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General
information |
The
Otobreda Palmaria is a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer
which was developed by the Italian Company OTO Melara
for the export market. This vehicle share many components
with the Italian main battle tank OF-40,
which was in service in the United Arab Emirates
Army. The first Palmaria prototype was completed
in 1981, and production vehicles were completed
in the following year. The first customer to order
the Palmaria was Libya, with an order for 210. Nigeria
ordered 25 during 1982 and a further 20 Palmaria
turrets were ordered by Argentina to be fitted on
locally built TAM medium tank chassis. These were
completed late in 1986 by which time final deliveries
had been made to Libya and Nigeria. |
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Variants: |
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Armament |
The
Palmaria is armed with an 155 mm barrel
41 calibre which is fitted with a fume extractor
and a muzzle brake and is loaded automatically.
Using the automatic loading system, the
howitzer can fire one round every 15 seconds,
one round every minute for 1 hour or one
round every 3 minutes continuously. A 7.62
or 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun can
be mounted on the roof for anti-aircraft
defence and four 76 mm smoke grenade dischargers
are mounted either side of the turret firing
towards the front. A complet range of ammunition
has been developped for the Palmaria. The
standard HE, smoke an illuminating projectiles
have a range of 24,700 m, the HE LT projectiles
27,500 m, and the HE rocket-assisted projectile
30,000 m.
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Protection |
The
the hull and the turret of Palmaria is made
in all-welded steel, which provides protection
against small arms fire and artillery shell
splinters. The driver is seated at the front
of the hull on the right side the centre.
The other four crew members, commander,
gunner, charge handler and magazine operator,
are seated in the aluminium turret in the
centre of the hull. The Palmaria turret
has 360° traverse and the gun can be
elevated from -4° to 70° hydraulically,
with manual controls for emergency use.
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Propulsion |
The
Palmraia is motorized with an MTU MB 837
Ea-500 (or Ka-500 developing 1,000 hp) 4-stroke,
precombustion chamber, turbocharged, 8-cylinder
multifuel developing 750 hp coupled to an
Renk RK 304 power shifting transmission
with 4-speed, 4 forward and 2 reverse. The
Palmaria suspension is of the torsion bar
type with seven dual rubber-tyred roadwheels
on each side. The first three and last two
roadwheels have hydraulic shock-absorbers
and bump stops to prevent excessive wheel
travel. The adjustable idler is at the front,
drive sprocket at the rear and there are
five track support return rollers on each
side. The upper part of the track and suspension
is covered by a steel-reinforced rubber
skirt which keeps dust down and provides
some level of protection against attack
by HEAT projectiles. The Palmaria can run
at a maximum speed of 60 km/h, with a maximum
cruising range of 500 km.
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Accessories |
The
Palmaria has an auxiliary power unit to
supply the hydraulic and electric power
required to operate the turret, consisting
of a diesel engine driving through a gearbox,
a generator and a hydraulic pump. Standard
equipment includes an NBC system, an automatic
fire-extinguishing system, bilge pumps and
an emergency escape hatch in the floor.
Track skirts help to keep down dust during
cross-country travel.
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Specifications |
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Armament |
One
155 mm gun, 1 × 7.62
mm MG, 2 × 4 76 mm
smoke grenade dischargers |
Country
users |
Argentina,
Libya, Nigeria |
Designer
Country |
Italy
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Accessories |
NBC
protection system, automatic
fire-extinguishing system,
night vision, automatic
loading system, auxiliary
power unit |
Crew |
5
soldiers
a
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Armor |
All-welded steel, protection
against small arms fire
and artillery shell splinters. |
Combat
Weight |
46,000
kg |
Speed |
60
km/hr |
Range |
500
km
a
a
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Dimensions |
Length,
11,474 m with gun; Width,
3,35 m;
Height, 2,87 m |
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