OTO Melara Mod 56
Summary
| Origin country | 🇮🇹 Italy |
| Category | Towed Artillery |
| Sub-type | Pack Howitzer |
| Manufacturer | OTO Melara |
| Number built | 2500 units |
Technical specifications
| Crew | 7 personnels |
| Range | 11 km |
| Mass | 1.3 tons |
| Height | 1.18 m (3.9 ft) |
| Width | 1.5 m (4.9 ft) |
| Length | 3.65 m (12.0 ft) |
| Weapon 1 | 105 mm howitzer |
Historical operators
Profile of OTO Melara Mod 56
Description
OTO Melara developed the Mod 56 105 mm pack howitzer in the 1950s to meet an Italian Army requirement for a lightweight artillery piece for Alpini mountain brigades. The howitzer remained in service with those mountain units for five decades.
The Mod 56 fires standard US type M1 ammunition and is capable of both indirect and direct fire. As a pack howitzer, the weapon can be disassembled into 12 components within minutes. This design allows for transport via mule-pack using specialized saddles or manual manhandling by the crew. In motorized units, light vehicles such as Jeeps or Land Rovers tow the gun. If the shield is removed, the howitzer can be transported inside an M113 armored personnel carrier. The weapon's weight enables single-lift transport by helicopter, leading to its adoption by airborne and light artillery formations. While the assembly process is rapid, the lightweight construction lacks the robustness required for sustained, continuous operations, a limitation identified by Australian and New Zealand forces during the Vietnam War.
The Mod 56 has been exported to more than 30 countries and a version is offered by the Chinese manufacturer NORINCO. It served as the standard equipment for the Allied Command Europe (ACE) Mobile Force artillery until 1975, equipping batteries from Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. In Commonwealth service, the gun was designated as the L5 pack howitzer with L10 ordnance. British forces replaced the L5 with the L118 light gun due to the Mod 56's limitations in range and lethality, which were noted during the Falklands War when British gunners faced Argentine units equipped with the OTO Melara.
Operational use includes the Aden Emergency, the Borneo conflict, the Vietnam War, and the Nigerian Civil War. It has also seen service in the Russo-Ukrainian War. The howitzer is operated by various nations, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Kenya, Malaysia, Peru, Philippines, San Marino, Spain, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Zambia.