In July 1981, a report was submitted in close collaboration with the artillery system engineering working group (ASEWG) to develop a generation of concept self-propelled howitzers with anti-armor capabilities, along with all their various support systems. The M109A2, dubbed Class I, was used as a baseline from which these various concepts were drawn up and compared to. The main commonality between all concepts was that they used 155 mm howitzers.
Class IV sought a unique way to react to the counterbattery threat. It was decided that this class of concepts should be optimized to operate at incredibly long distances, to the point where 90% of enemy artillery simply had too short of a firing range. Both concepts IVA and IVB were casemate SPHs experimenting with different types of ammunition. IVA's was rocket-boosted whereas IVB's simply used a larger cannon.
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| A drawing detailing the autoreloading mechanism for the Concept IVB. |
As with the previously described Concept A, the Concept IVB takes advantage of the autoreloading mechanic and should get an additional shell (four instead of three), essentially turning the vehicle into a worse, non-turreted B-C 155 58. In exchange for the downsides of the mechanic and the lack of a turret, it should see a reasonable degree of accuracy and an above-average muzzle velocity and firing range, considering the long-range capabilities of the tank.
Guns: 155 mm HTB III Cannon (autoreloader)
Engines: Cummins VTA-903-T660 (660 hp)
Suspensions/Alternate Hulls, Total Weight (metric tons): Concept IVB (32.66)
Hull Armor (mm): 32/32/32
Top Speed: 61 km/h
Crew: 3 (Driver/Loader; Gunner/Loader; Commander/Radio)
Parent: Concept A
Sources:
Parent: Concept A
Sources:
Harvey Garver & Harold Liberman, Special Publications ARLCD-SP-81003 (AD-A102819), 1981
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