Editing G6 howitzer

{{Short description|South African 155 mm self-propelled artillery}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}

{{Infobox weapon
 |name= G6
 |image= [[Image:Denel G6-45 Ysterplaat Airshow 2006.jpg|300px|G6 howitzer]]
 |caption= G6 howitzer parked at [[Air Force Base Ysterplaat]] in 2006
 |origin= [[South Africa]]
 |type= [[Self-propelled artillery]]
 |is_vehicle=yes
 |service=
 |used_by= See ''[[#Operators|Operators]]''
 |wars= [[South African Border War]]<br />[[Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)]]
 <!-- Production history -->
 |designer= [[Denel Land Systems|Lyttelton Engineering Works]]<ref name="JaneAA">{{cite book | last = Christopher F. Foss| title = Jane's Armour and Artillery| year = 2001|edition= 2002|page= 698 | publisher = Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd| isbn= 978-0710623096}}</ref>
 |design_date= 1981<ref name=Harmse>{{cite book|last1=Harmse|first1=Kyle|last2=Dunstan|first2=Simon|title=South African Armour of the Border War 1975–89|date=23 February 2017|pages=32–46|publisher=Osprey Publishing|location=Oxford|isbn=978-1472817433}}</ref>
 |manufacturer= [[Denel Land Systems]] <small>(turret)</small><br />[[Land Systems OMC]] <small>(chassis)</small><ref name="Recognition">{{cite book| last = Christopher F. Foss| title = Jane's Tanks and Combat Vehicles Recognition Guide| edition = 2000| pages = [https://archive.org/details/janestankcombatv00foss/page/440 440–441]| publisher = Harper Collins Publishers| isbn = 978-0-00-472452-2| url = https://archive.org/details/janestankcombatv00foss/page/440| date = 16 May 2000}}</ref>
 |unit_cost= [[United States dollar|USD]] $3,272,000 <small>(new)</small><ref name="Forecast">{{cite web|title=G6 Renoster 155 mm Self-Propelled Howitzer|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|url=https://www.forecastinternational.com/archive/disp_old_pdf.cfm?ARC_ID=1138|location=Newtown, Connecticut, United States
|publisher=Forecast International, Incorporated|date=2000|access-date=29 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329234035/https://www.forecastinternational.com/archive/disp_old_pdf.cfm?ARC_ID=1138|archive-date=29 March 2017}}</ref>
 |production_date= 1988–1999<ref name="Forecast"/>
 |number= 154<ref name="Forecast"/>
 |variants= See ''[[#Variants|Variants]]''
 <!-- General specifications -->
 |weight= {{convert|46|t|ST LT|lk=out}}<ref name="Compendium">{{cite book | last = Chant |first =Christopher | title = A Compendium of Armaments and Military Hardware | location = New York | publisher = Routledge & Kegan Paul | year = 1987 | isbn = 0-7102-0720-4 | oclc = 14965544 | pages = 76–77 }}</ref>
 |length= {{convert|9.20|m|ftin|abbr=on}} <small>(hull)</small><ref name="Compendium"/>
 |width= {{convert|3.40|m|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name="Compendium"/>
 |height={{convert|3.20|m|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name="Compendium"/>
 |crew= 6<ref name="Recognition"/>
 <!-- Vehicle/missile specifications -->
 |armour=
 |primary_armament= 155mm [[G5 howitzer]] (47 rounds)<ref name="Compendium"/>
 |secondary_armament= 12.7mm [[M2 Browning]] machine gun (900 rounds)<ref name="Compendium"/>
 |engine= [[Magirus Deutz]] Model FL 413 F/FR air-cooled diesel<ref name="Forecast"/>
 |engine_power= 525 hp (391&nbsp;kW)<ref name="Compendium"/>
 |transmission=
 |fuel_capacity= 700 litres<ref name="Compendium"/>
 |pw_ratio= 11.17hp&nbsp;/tonne (8.7&nbsp;kW/tonne)<ref name="Recognition"/>
 |suspension= [[Torsion bar suspension|Torsion bar]] with hydraulic shock dampers<ref name="Forecast"/>
 |clearance= {{convert|0.45|m|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name="Recognition"/>
 |vehicle_range= 700&nbsp;km<ref name="Recognition"/>
 |speed= 90&nbsp;km/h (55 mph)<ref name="Compendium"/>
 }}

