Royal Ordnance L9 is a British short-barrelled 165 mm (6.5 in) gun used for combat engineering, particularly the demolition of defences.
| Royal Ordnance L9 | |
|---|---|
 Centurion AVRE 165 | |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Royal Ordnance Factories |
| Specifications | |
| Shell weight | 29 kg (64 lb) |
| Calibre | 165 mm (6.5 in) |
Initially called Ordnance BL 6.5" Mk I, it was later renamed 165mm L9 Demolition Gun.
The gun is capable of firing a 29 kg (64 lb) High Explosive Squash Head (HESH) demolition projectile distances up to 2,400 m (2,600 yd).[1] The HESH shell contains 18 kg (40 lb) of C-4 explosive.[2]
The L9 gun was mounted on Royal Engineers AVRE versions of the Churchill and Centurion tanks after the Second World War.
The gun's primary purpose is the clearing of obstacles such as walls, fences, roadblocks or bunkers, and the destruction of buildings.[3]
Variants edit
- L9A1: improved version
- M135: American version, used on M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle, variant of the M60 Patton tank.[4]
Citations edit
- ^ "British Ground Weapons and Vehicles". Archived from the original on 19 September 2010.
- ^ http://britains-smallwars.com/gulf/gulfweapons.html
- ^ "Appendix A: Survivability equipment". FM 5-103 Survivability. Department of the Army. 10 June 1985. p. A-2.
- ^ Richard Lathrop; John McDonald; Jim Laurier (25 September 2003). M60 Main Battle Tank 1960-91. ISBN 9781841765518.
General and cited references edit
- US Army Field Manual FM 5-103 Survivability, Appendix A, Headquarters, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C., 10 June 1985
- Hunnicutt, R. P. Patton: A History of the American Main Battle Tank. 1984; Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-230-1.