Nora – A Self Propelled Gun

If the Royal Artillery does end up replacing AS90 with a wheeled system the working assumption by many is a three-horse race between the Boxer RCH, BAE Archer on a MAN truck chassis, or perhaps a NEXTER CAESAR.

All good, and I am sure any of them would be a fine addition to the long arm of the British Army, but how about another option?

The NORA-B52 K1 is the latest in a long line of truck-based self-propelled guns from Yugoimport in Serbia.

Basic data, reproduced from the manufacturer’s website include

  • fire mode is 12 rounds in less than 4 minutes
  • rate of fire – 4 rds/min in loading elevation
  • barrel ballistic life – 1000 rounds with charge 10 as per the firing tables
  • with autofrettage barrel – 2000 rounds with charge 10 as per the firing tables
  • Range with ERFB projectile 32.5 km
  • Range with ERFB BB projectile 41.5 km
  • Range with VLAP projectile 52 km

It has been fitted to a Kamaz 6560 or MAN TGS chassis, one would imagine a MAN HX/SX should not present any significant challenge. It has a crew of 4 and a gross vehicle weight of less than 40 tonnes. The autoloader includes 24 projectiles and propellant charges with an additional 12 stored on the vehicle for an immediate reload.

A slightly modified version is currently being evaluated by the US Army, alongside the Nexter Caesar, BAE Archer and ATMOS Iron Sabre as part of their towed M777 155mm replacement programme. The video below shows instrumented firings before shipping to the USA for the trial programme.

Watch this video on YouTube.

We can discuss the advantages and disadvantages of wheels v tracks and Boxer module v MAN truck all day long but let’s not ignore the potential of other manufacturers.

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This Post Has 10 Comments

  2. Stephen Barnard May 5, 2021

    Nora is a very nice gun, and kudos to the US Army for having the breadth of vision to consider it!

  3. Mark Forsyth May 6, 2021

    You have got to love the fact that they appear to have just rocked up in some random farmers field and just started firing

  4. James May 6, 2021

    Japânese Type 19 may also be worth having a squint at – Man SV Chassis, already in service – whts not to like

  5. DaveyB May 6, 2021

    Personally think the Archer is the most likely replacement for AS90, especially if we get the version fitted to the Man 8×8 truck. One of the main reasons is that it is transportable in a A400M, whereas the Boxer with the RCH turret is too tall. The other reason is that unlike the Swedish version that uses the Volvo 6×6 chassis and then folds the gun away in a protective box. The Archer/Man combination will allow the the 52 cal barrel to be upgrade to the longer 62 cal barrel if required, as its parked over the top of the cab.

  7. Steve Breach May 6, 2021

    Only one problem,James.Japan does not export arms to other countries as far as I am aare

  8. Simon m May 6, 2021

    I personally think considering the automation on offer by most systems there’s some merit in going for possibly cheaper alternatives. If we truly want to close the artillery gap between us and potential adversaries.
    The Dita, Aleksandar & a few others are on offer.
    Technically RCH 155 or Archer maybe better but if you can get twice as many systems or a third more at potentially the same price? As long as reliability taken into account

  10. Peddle May 8, 2021

    Rheinmetall confirms record-breaking artillery shots at Alkantpan – defenceWeb.
    A South African Army G6 howitzer with a 52-calibre gun achieved the longest range ever attained with a conventional 155 mm artillery round: 76 kilometres, while the 52-calibre gun of PzH2000 self-propelled howitzer lobbed a shell 67 kilometres. Finally, a G5 field howitzer with a 39-calibre gun attained a range of 54 kilometres.
    My question is why are the British Army not looking at these figures to get to a real understanding of long-range accurate artillery?

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