The '''G6''', sometimes denoted as the '''G6 ''Rhino''''',<ref name=Data1>{{cite book|last=Chant|first=Christopher|title=An illustrated data guide to modern artillery|date=1997|page=[https://archive.org/details/illustrateddatag00chan_0/page/29 29]|publisher=Tiger Books International|location=London|isbn=978-1855018617|url=https://archive.org/details/illustrateddatag00chan_0/page/29}}</ref> is a South African [[Self-propelled artillery|self-propelled]] [[howitzer]].<ref name="saarmy-gv6">{{cite web|url=http://www.army.mil.za/equipment/weaponsystems/artillery/GV6_115mm_MK1_Gun_Howitzer_Propelled.htm|title=Weapon systems: Artillery - GV6|publisher=[[South African Army]]|access-date=4 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601191345/http://www.army.mil.za/equipment/weaponsystems/artillery/GV6_115mm_MK1_Gun_Howitzer_Propelled.htm|archive-date=1 June 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> It was developed as a turreted, self-propelled variant of the [[G5 howitzer|G5 howitzer series]], mating the gun to a six-wheeled [[landmine|mine]]-protected armoured chassis.<ref name="MHJ-9-1">{{Cite journal|last=Greeff|first=I.B.|date=June 1992|title=South Africa's Modern Long Tom|journal=Military History Journal|publisher=The South African Military History Society|volume=9|issue=1|issn=0026-4016|url=http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol091ig.html|access-date=1 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131010753/http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol091ig.html|archive-date=31 January 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> Design work on the G6 began in the late 1970s to replace the obsolescent [[Sexton (artillery)|Sexton]] being retired from service with the artillery regiments of the [[South African Army]].<ref name="Defence1">{{cite web|title=Obsolescence risk mitigation study for G6|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|url=http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18732:obsolescence-risk-mitigation-study-for-g6&catid=50:Land&Itemid=105|location=Rivonia, Johannesburg|publisher=[[ITWeb]]|date=6 September 2011|access-date=30 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330221848/http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18732%3Aobsolescence-risk-mitigation-study-for-g6&catid=50%3ALand&Itemid=105|archive-date=30 March 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Serial production commenced between 1988 and 1999.<ref name="Forecast"/>

At the time of its introduction, the G6 was considered one of the most mobile self-propelled howitzers in service.<ref name="JaneIDR1">{{cite journal|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Jane's International Defense Review: IDR|date=2001|volume=34|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5ti5AAAAIAAJ|journal=Jane's International Defence Review}}</ref> Its chassis was engineered to be mine-resistant and blastproof, allowing it to survive multiple [[TM-46 mine|TM-46]] detonations during trials.<ref name=SurviveRide>{{cite book|last1=Camp|first1=Steve|last2=Helmoed-Römer|first2=Heitman|title=Surviving the Ride: A pictorial history of South African Manufactured Mine-Protected vehicles|date=November 2014|pages=224–225|publisher=30 Degrees South|location=Pinetown|isbn=978-1928211-17-4}}</ref> The G6 was conceived as a wheeled rather than a tracked vehicle for this purpose, as well as to allow it to deploy long distances by road without consuming excessive quantities of fuel or requiring a [[tank transporter]].<ref name=SurviveRide/>

