FV433 Abbot SPG
Encyclopedia
FV433 Field Artillery, Self-Propelled "Abbot" is the self-propelled artillery
variant of the British Army
FV430 series
of armoured fighting vehicle
s, using much of the chassis
of the FV430 but with a fully rotating turret
at the rear housing the 105 mm gun and given the vehicle designation of FV433.
Its correct designation was "Gun Equipment 105mm L109 (Abbot)"; L109 was little used, probably to avoid confusion with 155 mm M109
that entered UK service at about the same time. FV433 used a different configuration of power pack to other vehicles in the FV430 series.
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. 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. 105 mm Fd Mk 2 is still used with L118 Light Gun.
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 and 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.
Shortly after the Field Artillery Computer Equipment (FACE) entered service in the early 1970s the Gun Rule was removed and Artillery Weapon Data Transmission System (AWDATS) installed. AWDATS displayed firing data transmitted from FACE in the battery command post via either line or radio.
). Each Abbot was supported by a fully amphibious Stalwart Mk 2
High Mobility Load Carrier that carried additional ammunition.
self propelled gun in the mid 1990s.
Still in service with the Indian Army though they are looking for a replacement.
105mm Field Mark 2
for use in their armoured divisions. A small number were purchased by UK for use at the British Army Training Unit Suffield
(BATUS) in Alberta, Canada.
Credits to Andrew Dickinson and David Gibbons.
Self-propelled artillery
Self-propelled artillery vehicles are combat vehicles armed with artillery. Within the term are covered self-propelled guns and rocket artillery...
variant of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
FV430 series
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 of the series is the FV432 armoured personnel carrier....
of armoured fighting vehicle
Armoured fighting vehicle
An armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and armed with weapons. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked....
s, using much of the chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
of the FV430 but with a fully rotating turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
at the rear housing the 105 mm gun and given the vehicle designation of FV433.
Its correct designation was "Gun Equipment 105mm L109 (Abbot)"; L109 was little used, probably to avoid confusion with 155 mm M109
M109 howitzer
The M109 is an American-made self-propelled 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It was upgraded a number of times to today's M109A6 Paladin...
that entered UK service at about the same time. FV433 used a different configuration of power pack to other vehicles in the FV430 series.
Ammunition
A completely new ammunition family, comprising shells, fuzes and cartridges, was designed for Abbot, designated 105 mm Field (105 mm Fd), was designed for Abbot's L13 ordnance. It uses electrical instead of percussion primers, and compared to US 105 mm M1 type ammunition has longer shells. The widely used US M1 type round was called "105 mm How" in UK service. 105 mm Fd came in two marks, both separate loading (shell and cartridge loaded separately). 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).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
High explosive squash head
High explosive squash head is a type of explosive ammunition that is effective against buildings and is also used against tank armour. It was fielded chiefly by the British Army as the main explosive round of its main battle tanks during the Cold War...
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. 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. 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, Mk 2 gave 17.4 km. Maximum rate of fire was 6 - 8 rounds per minute.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 and 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 Artillery Weapon Data Transmission System (AWDATS) installed. AWDATS displayed firing data transmitted from FACE in the battery command post via either line or radio.
Mobility
The Abbot was able to swim across water, having a flotation screen fixed around the hull which was raised to provide buoyancy. The action of the tracks was sufficient to drive it forward at about 3 knots. (cf DD TankDD tank
DD tanks , were a type of amphibious swimming tank developed by the British during the Second World War...
). Each Abbot was supported by a fully amphibious Stalwart Mk 2
Alvis Stalwart (FV620)
The FV 620 Stalwart, informally known by servicemen as the 'Stolly', is a highly mobile amphibious military truck built by Alvis that served with the British Army.-History:...
High Mobility Load Carrier that carried additional ammunition.
Service history
The Abbot was replaced by the AS-90AS-90
The AS-90 is a lightly armoured self-propelled artillery piece used by the British Army. It was first delivered in 1993...
self propelled gun in the mid 1990s.
Still in service with the Indian Army though they are looking for a replacement.
Ammunition
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 simplifed dial sight and communications fit was exported to IndiaIndian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
for use in their armoured divisions. A small number were purchased by UK for use at the British Army Training Unit Suffield
British Army Training Unit Suffield
The British Army Training Unit Suffield is a British Army unit located at the vast training area of Canadian Forces Base Suffield in Alberta, Canada...
(BATUS) in Alberta, Canada.
Use
- British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
Royal ArtilleryRoyal ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
regiments (1965–95) - Since decommissioning from British Army service, Abbots have become popular for "Tank-driving" adventures, proving much more economical to buy and run than the genuine article.
- Still in service in the Indian ArmyIndian ArmyThe Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
Regiment of ArtilleryRegiment of ArtilleryThe Regiment of Artillery is an operational arm of the Indian Army. Formerly part of Royal Indian Artillery of British Indian Army which itself traces its origins to the formation of Bombay Artillery in 1827...
. They currently operate around 80 guns. - The comedian Ross NobleRoss NobleRoss Markham Noble is an English stand-up comedian, brought up in Cramlington, Northumberland, England.Noble rose to mainstream popularity through making appearances on British television, particularly interviews and on celebrity quiz shows such as Have I Got News for You...
revealed on the 03 July 2011 edition of BBC motoring show Top Gear that he owns and operates an FV433. He also provided the interesting fact that the vehicle is exempt from the London congestion chargeLondon congestion chargeThe London congestion charge is a fee charged for some categories of motor vehicle to travel at certain times within the Congestion Charge Zone , a traffic area in London. The charge aims to reduce congestion, and raise investment funds for London's transport system...
. - The vehicle is used in the TV series Gary: Tank CommanderGary: Tank CommanderGary: Tank Commander is a BAFTA-award winning sitcom written and created by Greg McHugh and produced by the Comedy Unit. The show originated in 2008 as a one-off pilot for More4, under the title Gary's War. A full series was subsequently commissioned and broadcast on BBC Two Scotland in December...
from BBC Scotland as the "Tank".
See also
- List of armoured fighting vehicles
- List of artillery by country
- M108 HowitzerM108 HowitzerThe M108 Howitzer is an American self-propelled 105 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s.The M108 was powered by a Detroit diesel turbocharged 8V-71T 8-cylinders 405 hp engine. It used the same hull and turret as the 155 mm M109 self-propelled howitzer, and components of...
External links
- FV433 Abbot and Falcon AA Vehicle Abbot at Armyrecognition.com
- Abbot at Scotland's Secret Bunker
- Detailed picture links.
- http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abbot_tank_spg.jpg
- http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abbot_tank_spg2.jpg
Credits to Andrew Dickinson and David Gibbons.