Soltam M-71
Soltam M-71
The Soltam M-71 is a 155 mm, 39-caliber towed howitzer built by Soltam Systems in Israel. It is based on the earlier M-68 but has a longer barrel (39 calibers vs 33). It uses the same recoil system, breech and carriage, and adds a compressed air rammer for fast loading at all elevations, plus a rechargeable battery on the right trail for auxiliary power. It fires a 43.7 kg high-explosive shell up to 23.5 km at a muzzle velocity of 820 m/s. Its effective range is about 21 km with NATO-standard ammunition and 23.5 km with Tampella ammunition; maximum range is 28.5 km. The gun weighs about 9,200 kg, has a 6.045 m (19 ft 10 in) barrel, and a crew of eight. It features a horizontal sliding-block breech, a split-trail carriage, elevation from -3° to +52°, and traverse of ±37.5°. Designed 1971–1974 and produced from 1975 onward, the M-71 has been used by Israel and other countries including Chile, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, South Africa, Slovenia and Myanmar. A Centurion-chassis version, the M-72, was developed but never produced. The M-71 saw action in various conflicts such as the Yom Kippur War, the Lebanese Civil War, the 1982 Lebanon War, the Gaza War and the South African Border War (with other listed conflicts including Myanmar’s civil war and the Cambodia–Thailand border clash).
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 06:18 (CET).