G6s entered service during the last two years of the [[South African Border War]], frequently shelling positions held by the [[People's Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola|People's Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola]] (FAPLA) during the [[Battle of Cuito Cuanavale]].<ref name="Weigert">{{cite book|title=Angola: A Modern Military History|last=Weigert|first=Stephen|year=2011|location=Basingstoke|publisher=Palgrave-Macmillan|isbn=978-0230117778|pages=87–96}}</ref> Their ability to bombard a target and change positions rapidly in less than two minutes, with minimal preparation, greatly reduced the threat posed by retaliatory Angolan air raids and [[counter-battery fire]].<ref name=Malan>{{cite book|last=Malan|first=Magnus|title=My Life with the SA Defence Force|date=2006|pages=236–237|publisher=Protea Boekhuis|location=Pretoria|isbn=978-1869191146}}</ref> A number of G6s were subsequently manufactured for export and purchased by [[Abu Dhabi]] and [[Oman]].<ref name="trade">{{cite web |url=http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php |title=Trade Registers |publisher=Armstrade.sipri.org |access-date=2013-06-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513073842/http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php |archive-date=13 May 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> Export models included a specialist anti-aircraft variant with a [[Marksman anti-aircraft system|GEC-Marconi Marksman turret]] and twin-barrelled 35mm autocannon.<ref name=Cordesman1>{{cite book|last=Cordesman|first=Anthony|title=Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE: Challenges of Security|date=1997|page=194|publisher=Westview Press|location=Boulder|isbn=978-0813332406}}</ref>

[[Chile]] briefly produced the G6 under licence as the '' CC-SP-45'', although this arrangement was later terminated after the system was not adopted by that country's armed forces.<ref name="Forecast"/> [[Iraq]] also manufactured its own domestic variant of the G6<ref name=Majnoon>{{cite book|last=Ṣāyigh|first=Yazīd|title=Arab Military Industry: Capability, Performance, and Impact|date=1992|page=[https://archive.org/details/arabmilitaryindu00sayi/page/110 110]|publisher=Brassey's Incorporated, Publishing House|location=London|isbn=978-0080417776|url=https://archive.org/details/arabmilitaryindu00sayi/page/110}}</ref> as the ''Al Majnoon'' with technical assistance from Canadian artillery engineer [[Gerald Bull]], which later evolved into the much larger and more sophisticated [[Al Fao]].<ref name=Chauhan>{{cite book|last=Chauhan|first=Sharad|title=War on Iraq|date=2003|pages=258–259|publisher=APH Publishing Corporation|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-8176484787}}</ref>

==Ammunition characteristics==
[[File:G6 shells and charges-001.jpg|thumb|G5/G6 ammunition]]
* Maximum range:
** 30,000 m with standard HE rounds,
** 39,000 m with HE [[base bleed]] rounds, and
** 42,000 m with HE base bleed rounds (BB—fired from G6-52)
** 50,000 m with HE base bleed rounds (BB—fired from G6-52 extended range)
** 52,500 m with a special velocity-enhanced long range projectile (V-LAP—fired from G6).
** 58,000 m with a special velocity-enhanced long range projectile (V-LAP—fired from G6-52).
** 67,450 m M9703A1 V-LAP round (tested successfully to 73,000 m by Denel in G6-52 extended range platform)
** 76,280 m M9703 Practice Inert V-LAP<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.edrmagazine.eu/rheinmetall-sets-three-new-distance-records-for-indirect-fire-in-south-africa|title=Rheinmetall sets three new distance records for indirect fire in South Africa|first=Olga|last=Ruzhelnyk|date=27 November 2019}}</ref>
* Minimum range: 3,000 m.
* [[Rate of fire]]: 4 round/min, 2 round/min sustained.
* [[Ammunition]]: 155&nbsp;mm [[Rifling#Extended range, full bore|ERFB]]. 47 rounds, 50 charges, 64 primers and fuzes
* [[Accuracy]]: 0.1% of range in [[azimuth]], 0.48% of range in range
* In 2012 four [[Cartridge (firearms)|rounds]] of [[M982 Excalibur]] [[precision guided munitions]] were fired to a range of 38&nbsp;km, all landing within 5 m of the target.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-290906341.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415174707/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-290906341.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-04-15 |title=Raytheon Fires Excalibur from G6 Self-Propelled Howitzer |publisher=Defense & Aerospace Week |date=2012-05-23 |access-date=2016-11-06}}</ref>

