Source: Matsimus
AS90 Braveheart is a British Army 155mm self-propelled howitzer which entered service with the British Army in 1992. It is manufactured by BAE Systems Land Systems (RO Defence and formerly the Armaments Division of Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd) at Barrow-in-Furness, in Cumbria. 179 have been built for the British Army.
The AS90 was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003. In July 2004, the UK Ministry of Defence announced plans to reduce the number of AS90 artillery batteries by six. Three batteries were drawn down and one AS90 regiment of three batteries was re-configured to a light gun regiment, to support a new light brigade. The changes were brought into effect in 2007.
An enhanced version of the Howitzer, the Desert AS90, has been built to provide high capability in arduous desert conditions. The Desert AS90 underwent successful trials in the Arizona Desert in 1994 and in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in 1996. This version, with the 52-calibre barrel, is called the AS90 Braveheart. BAE Systems signed a license manufacturing agreement with HSW (Huta Stalowa Wola) of Poland for the production of the AS90 Braveheart. Two AS90 turrets were fitted to vehicles built by OBRUM of Poland.
The crew consists of the driver plus four or three operators in the cupola, a commander, a gun layer and an ammunition loader.
