| Royal Ordnance L9 | |
|---|---|
 Centurion AVRE 165 | |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Royal Ordnance Factories |
| Specifications | |
| Calibre | 165 mm |
Royal Ordnance L9 is a British short-barrelled 165 mm calibre gun used for combat engineering, particularly the demolition of defences.
The gun is capable of firing a 64 lb (29 kg) High Explosive Squash Head (HESH) demolition projectile distances up to 2,400 m (2,600 yd).[1] The HESH shell contains 40 lb of C-4 explosive.
The L9 gun was mounted on Royal Engineers AVRE versions of the Churchill tank post-Second World War, and on the Centurion tank.
The gun's primary purpose is for clearing obstacles such as walls, fences, roadblocks, bunkers, etc. or for destroying buildings.[2]
Variants[]
M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle
- L9A1 - improved version
- The American M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle variant of the M60 Patton tank used a XM135 gun patterned after the British 165 mm.[3]
Notes[]
References[]
- US Army Field Manual FM 5-103 Survivability, Appendix A, Headquarters, Department of the Army, Washington, DC 10 June 1985
- Hunnicutt, R. P. Patton: A History of the American Main Battle Tank. 1984; Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-230-1.
The original article can be found at Royal Ordnance L9 and the edit history here.