GD Unviels New Artillery

PARIS [MENL] -- General Dynamics has unveiled an artillery system meant to
replace legacy platforms used in the Middle East and other regions.
General Dynamics European Land Systems introduced the Donar 155 mm
self-propelled artillery system at Eurosatory. The company said Donar, a
private venture with Germany's Krauss Maffei Wegmann, would phase out such
aging artillery as the U.S.-origin M109, AS-90 and K-9.
Donar, with a 52 caliber cannon, has been touted as remotely-operated,
highly-mobile and air-transportable system. The 31-ton system requires two
operators in a cabin, who press a computer screen to load and fire shells to
a distance of more than 56 kilometers. The operators sit in what executives
termed a highly protected cabin.
Executives said Donar, designed to be transported by the European A-400M
air transport, contains an onboard ammunition supply of 30 fuzed 155 mm
shells. The gun, which along with the rest of the system was tested by the
German Army, provides a 360 degree azimuth range.