The Panzerhaubitze 2000, meaning "armoured howitzer 2000" and abbreviated PzH 2000, is a German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Rheinmetall in the 1980s and 1990s for the German Army. The PzH 2000 has automatic support for up to five rounds of multiple round simultaneous impact. Replenishment of shells is automated. Two operators can load 60 shells and propelling charges in less than 12 minutes. The PzH 2000 equips the armies of Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Netherlands, Greece, Lithuania, Hungary, Qatar and Croatia, mostly replacing older systems such as the M109 howitzer. In November 2019, a PzH 2000 L52 gun fired a shell a distance of almost 67 km (42 mi). As of 2020, a prototype L52 gun with a new charge is being tested for a range of at least 75 km (47 mi).
Lithuanian Panzerhaubitze 2000 from the front
The fighting compartment
Panzerhaubitze 2000 – Bundeswehr Military History Museum, Dresden
Dutch howitzer being transported to Afghanistan
155 mm is a NATO-standard artillery shell caliber that is used in many field guns, howitzers, and gun-howitzers. It is defined in AOP-29 part 1 with reference to STANAG 4425.
M107, M795, M483A1 155 mm projectiles
M107 projectile 155 mm projectile being loaded into an M777 howitzer
