The Army introduced the Pegasus, a 155mm Light Weight Howitzer, as the latest addition to the SAFÂ’s artillery systems during a commissioning event officiated by Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean this afternoon. The Pegasus is the worldÂ’s first 155mm light weight howitzer that is both self-propelled and heli-portable. It was jointly developed by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and Singapore Technologies Kinetics (ST Kinetics).
This new 155mm artillery gun, officially named the ‘Singapore Light Weight Howitzer (SLWH) Pegasus’, is heli-portable by the SAF’s CH-47D Chinook helicopters. Its independent engine unit makes the Pegasus a versatile platform that can be readily configured for ground movement and deployment for field-firing. The Pegasus guns will eventually replace the Singapore Artillery’s ageing 105mm light guns. During operations, the Pegasus will be deployed to provide responsive fires to support the Army’s heliborne forces.
The successful development and commissioning of the Pegasus marks another milestone in the close partnership among the SAF, DSTA and ST Kinetics in delivering advanced technological and operational solutions to enhance the SAFÂ’s capability to defend Singapore. They had previously collaborated on artillery projects such as the Primus, or Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer 1 (SSPH1 Primus), the Field Howitzer 2000 (FH2000) and the Field Howitzer 88 (FH8
.
Technical SpecificationsMaximum Range: 19 km (conventional); 30 km (extended range).
Rate of fire: 3 rounds in 24 secs (burst rate); 4 rounds per min for 3 mins (maximum rate); 2 rounds per min for 30 minutes (sustain rate).
No of crew: 6 - 8.
Self propelled speed: 12 km/hr (max).
Towed (cross-country): 50 km/hr (max).
Towed (paved): 70 km/hr (max).
Towing vehicle type: 5 ton or 7 ton truck.
Engine: 21kW Lombardini 9LD625-2
Transportation: C-130 Hercules, CH-47D/SD Chinook
Adapted from http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/news_and_events/nr/2005/oct/28oct05_nr.html
Pictures courtesy of http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/mindef_websites/topics/Weapons/slwh/multimedia.html