AS-90 Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids AS-90
Some AS-90s in Basra.
Type	Self-propelled artillery
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Specifications
Mass	45.0 tons (100,800 lb)
Length	9.07 m (29 ft 9 in)
Width	3.5 m (11 ft 6 in)
Height	2.49 m (8 ft 2 in)

Armour	max. 17 mm (0.66 in) steel
Main armament	48 rounds
Secondary armament	L7 GPMG
Engine	Cummins VTA903T V8 diesel 660 hp (493 kW)
Power/weight	14.66 hp/t
Maximum speed	53 km/h (33 mph)

The AS-90 (which stands for Artillery System for the 1990s) is a powerful type of self-propelled artillery gun. This means it is a large gun that can move itself around. It has light armour to protect its crew. The AS-90 is used by the British Army. It first started being used in 1993. Its official name is Gun Equipment 155 mm L131.

The AS-90 is used by five special groups in the British Army called regiments. These are part of the Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Artillery.

The AS-90 was designed and built by a company called Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering (VSEL). This company is now part of BAE Systems. They made 179 AS-90 guns between 1992 and 1995. This project cost about £300 million.

In 2002, there was a plan to upgrade 96 AS-90s. The idea was to give them a longer gun barrel (called a 52 calibre gun). This would let them shoot shells up to 30 km away. With special shells, they might even reach 60 to 80 km. However, this upgrade project was later stopped.

How the AS-90 Was Developed
Key Design Features
Important Features
Different Types of AS-90s
Images for kids
See also

How the AS-90 Was Developed

The idea for the AS-90 started in the mid-1980s. It was a bit of a risk, as it was designed because another project, the SP70 gun, was expected to fail. When the SP70 project did fail, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) needed a new artillery vehicle.

Four different designs were shown to the MoD. The AS-90 was the only one they liked and chose.

The MoD also tried to make the main gun on Royal Navy ships use parts from the AS-90. This would mean the Army and Navy would use the same size gun barrel and other parts. This would make it easier to share ammunition. It would also help both groups work together to develop new weapons.

Key Design Features

The AS-90 has a special power unit. This unit lets the gun work without the main engine running all the time. This helps to save fuel and keep the batteries charged.

The gun can be ready to fire very quickly. It can start up in less than one minute, even when it is fully shut down.

The AS-90 also has a special computer system. It is called the Turret Control Computer (TCC). This computer controls all the main actions of the gun's turret.

Important Features

AS-90 on Salisbury Plain

Crew: 5 people
Length: 9.07 meters (about 30 feet)
Width: 3.5 meters (about 11.5 feet)
Height: 2.49 meters (about 8 feet)
Weight: 45 tons (very heavy!)
Ammunition carried: 48 shells

Different Types of AS-90s

Haubicoarmata "Krab"

AS-90D - This version was changed to work better in the desert. It has extra cooling for its engine and other parts.

AS-90 "Braveheart" - This was the name for the AS-90 with the longer 52 calibre gun. As mentioned, this project was cancelled.

Haubicoarmata "Krab" - (This means Howitzer-cannon Crab in English). This is a "Braveheart" turret placed on a Polish vehicle base, called a chassis. It was designed in Poland by two companies. By 2007, two test versions of the Krab had been built.