Editors' Pick|May 23, 2021,08:30am EDT
Soft Recoil Technology Could Let The Army Put Heavy Guns On Light, Maneuverable Ground Vehicles
Eric Tegler
Over the next year the Army will evaluate soft recoil gun technology (SRT) on light combat vehicles starting with a pair of Humvees equipped with 105mm howitzers. Soft recoil could not only make it possible to fit relatively light vehicles like Humvees or medium tactical trucks with up to 155mm guns, but make light artillery more survivable in the bargain.
AM General has teamed with Illinois-based engineering firm Mandus Group to integrate the latter's SRT system onto Humvees and truck prototypes called Hawkeye and Brutus. Mandus Group first debuted its system in 2016 and, in cooperation with AM General, has shown it to the Army in brief demonstrations with the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and at the Army’s annual Northern Strike exercises in Michigan.
In the months to come, the team will hand over a pair of Hawkeye prototypes (soft recoil-enabled Humvees 2CTs with 105mm Howitzers ) to the Army's program manager for Towed Artillery Systems (PM-TAS) at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey for "characterization tests."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/erictegler/2021/05/23/soft-recoil-technology-could-let-the-army-put-heavy-guns-on-light-maneuverable-ground-vehicles/?sh=3fd70cbb52fd
