Royal Ordnance L9

Royal Ordnance L9
Centurion AVRE 165
Production history
Manufacturer	Royal Ordnance Factories
Specifications
Calibre	165 mm

Royal Ordnance L9 is a British short-barrelled 165 mm calibre gun used for combat engineering, particularly the demolition of defences.

Initially called Ordnance BL 6.5" Mk I it was latter renamed 165mm L9 Demolition Gun. American variants of the L9A1 as used on the M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle were known M135

The gun is capable of firing a 64 lb (29 kg) High Explosive Squash Head (HESH) demolition projectile distances up to 2,400 m (2,600 yd).^[1] The HESH shell contains 40 lb of C-4 explosive.

The L9 gun was mounted on Royal Engineers AVRE versions of the Churchill and Centurion tanks after the Second World War.

The gun's primary purpose is the clearing of obstacles such as walls, fences, roadblocks or bunkers, and the destruction of buildings.^[2]

Variants

M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle

• L9A1 - improved version
• The American M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle variant of the M60 Patton tank used a XM135 gun patterned after the British 165 mm.^[3]

Notes

1. http://www.britains-smallwars.com/gulf/gulfweapons.html#cen
2. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/5-103/APPA.HTM
3. M60 Main Battle Tank 1960-91 By Richard Lathrop, John McDonald, Jim Laurier

References

• US Army Field Manual FM 5-103 Survivability, Appendix A, Headquarters, Department of the Army, Washington, DC 10 June 1985
• Hunnicutt, R. P. Patton: A History of the American Main Battle Tank. 1984; Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-230-1.