Soltam M-68
Encyclopedia
The M-68 was a 155 mm 33 calibre towed gun howitzer manufactured by Soltam Systems of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

. The barrel of the M-68 is 5.18 m long and comes with a simple muzzle brake at the mouth of the barrel, the recoil mechanism of the two pneumatic cylinder jacks is positioned on the back-end of the barrel.

Design

Based on the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 designed 122 K 60
130 K 90-60
The 130 K 90-60 is a Finnish towed 130 mm coastal artillery piece, manufactured in the 1980s by Vammas.-History:The development process for the 130 K 90-60 began in 1960 when the Finnish company Tampella presented their concept of a new 122 mm gun for the Finnish Army. This gun was called 122 K 60....

 and 155 K 68 cannon series. It was first developed in the mid 1960s by the Finnish company Tampella
Tampella
Oy Tampella Ab was a Finnish heavy industry manufacturer, a maker of paper machines, locomotives, military weaponry, as well as wood-based products such as packaging. The company was based mainly in the city of Tampere....

 Oy. Twelve Finnish cannons were built between 1970-1975, with more guns later built of later designs. These Tampella gun formed the basis for Soltam's production of the M-68 and later "Tampella series" guns. Before the 155 K 68 (Tampella), the 155HX prototype was shipped to Soltam for trials.

The first prototype was completed in 1968 for trials and evaluations by the IDF, who were satisfied with the performance of the howitzer. Subsequently, an order was placed with Soltam and a production line was initiated in 1970. The gun entered IDF service in time to serve IDF artillery corps during the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...

 of 1973.

The gun mount chassis, cylinder head and recoil system was to see further use in the next development of this gun — the Soltam M-71
Soltam M-71
The M-71 is a 155 mm 39 calibre towed howitzer manufactured by Soltam, Israel.-Design:The weapon was based on the earlier Soltam M-68 and uses the same recoil system, breech and carriage but had a longer gun barrel...

, which has a slightly longer barrel (39 calibre) and a compressed air-driven rammer to ease loading.

Deployment

In addition to Israel, this weapon is also in service with Chile, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Users

: Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...

: Chilean Army
Chilean Army
The Chilean Army is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 45,000-person army is organized into seven divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade....

: Indian Army
Indian 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...

: Philippine Army
Philippine Army
The Philippine Army is the ground arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . Its official name in Tagalog is Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas. On July 23, 2010, President Benigno Aquino III appointed Maj. Gen...

: Singapore Army
Singapore Army
The Singapore Army is the branch of the Singapore Armed Forces responsible for land operations. It is the largest of the three armed services and heavily reliant on a conscript army, comprising the majority of Singapore's Operationally Ready National Servicemen .-Capabilities:The mission of the...

: Royal Thai Army: Myanmar Army

See also

  • 155 K 83
    155 K 83
    The Tampella 155 K 83 is a Finnish towed 155 mm field gun, manufactured in the 1980s by Tampella.-History:The development process for the 155 K 83 began in 1960 when Tampella presented their concept of a new 122 mm gun for the Finnish Army. It was a sound concept, but quite a heavy gun. It was only...

  • Soltam M-71
    Soltam M-71
    The M-71 is a 155 mm 39 calibre towed howitzer manufactured by Soltam, Israel.-Design:The weapon was based on the earlier Soltam M-68 and uses the same recoil system, breech and carriage but had a longer gun barrel...

  • Ro'em / L-33 - A M4 Sherman
    M4 Sherman
    The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and Soviet armies, via lend-lease...

    chassis based self-propelled artillery piece mounting the Soltam M-68 155 mm L/33 howitzer in large enclosed superstructure.

External links

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