Aviation Naval Warfare Land Systems Small Arms Space By Flag By Year By Tag

SRS GC-45 / Noricum GHN-45

1976 COLD WAR MODERN

History of SRS GC-45/Noricum GHN-45

Canadian-American weapons engineer Gerald Bull devoted much of his time and energy during the Cold War (1947-1991) to developing artillery shells that could fire farther than before. In the 1970s, through his Space Research Corporation (SRC) in Canada, he designed the "GC-45", a 155mm towed field howitzer system that was eventually adopted by many countries, some of which later saw local production as well . GC-45 became Bull's main claim to fame, and his expertise in the field, coupled with his ties to the Iraqi government at the time, culminated in his assassination by an unknown person.

The original GC-45 base weighed 18,120 pounds and was mounted on a four-wheel split trailer assembly. Mounting hardware allows the barrel to be raised and moved in the usual way. The rate of fire can reach five rounds per minute, and the maximum range is 40 kilometers.

The breech consists of a conventional discontinuous thread screw. A muzzle guard is optional, the recoil system is integrated into the mounting hardware, and the barrel is closed by a large slotted muzzle brake.

Bull eventually developed three shells: ERFB-BB (Base Bleed), ERFB (Full Bore) and HE M107. The ERFB-BB weighs 48 kilograms, has a muzzle velocity of nearly 3,000 feet per second, and has a range of up to 39.6 kilometers. The ERFB weighs 45.5 kilograms, has a speed of 2,940 feet per second, and has a range of up to 29.9 kilometers.

The HE M107 weighs 43 kilograms, has a speed of 2,210 feet per second, and has a range of 17.8 kilometers. Grenades are specially designed with an emphasis on range rather than accuracy (dispersion).

In 1977 Bull, working with Denel in South Africa, developed a new mounting system that included a small motor that moved the gun on its own power over short distances (the gun could still be towed as usual). Further development of Denel culminated in the "G5" local weapon system, which is described elsewhere on this site.

Bull then moved to Europe and continued his development work under the Noricum brand. During this period, a separate product "GHN-45" appeared, which included new features and improvements that attracted the attention of China, Israel, Singapore and Thailand (local production of this weapon took place in China, Israel and Singapore).

Since then, Burr has been involved in Saddam Hussein's Iraq, which is looking for a long-range weapon to deter the Iranians. The arms embargo restricted most of the GHN-45's ability to import, causing it to replace the South African G5 in some cases.

Iraq used some GHN-45 guns during the 1991 Gulf War, although many were destroyed in subsequent coalition offensives.

The FGH-155 is an evolution of the improved rifled GC-45, while the FGH-203 is a 203mm caliber version with excellent range (up to 50km). The latter is mounted by the Iraqi army on a wheeled 6x6 chassis to produce the "Al-Fao" self-propelled howitzer (SPH) - another joint venture with the Iraqi government that has put the bull in Israel's crosshairs for neutralization Iraq Israel brought Iran.

In general, Bull's firearms have been attacked by armed forces in China, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey. Bull himself was murdered in 1990.

Production of its systems began in the 1980s and continues today (2017) in one form or another, while many have seen combat action in various wars of the 20th and 21st centuries.