==Variants==
* '''G6'''
* '''G6 M1A3''': exported [[UAE]] version
* '''G6-52''' (23 [[litre]] chamber)
* '''G6-52 extended range''' (25 litre chamber)
* '''Al-Majnoon''': licensed [[Iraq]]i version
** Reduced crew to 3–5;
** can fire projectile up to 67&nbsp;km at a rate of fire of eight rounds/minute;
** increased off-road speeds to nearly 70&nbsp;km/h;
** implemented [[multiple rounds simultaneous impact]] (MRSI) technology and can land six (G6-52L variant) or five (G6-52) rounds simultaneously at targets up to 25&nbsp;km away.
* '''[[Marksman anti-aircraft system|G6 Marksman]]''': a British [[Self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon|SPAAG]] version, combining the G6's base vehicle with the Marksman turret.<ref name="fi-14sep2004-10">{{Cite journal|date=September 2004|title=Denel in UK gun link-up|journal=[[Flight International]]|publisher=[[Flightglobal.com]]|issue=14–20 September 2004|page=10|issn=0015-3710}}<!--|access-date=2010-01-04--></ref>

==Operators==
[[File:G6 operators.png|thumb|400px|Map of G6 operators in blue]]
* {{Flag icon|South Africa}} [[South Africa]]: 43 systems;<ref name="AT">{{cite web|url=http://www.army-technology.com/projects/g6/|title=G6 155mm Self Propelled Howitzer, South Africa|publisher=army-technology.com|access-date=1 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212210736/http://www.army-technology.com/projects/g6/|archive-date=12 February 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> two are constantly used for training, the rest are in storage <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13537:fact-file-g6-l45-self-propelled-towed-gun-howitzer-&catid=79:fact-files&Itemid=159 |title=Fact file: G6 L45 self-propelled towed gun-howitzer |date=10 February 2011 |publisher=defenceWeb |access-date=2016-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109033607/http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13537:fact-file-g6-l45-self-propelled-towed-gun-howitzer-&catid=79:fact-files&Itemid=159 |archive-date=9 January 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="IISS 2024">{{cite book |last1=International Institute for Strategic Studies |title=The Military Balance 2024 |date=2024 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-040-05115-3 |language=en |ref={{SfnRef|IISS|2024}} |author1-link=International Institute for Strategic Studies }}</ref> Also known as the '''GV6 Rhino''' within the [[South African National Defence Force]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/rsa/g6.htm|title=G6 Rhino 155mm SELF-PROPELLED GUN-HOWITZER|publisher=GlobalSecurity.org|access-date=1 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100126095322/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/rsa/g6.htm|archive-date=26 January 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> 
* {{Flag icon|United Arab Emirates}} [[United Arab Emirates]]: 78 systems in service as of 2024.<ref name="IISS 2024"/><ref name="AT"/>
* {{Flag icon|Oman}} [[Oman]]: 24 systems in service as of 2024.<ref name="IISS 2024"/><ref name="AT"/>

==Combat history==
The first G6 prototype appeared in 1981, during the height of the [[South African Border War]].<ref name=Harmse/> Four engineering development models were being tested with the [[South African Defence Force]] by the mid-1980s.<ref name=Harmse/> In October 1987, the South African government ordered all the G6s deployed to Angola for combat trials as part of [[Operation Hooper]].<ref name="Weigert"/> One suffered an engine failure, so only three actually reached Angola, where they joined expeditionary troops of the [[4 South African Infantry Battalion]].<ref name=Harmse/> Operating as an independent battery, the three G6s were instrumental in the bombardment of the strategic Angolan airfield at [[Cuito Cuanavale]].<ref name="Weigert"/> In this their crews were significantly aided by [[South African special forces]] acting as forward artillery observers near the airfield; on one occasion the G6s were able to destroy four Angolan [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21]]s on the ground as they attempted to take off.<ref name="MHJ-9-1"/>

