105mm Light Gun
The main item of equipment used by the troop is the 105mm
Light Gun, which is also used by British Special Forces Artillery (7 Parachute
and 29 Commando Regiments), the United States Airborne and Marine Corps
and many other countries, including Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and
Oman. It has proven itself to be a superlative light artillery piece, but
will be replaced with the BAe lightweight 155mm field howitzer in British
and American service in the next decade.
Statistics
Number in Service: 150 (UK), 3 in the troop
Crew: 7, including vehicle crew
Weight: 1,860kg (4,200 pounds)
Maximum Range: 17.2 km (10.7 miles)
Anti-Tank Range: 800m
Ammunition: High Explosive, High Explosive Anti-Tank,
White Phosphorous, Smoke, Illumination, HE Target Marker
Muzzle Velocity: 709 m/s
Shell Weight: 15.1kg (33 pounds)
Rate of Fire: 6 rounds per minute
RB-44 Gun Towing Vehicle
The RB-44 was retained by the troop on conversion from
the Light Air Defence role to Field Artillery. It is a proven, versatile
4x4 wheel drive vehicle, and fully capable of deploying our guns across
the battlefield, assuming we are not airlifted to our gun positions.
L-85 Individual Weapon
The SA-80A1 rifle with iron sights is the standard small
arm carried by members of the troop. It is a serviceable weapon and reports
of it's unreliability are greatly exaggerated. Reported effective ranges
are greatly in excess of accurate battle range, which is approximately
100m with iron sights and 400m with the SUSAT. The weapon is a fully automatic,
magazine fed, air cooled, rotary bolt action rifle for those with some
familiarity with small arms.
Statistics
Effective Range: 300m (600m with SUSAT)
Weight: 3.8 kg unloaded (8.4 pounds)
Muzzle Velocity: 940 m/s
Ammunition: 5.56mm SS109 NATO ball or tracer
Capacity: 30 round detachable magazine (weighs .47kg,
about a pound)
Maximum Rate of Fire: 775 r/m on full automatic (will
empty a magazine in 2.3 seconds)
Battle Rate of Fire: 30 r/m (rapid) or 10 r/m (deliberate)
