width: 3.3 m
• Height: 3.0 m
• Armour: 17 mm (maximum, steel)
• Weight: 45 tons
• Calibre: 155 mm
• Range: 24.7 km (39 cal), 30 km (52 cal)
• Rate of fire: 3 rounds in 10 secs (burst) 6 rpm (intense) 2 rpm (sustained)
• Secondary armament: 7.62mm MG
• Ammunition carried: 48 projectiles and charges (31 turret and 17 hull), 1000 MG rounds
• Engine: Cummins VTA930T V8 diesel, 660hp
• Max Speed: 53 kph (Road)
• Range: 420 km (Road)
• Ground clearance: 0.41 m; Gradient: 60°; Vertical obstacle: 0.75 m; Trench crossing: 2.8 m; Fording depth: 1.5 m