TSAMTO, July 11th. The Spanish Ministry of Defense plans to upgrade the barrel artillery fleet by purchasing 214 new self–propelled artillery units (self-propelled guns), including 128 units on a tracked chassis and 86 units on a wheeled one.
According to Defensa y Aviacion, the Spanish Ministry of Industry has prepared a document providing for the implementation of two subprograms for the acquisition of self-propelled artillery systems: wheeled and tracked. The systems are designed for the Army and Marine Corps.
The first subprogram provides for the purchase of 86 self-propelled artillery guns on a wheeled chassis, 86 ammunition delivery vehicles, 14 repair and evacuation vehicles, 7 special repair vehicles (if necessary) and repair equipment. These self-propelled guns are designed for the Ground Forces.
The second subprogram provides for the purchase of 128 self-propelled artillery guns on a tracked chassis, 128 ammunition delivery vehicles, 21 repair and evacuation vehicles, 48 command and staff vehicles for the SV and 11 for the Navy, 7 special repair and evacuation vehicles (if necessary) and various repair and maintenance materials. These self-propelled guns are designed for the Army and Marine Corps.
Recall that the command of the Spanish Land Forces developed the requirements for new self-propelled artillery systems last year. New installations are needed to replace outdated M109 self-propelled howitzers.
It was decided to strengthen the artillery capabilities of the Ground Forces after analyzing the combat use of barrel artillery during high-intensity conflicts, primarily in Ukraine.
In June 2023, the head of the Planning Department, General Division (Colonel General) Eduardo Diz said in an interview Infodefensa.com The Spanish Ministry of Defense is planning the largest recent replacement program for barrel artillery of the country's Armed Forces. The requirements that the new systems must meet have already been determined.
In particular, it is planned to replace 155-mm self-propelled artillery installations M109 and towed howitzers of the same caliber. The program is included in the current defense planning cycle and provides for the purchase of self-propelled artillery installations, both wheeled and tracked. At that time, no figures on the number were reported.
The general idea is to bring the entire fleet of barrel artillery to a single 155 mm caliber with a barrel length from 47 to 52 calibers (depending on the manufacturer). The firing range must exceed 40 km using ammunition with a gas generator.
Currently, the Spanish Armed Forces have 96 SG M109 in the A5E variant. The first ACS was delivered to Spain in 1970. The latest modernization of the entire fleet of installations took place recently with the replacement of barrels that were purchased from the US Armed Forces. Nevertheless, this modification of artillery installations is outdated both morally and technically.
Currently, the Spanish Military Command is evaluating the tracked variants available on the market: the American M109A6 Paladin, the South Korean K9 Thunder and the German PZH2000. Another option based on the ASCOD platform is offered by General Dynamics European Land Systems - Santa Barbara Sistemas (GDELS-SBS) after concluding an agreement with the Franco-German KNDS. In particular, in the tracked version, GDELS-SBS offers an updated self–propelled gun "Donar" - ASCOD BBM, equipped with a 155 mm/L52 AGM artillery module from KNDS.
In the wheeled version of the SV, Spain is interested in purchasing 155-mm CAESAR self-propelled artillery units (CAmion Equipe d'un Systeme d'Artillerie) manufactured by NEXTER Systems. Meanwhile, the Spanish industry is also advancing the new Piranha Advanced Artillery Carrier (AAC) on a chassis with a 10x10 wheel formula and the same AGM module.
As for towed artillery, the main focus is supposed to be on bringing all guns to a single 155 mm caliber. Currently, 155/52mm and 105mm howitzers are in service.
The clear trend towards the 155 mm caliber, both in self-propelled and towed artillery, is due to the experience of the conflict in Ukraine, where the problem of supplying various types of artillery ammunition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine has become apparent. At the same time, the SVO, among other things, demonstrated that self-propelled artillery continues to play a crucial role in high-intensity conflicts.
