The US transferred an experimental 105mm howitzer to Ukraine mounted on a Humvee, Program Director at AM General Mike Evans disclosed last month.
The Humvee 2-CT Hawkeye mobile howitzer system’s secret delivery took place in April, Evans added.
“We trained it for two weeks,” Stars and Stripes quoted Evans as saying.
“They immediately went into testing, and that system’s destined to be one of the first soft recoil systems in combat. It’s going right into combat to test on live targets.”
A pair of Hawkeyes has been undergoing tests by the US Army since 2021.
Each system consists of two Humvees: one for weapons and another for support.
Soft Recoil
AM General and its strategic partner, Mandus Group, developed the mobile artillery system featuring soft recoil technology (SRT).
The technology helps absorb the weapon’s recoil shock, preventing the light vehicles from turning over.
The Hawkeye features retractable external stabilizers that are hydraulically lowered upon cannon launch and are stowed when the vehicle is on the move.
It “allows the weapon to be emplaced and displaced quickly to reduce the firing mission time and increase survivability,” AM General explained.
Greater Survivability
The system takes just 1.5 minutes to fire its first shot upon arriving at a spot and an equal amount of time to be on the move.
It features an M20 gun that fires eight rounds per minute at a range of 11.6 kilometers (7.2 miles).
Hawkeye’s nimbleness provides greater survivability against counter-battery fire on the battlefield compared to heavier truck-mounted or towed guns that take greater time to move.
However, a lack of armor leaves the crew vulnerable to strikes, making its mobility vital.