The heightened artillery threat to the Cuito Cuanavale airfield eventually forced the Angolan pilots to relocate their operations to another airstrip at [[Menongue]], which was beyond the range of the G5 and G6 but severely diminished their ability to time and execute their missions, given Menongue's distance from the actual fighting.<ref name="Weigert"/> However, they also began making South African artillery positions the primary targets of their raids, forcing the G6 crews to constantly shift positions after each bombardment.<ref name=Harmse/> The G6s themselves were considered so valuable that an air defence contingent from South Africa's [[10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment]] was subsequently attached to the battery for the remainder of the campaign.<ref name=Harmse/>

The G6 is not known to have seen combat again until 2015, when a single battery was deployed with the [[Union Defence Force (UAE)|United Arab Emirates Defence Force]] to [[Aden]] during the [[Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)|Yemeni Crisis]].<ref name="Analytics1">{{cite web|title=Analysis: Emirati armoured brigade spearheads Aden breakout|last=Binnie|first=Jeremy|url=http://www.janes.com/article/61175/regional-focus-middle-east-and-africa-es2016d1|location=London
|publisher=Jane's Information Group|date=7 August 2015|access-date=29 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219220559/http://www.janes.com/article/53503/analysis-emirati-armoured-brigade-spearheads-aden-breakout|archive-date=19 December 2015}}</ref> The howitzers were landed in Aden by ship and escorted by a large Emirati armoured formation.<ref name="Analytics1"/> They have since been used to shell [[Houthi]] militant positions in support of Emirati and allied Yemeni offensives carried out near [[Taiz]].<ref name="Sunday1">{{cite news|title=SA arms used to bomb civilians in Yemen|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|url=http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/stnews/2015/11/15/SA-arms-used-to-bomb-civilians-in-Yemen1|work=The Sunday Times|location=Johannesburg|date=11 November 2015|access-date=24 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325001622/http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/stnews/2015/11/15/SA-arms-used-to-bomb-civilians-in-Yemen1|archive-date=25 March 2017}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:G6 Howitzer6.JPG
File:G6 Howitzer5.JPG
File:G6 Howitzer2.JPG
File:G6 Howitzer4.JPG
File:G6 Kanon.jpg
</gallery>

==See also==
<!-- Add only similar WHEELED systems! Compare armoured systems only with similar armoured systems and nothing else! -->
* [[Al-Fao]]
* [[Archer Artillery System|Archer]]
* [[DRDO Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System|DRDO ATAGS]]
* [[ATMOS 2000]]
* [[A-222 Bereg]]
* [[2S22 Bohdana]]
* [[CAESAR self-propelled howitzer|CAESAR]]
* [[152mm SpGH DANA|DANA]]
* [[AHS Kryl]]
* [[Nora B-52]]
* [[PCL-09]]
* [[PCL-161]]
* [[PCL-181]]
* [[Type 08#Variants|PLL-09]]
* [[Type 19 155 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer|Type 19]]
* [[155mm SpGH ZUZANA|ZUZANA]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|G6 howitzer}}
* [http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/g6.htm G6 profile from FAS]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/rsa/g6-52.htm G6-52 Press Overview]
* [http://www.denellandsystems.co.za/g6_52_artillery_product.html Denel G6-52 official web page]

{{Denel}}
{{South African AFV}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:G6 Howitzer}}
[[Category:Wheeled self-propelled howitzers]]
[[Category:Cold War artillery of South Africa]]
[[Category:155 mm artillery]]
[[Category:Denel]]
[[Category:Military vehicles introduced in the 1980s]]
[[Category:Six-wheeled vehicles]]