GIAT LG1


The LG1 is a modern 105 mm towed howitzer designed and produced by GIAT Industries of France.

Design

The LG1 howitzer is a 105 mm towed artillery piece that features both low weight and a high level of accuracy over long distances. Its lightweight construction gives the barrel a relatively short lifespan. The equivalent full charge count is suggested to be approximately 7,500; however, during fire and practice, has yielded only around 1,500 EFCs. The gun was specifically designed for use by rapid deployment forces with attributes such as ruggedness, ease of operation and reduced weight. It can fire all NATO standard 105 mm ammunition up to a range of using HE-ER G3 base bleed rounds.

Deployment

The gun has been used by the Belgian Army, Canadian Army, Colombian National Army,Malaysian Army, Indonesian Marine Corps, Singapore Army and the Royal Thai Army.
Current service version with Canadian artillery is the LG1 Mark II, of which 28 were purchased for the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. GIAT supplied the first howitzers in 1996 and fielding was complete by November 1997.

Planned improvements

In August 2005, DEPRO Incorporated - a Canadian defence firm, was selected by the Canadian Forces to improve their LG-1 guns with improvements ranging from new & better muzzle brake, new-designed spades for better stability during firing and larger tires to replace the small Pirelli tires. It is expected that this new set of improvements will give the LG-1 howitzers greater reliability and lifespan, and increase the safety margin for the crew.

Combat history

Current operators

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  • Belgian Army - 14
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  • Canadian Army - 28
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  • Colombian Army - 20 LG1 MkIII ordered in 2008 + 20 ordered in 2012. There were several problems with its buffers and trunnions, along with accuracy issues in its INS Keafott KN-4051 fire control system after a few rounds and constant use/real fire training, therefore the manufacturer included improvements in its buffer system, cradle and trunnions, also the FCS was changed for the Nexter BACARA FCS, tested and approved in 2014.
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  • Malaysian Army - 18
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  • Royal Thai Army - 24 Units
  • Royal Thai Marine Corps - 30 Units
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  • Singapore Army - 39
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