Ordnance QF 25-pounder | |
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Ordnance QF 25-pounder gun mounted on its firing platform in Dundas, Hamilton, Canada | |
Type | Field gun and gun-howitzer |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
In service | 1940–present |
Used by | See users |
Wars |
|
Production history | |
Designed | 1930s |
Manufacturer | Royal Ordnance |
Variants | See variants |
Specifications (Mk II on Carriage Mk I) | |
Mass | 1,633 kg (3,600 lb) |
Length | 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in) muzzle to towing eye |
Barrel length | 2.47 m (8 ft 1 in) (28 calibres) |
Width | 2.13 m (7 ft) at wheel hubs |
Height | 1.16 m (3 ft 10 in) trunnion height |
Crew | 6 |
Shell | 88 x 292mm R High explosive Anti-tank Smoke HESH[1] |
Shell weight | 11.5 kg (25 lb) (HE including fuze) |
Calibre | 3.45 in (87.63 mm) |
Breech | Vertical sliding-block |
Recoil | Hydro-pneumatic |
Elevation | -5° to 45° (80° with dial sight adapter and digging trail pit or wheel mounds) |
Traverse | 4° Left & Right (top traverse) 360° (platform) |
Rate of fire | Gunfire, 6–8 rpm Intense, 5 rpm Rapid, 4 rpm Normal, 3 rpm Slow, 2 rpm Very slow, 1 rpm |
Muzzle velocity | 198 to 532 m/s (650 to 1,750 ft/s) |
Maximum firing range | 12,253 m (13,400 yd) (HE shell) |
Sights | Calibrating & reciprocating |
The Ordnance QF 25-pounder, or more simply 25-pounder or 25-pdr, with a calibre of 3.45 inches (87.6 mm), was a piece of field artillery used by British and Commonwealth forces in the Second World War. It was often described as being durable, easy to operate and versatile.[according to whom?] It was the most produced and used British field gun and gun-howitzer during the War.
It was introduced into service just before the War started and combined both high-angle and direct-fire abilities, a relatively high rate of fire, and a reasonably lethal shell, with a highly mobile piece. Initial production was slow, but by 1945, over 12,000 had been manufactured. It remained the British Army's primary artillery field piece well into the 1960s, with smaller numbers used in training units until the 1980s. Many Commonwealth countries used theirs in active or reserve service until about the 1970s, and ammunition for the weapon is currently (2020s) being produced by Pakistan Ordnance Factories.