Posted On Sunday, 09 January 2022 16:02
The first picture of the Israeli-made SIGMA 155mm 8x8 wheeled self-propelled howitzer has been released on the Twitter account of Caesar (@Ninja998998). The SIGMA is a new generation of 155mm 10x10 wheeled self-propelled howitzer designed and developed by the Israeli company Elbit Systems.
New Israeli-made SIGMA 10x10 wheeled self-propelled howitzer designed and developed by the company Elbit System. (Picture source Twiter account Caesar)
In August 2021, Army Recognition has reported that the Israeli company Elbit Systems has developed a new truck-mounted 155mm self-propelled howitzer to meet a need of the Israeli army. Today, wheeled howitzers become very popular for all armies in the world offering the advantage to be lighter and more easily deployable by fast reaction units using military transport aircraft. It also offers a high level of mobility and simplified logistics.
With this new picture, and according to Army Recognition team analysis, the SIGMA 155 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer is based on a modified American-made Oshkosh 10x10 military truck chassis with an armored cabin at the front that can provide ballistic and mine protection for the crew.
The rear part of the SIGMA 155mm howitzer is fitted with a turret-mounted artillery weapon system including a 155 mm/52 caliber barrel. The design of the turret suggests that the SIGMA 155 will be also equipped with a fully automatic loading system.
According to Jane's website, the SIGMA 155mm howitzer is equipped with a remote-controlled weapon station including an automatic loading system that sets the fuze, load the projectile, and then the Uni-Modular Artillery Charge System (UMACS) with the primers will be automatically loaded via a separate magazine.
In November 2021, the Israeli company Elbit Systems has announced a contract valued at approximately $106 million to supply SIGMA fully automatic self-propelled howitzer gun systems to a country in Asia-Pacific.
According to Elbit Systems, SIGMA is a 155mm/52 caliber self-propelled howitzer capable of automatic loading and lying of the gun system, rapid in-and-out action times and high rate of fire. The vehicle has a crew of three. Depending on the mission, SIGMA is capable of automatically selecting and loading the required projectile, propellant and fuze and laying the gun to optimally engage targets.