FH-2000

The FH-2000 is a 155 mm/52-calibre towed howitzer developed by Singapore Technologies for the Singapore Army. It derives from the earlier FH-88, first produced in 1983, and retains many of that system's components, including the sighting system and auxiliary power unit. Development began in 1990 and the first prototype was completed in 1991. That prototype was refined further, with acceptance tests concluded in December 1993. The principal difference from the FH-88 is the longer 52-calibre barrel, replacing the 39-calibre tube of the earlier gun.

The firing platform, once fully deployed, supports the howitzer through a tripod structure. Firing loads pass into the ground through this tripod, isolating the hydraulic cylinders of the platform. The breech mechanism is semi-automatic and opens during counter-recoil. An electronically controlled, hydraulically powered flick rammer seats the projectile in the chamber. The gun can be fitted with sighting systems ranging from optical to electro-optical, linked to fire control computers. It is served by a crew of eight. A diesel auxiliary power unit provides limited self-propulsion, allowing the piece to reposition without a prime mover. Maximum range exceeds 40 kilometres with extended-range ammunition, which was field tested in New Zealand.

ST Kinetics assisted Turkey in the design and manufacture of the 155 mm/52-calibre Panter towed howitzer, understood to be based on the FH-2000 but fitted locally with a more powerful auxiliary power unit giving a higher self-propelled speed.

By 1995, 18 guns were in service with the 23rd Singapore Artillery Battalion, organised in three batteries of six. The Indonesian Army has also taken delivery of the type. The FH-2000 was entered in an Indian artillery competition against BAE Systems' FH77, a contract valued at Rs 9,000 crore, but ST Kinetics came under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation over alleged corruption links to a former head of the Ordnance Factory Board. The FH-2000 is reported to be slated for replacement under the Next Generation Howitzer project.

On 9 March 1997, a 155 mm round detonated in the barrel of an FH-2000 during a live firing exercise by the 23rd Battalion, Singapore Artillery, at the Waiouru Army Camp range in New Zealand. Two full-time national servicemen were killed and twelve other personnel injured, including a New Zealand Army senior non-commissioned officer serving as liaison officer. A Committee of Inquiry attributed the accident to a faulty fuze that detonated prematurely under the action of the flick rammer. X-ray inspection by Chartered Industries of Singapore found roughly 1.3 per cent of the same fuze batch to be defective.