Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 16:23:29 -0500
Reply-To: Joel Walker <jwalker@URONRAMP.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Joel Walker <jwalker@URONRAMP.NET>
Subject: F/ Guns!?? I got your guns right here!! (vw-powered guns,
that is...)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"
yup. the following is an article found in the May 1996 issue of VW
motoring
(a british vw magazine):
BOOM BANG-A-BANG
Air-cooled flat four VW engines have been used for all kinds of
strange applications.
Military 'boffin' Shaun Conners takes a closer look at perhaps the
most obscure of all,
the NATO FH70 155mm Field Howitzer ...
Since the 1960's the armaments industries of the NATO member states
have spawned ideas
for a variety of multi-national weapons projects and one notable
example is that of the
FH70 155mm Field Howitzer.
Originally conceived in 1968 by the UK and West Germany, the first
prototypes were
finished by 1970, with Italy later joining the project as a full
partner. In total some 18
prototypes were completed, and following extensive developemnt the
first delivery
was made in 1978.
Prime contractors involved in the design and construction of FH70 were
Vickers Shipbuilding
& Engineering Ltd (UK), Rheinmetall GmbH (Germany) and OTO Melara Spa
(Italy). Total
development cost of FH70 was estimated to be 30 million Pounds and
unit cost, in 1976,
was about 300,000 Pounds. West Germany order 216, Italy 164 and the
United Kingdom 71,
and production for all three countries was completed in 1982.
In the British Army the FH70 was recently withdrawn from service with
front line units,
where it has been superceded by another VSEL product, the
self-propelled AS90.
However, there is still a role for the FH70 and it serves on with
units of the Territorial Army.
A high priority of the original design requirement was that the FH70
should be a highly
mobile weapon, capable of quick deployment with the minimum of effort.
With a battle
weight of over 9000 kg it was obvious that an auxiliary power unit
(APU), enabling the
weapon to operate independently of its limber vehicle, would be
required.
Because of dimensional constraints the obvious choice of engine for
this APU was that
of a flat four configuration. Perhaps unsurprisingly, with West
Germany being one of the
design partners, the flat four chosen for this APU was a Volkswagen
engine, which is
where all this starts to become relevant to VW Motoring readers ...
Carrying the designation Type 127, the unit is, in fact, the 1800cc
twin carburettor
'Type 4' engine as fitted to the VW 411/412, Porsche 914 and some
later model Transporter
vans. Type 127 is simply the industrial designation given to the Type
4 engine, under which
banner it has appeared in quite a variety of industrial applications.
Other weapons system
uses have included an anti-aircraft gun power unit, but by far the
most popular use has
been in the role of fire pump power unit.
In the FH70 field howitzer role the functions of the APU include
driving the main wheels,
thus making the gun independently mobile, and providing hydraulic
power for both
steering and the raising and lowering of the main and trail wheels.
This facility greatly speeds up deployment and it also removes the
need to couple up
to the limber vehicle every time a small position change is required,
thus reducing the
chances of the heavy limber vehicle becoming bogged down when
constantly
manoeuvreing in areas of soft ground. It also allows the limber to
remain in
concealment, well away from the firing position.
In the APU mode the FH70 can attain a maximum speed of 16 kph and can
climb a
gradient of 34 percent. With the exception of re-positioning the
engine ancillaries
the actual power plant seems to be modified ittle, if at all, from its
civilian counterpart.
Unfortunately, just six months ago, following a massive archive
clearout at Wolfsburg,
all technical data on the FH70 project was disposed of!
For the purpose of service commonality in this military application
the Type 127 runs
24-volt electrics and is fitted with an isolator switch and
inter-vehicle start socket;
that superb military idea which enables a universal plug-ended cable
to be used
for emergency jump-starting.
For the sake of simplicity the hydraulic pump is not engine driven but
takes its drive
from the specialist Getrag three-speed syncromesh gearbox. The engine,
gearbox and
differential are all centrally mounted in a space frame assembly
attached to the front
part of the gun carriage.
The entire space frame assembly can be removed by a team of three men
in under
five minutes. All fuel and hydraulic connections are covered by one
quick release
coupling, lighting is by two multi-pin plug sockets and the long
splined drive
shafts are of the quick release type.
With these items disconnected all that remains is the removal of four
retaining pins,
after which the 475 kgs of space frame assembly can then simply be
lifted away ...
usually by mechanical means, but with a gun crew numbering eight,
manual methods
can be emplyed in an emergency!
As for maintenance, all daily checdks can be carried out in under 10
minutes and
although the most seasoned gunnes will complain that anything
involving the
Germans is inordinately complex, they will quickly qualify that
statement with
the addition that the VW-powered APU is, without doubt, the most
reliable
part of the entire weapon assembly
Thnaks to the following for all their help in the preparation of this
item:
Major D. Aldous & Sgt. Mick Wise at 202 Battery Sufflok and Norfolk
Yoemanry TA,
Steve Millard & Paul Buckett at W.
---------------------------------------------
unca joel's comments:
the pictures are of a typical large field piece gun. except for the
ones of the APU. :)
instantly recognizable is the Type 4 engine from the older buses. the
only difference
i can see is that the distributor cap is metal and screwed/bolted on,
and the coil is
metal covered. but the same cooling shroud, twin carbs with long
activating rods,
and the dufus-looking air filter are all there. :) you could most
likely lift this engine
out and put it right into your bus. ;)
so when you're looking for replacement engines for your 80-83
aircooled buses,
don't forget to stop by the local military surplus yards!!!! :)
