IDEAS 2016 Preview: Denel Land Systems will showcase the T5-52 howitzer

In the lead-up to the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS), which will begin in Karachi on 22 November, Quwa will overview some of the scheduled events.

Denel Land Systems, a division of Denel Group, will showcase its T5-52 truck-mounted self-propelled howitzer at the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS), which will take place starting 22 November in Karachi, Pakistan.

The Denel T5-52 is a 155 mm/52 calibre gun mounted to a Tatra T815-7 8×8 truck. According to IHS Jane’s, the T5-52 can begin firing within one minute of the truck stopping. Its maximum range is 30 km with standard shells, 42.5 km with base bleed shells, and 55 km with velocity enhanced projectiles. The full system weighs 38 tons and can reach a top speed of 85 km/h. In general, a truck-mounted artillery system can be used in rapid-deployment and asymmetrical combat scenarios (e.g. counterinsurgency).

The South African defence news publication defenceWeb identified Pakistan as a possible client of the T5-52 in August. The Pakistan Army has been in the process of modernizing its artillery assets over the past decade. In 2008, the Army procured two SH-1 truck-mounted 155 mm howitzers from China for testing, it is not clear if additional units had been ordered since.

Denel’s T5-52 presentation at IDEAS could mark the start of a concerted marketing and sales campaign for the system (and potentially its sibling systems) in Pakistan. If successful, it would mark the first open big-ticket sale between the South African defence giant and the Pakistani armed forces.

Denel Group will also be exhibiting hardware and services from its other divisions, e.g. Denel Dynamics, at IDEAS. The Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy had expressed interest in the A-Darter within-visual-range air-to-air missile and Umkhonto surface-to-air missile, respectively.

Edit: Added maximum range figures for base bleed and velocity enhanced projectiles. Thank you Matthys Jacobs.