This is the king of battle tanks from germany! how strong ! Panzerhaubitze 2000

This is the king of battle tanks from germany! how strong ! Panzerhaubitze 2000Show more

The German Panzerhaubitze 2000 (literally "armored howitzer 2000") or PzH-2000 is the current self-propelled howitzer of the German, Italian, Greek and Dutch armies, and one of the most potent armor system type in the world. It is built by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall, but with a chain supply network which spans Europe. It took its root in the abandoned PzH 155-1 (SP70) NATO program, joint with Italy and the UK in 1986. The program first started in 1973, had numerous defects and was dropped after comparative trials with the M109 which was adopted instead. However, it was decided in the 1990s to give a successor to thisagingg weapons system.

A new Joint Ballistics Memorandum of Understanding for a 52 calibre barrel was passed and the German industry was asked for proposals in accordance of the JBMOU specifications. Wegmann design (merged with Krauss-Maffei in 1998) was chosen in 1996 for the chassis and turret, while Rheinmetall designed the 155 mm 52-calibre JBMOU compliant gun. After trials in the late 1990s, the PzH was ordered (185) for German's rapid reaction force and 410 for the Bundeswehr, before the order was reduced. It was introduced in service in 2000, hence its name. About 345 in all were built to this day (not counting the Italian version), at US$4.5 million apiece. But this can be raised as new customers are interested in the concept, including the US Army in accordance to their tests for a replacement for the M109.