ST Kinetics FH-88

History of ST Kinetics FH-88

The 155mm FH-88 series field howitzer launched in 1988 became the Singapore Army's first locally designed and built artillery. Development of the system began in 1983 to modernize existing artillery (replacing the Israeli-born 1975 Soltam M-71 series), expand artillery fire support to the Army, and reduce reliance on imported military equipment.

Development was led by Ordnance Development (ODE), which later became ST Kinetics - the main arms manufacturer for the Singapore government forces. The weapon was designed to the 155mm NATO standard and entered mass production in 1987.

Its design was heavily influenced by Canadian-American artillery engineer Gerald Bull. Singapore bought Bull's guns and produced them locally.

The FH-88 is based on a semi-automatic firing action and an integrated recoil mechanism. Projectiles are loaded through the breech by an interrupted screw design with electronic rammer assist. The barrel has a caliber of 155 mm and is closed by a perforated muzzle brake.

The barrel is mounted on its mounting system allowing -3 to +70 degrees of elevation and +/- 20 degrees of lateral movement. This allowed eight crew members to conduct indirect fire from enemy positions over 10 miles (longer when using rocket-assisted projectiles).

Like other field guns in its class, the FH-88 can fire conventional and chemical munitions as needed. The gun and mounting system are mounted on a six-wheel split trailer, allowing the system to be towed by a moving vehicle.

The FH-88 was used with the limited production FH-2000 and the updated SLWH Pegasus 155mm artillery system. Indonesia has been the only foreign operator of the FH-88 system since 2013.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Performance

Armor

Depends on the ammunition carrier.

Changes