10.09.2020.
NORA-B52 M15 155mm Self-Propelled Gun-Howitzer– Pride of Domestic Defence Industry
The NORA–B52 M15 self-propelled gun-howitzer is one of the best-selling complex combat systems of the domestic defence industry and a project that is a proof of the capability of our military-industrial complex and inventiveness of our military engineers. This is the fifth generation of NORA in which all new knowledge and technologies have been implemented and which has proven to be very successful on three continents for a number of years.
The main mission of the NORA-B52 M15 155mm self-propelled gun-howitzer is to provide fire support to its units by powerful, sudden and rapid fire against targets at greater distances. With the accompanying combat set of ammunition, NORA is intended for the destruction and neutralization of manpower, fire arms, airborne forces, command posts, communication centres, warehouses, airports, administrative bases and other targets located deep in the enemy territory. This system can effectively neutralize artillery weapons, mortars, armoured combat vehicles, special purpose vehicles, demolish wire and other field obstacles and make passages through minefields.
The NORA-B52 project goes back to the 1980s, when the idea of mounting a long-range gun-howitzer on the chassis of an 8x8 off-road vehicle was conceived at the Military Technical Institute. From then until today, generations of extraordinary engineers have worked on this project and have made NORA the way it is today.Compared to the 152 mm M84 gun-howitzer, the self-propelled NORA-B52 M15 has numerous improvements. The very concept of this self-propelled weapon and its dimensions provide improved mobility and a longer, 41 km range, while the range of the 152 mm M84 gun howitzer is 24 km. Fire control system, the unit for communication between the crew members, automatic loader and GPS guidance system, multiple rounds simultaneous impact capability, built-in smoke pot launchers, are just some of the components that the 152 mm M84 gun-howitzer does not have, unlike the modernized NORA-B52 M15 weapon system. Also, NORA offers improved ballistic protection to the entire crew, while the 152 mm M84 gun-howitzer has only shields for the gunner and the assistant gunner.
The primary armament of the NORA-B52 M15 self-propelled howitzer is a 155 mm gun, mounted on the turret (partially armoured) on a modified base of an off-road vehicle, and the secondary armament is a 12.7 mm machine gun with a cupola. Additional armament are smoke pot launchers - two groups with 82 mm launchers each, installed in the front part of the vehicle cabin, and a coupled 20 mm M55 gun is used as a training armament.The self-propelled NORA-B52 can move on all types of ground, in all weather conditions, by day and night, and its crew consists of five members: a commander, a gunner, a driver and two crew members. Its maximum speed on a level asphalt road is about 80 km/h, and on a level macadam road about 40 km/h, it overcomes a trench about 1600 mm wide, 50% gradient and 20% side slope. The range of movement on a level road is up to 500 km, fording depth is 1 m, vertical obstacle height is 0.50 m, the minimum turning radius is about 16.6 m and its flat-tire driving range is up to 50 km.
The introduction of the NORA-B52 155 mm self-propelled gun-howitzer into the armament is important because it has a longer range, better cross-country mobility and a faster transition from the combat to the marching position and vice versa which directly affects the speed of withdrawal from the firing position. Also, the weapon system is fitted with state-of-the-art radios and a fire control system with the GPS positioning feature, which enables laying the weapon in the basic direction and orientation in just a few seconds.The NORA-B52 M15 155 mm self-propelled gun-howitzer is produced by “Yugoimport SDPR J.P.”, and this complex combat system was introduced into the armament of the Serbian Armed Forces at the beginning of 2019.
