Obusier de 155 mm Modèle 50

Obusier de 155 mm Modèle 50 was a French 155 mm 30 calibre howitzer introduced in 1952.^[2] The first French artillery designed since World War II, it was manufactured in both France - 980 howitzers were produced (French army and export) - and under license in Sweden for the Swedish armed forces. The Model 50 was replaced in French service during the 1980s by the TRF1.^[2] Reserve units were produced until the end of the 1990s.^[3]

Obusier de 155 mm Modèle 50
Obusier de 155 mm Modèle 50 in Beyt ha-Totchan Museum, Zikhron Ya'akov.
Type	Field howitzer
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	1952-1990s
Used by	See Operators
Specifications
Mass	8,100 kg (17,900 lb)
Length	7.8 m (25 ft 7 in)[1]
Barrel length	4.65 m (15 ft 3 in) L/30
Width	2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)[1]
Height	2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)[1]
Crew	11[1]
Shell	Separate loading charge and projectile[1]
Caliber	155 mm (6.1 in)
Breech	interrupted screw
Recoil	Hydro-pneumatic[1]
Carriage	Split trail
Elevation	-4°/69°
Traverse	80°
Rate of fire	3-4 rpm[1]
Muzzle velocity	650 m/s (2,100 ft/s)
Effective firing range	18,000 m (20,000 yd)
Maximum firing range	23,300 m (25,500 yd)

Description

French Obusier de 155 mm Modèle 50 in Djibouti in 1979.

The Model 50 has a split trail, large slotted muzzle-brake, four-wheeled bogie and a retractable firing pedestal beneath the axles.

Operators

IDF M50 155 mm self-propelled howitzer [ja]

•  France: standard howitzer of the French Army, replaced in the late 1980s by the TRF1.^[2]
•  Sweden: 170;^[4] possibly more produced under license.^[2]
•  Israel: 170; most of these were later mounted on an M4 Sherman tank chassis as self-propelled howitzers.^[4]
•  Lebanon: 50^[4]
•  Morocco: 18^[5]
•  Senegal: 6^[4]
•   Switzerland: 20^[4]
•  Tunisia: 30^[4]

See also

• M-50 155 mm - An M4 Sherman chassis based self-propelled artillery piece mounting the Obusier de 155 mm Modèle 50 155 mm L/30 howitzer in large enclosed superstructure.

References

1. Foss, Christopher (1977). Jane's pocket book of towed artillery. New York: Collier. p. 121. ISBN 0-02-080600-0. OCLC 911907988.
2. Kinard, Jeff (28 March 2007). Artillery: An Illustrated History of Its Impact (2007 ed.). ABC-CLIO Publishers. pp. 301–303. ISBN 978-1-85109-561-2.
3. L’Obusier de 155 mm, modèle 1950/1963, Base documentaire des Artilleurs
4. "Trade Registers". Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 2014-11-20.
5. Jane's Armour and Artillery, 2002, Volume 23 p. 727.

External links

• Specifications of Model 50 155 mm howitzer
• Weapons of the Arab-Israeli Wars