Someone please teach these people to shoot straight.

[AtW]

We were training forward observers how to do this over twenty years ago.

Yes - for smart bombs, but the arty rounds currently used do not self-correct their flight depending on correction: new Russian made round does just that, which pretty much means it should be shot out in general direction of the target and it will self-correct itself, kind of a mini-cruise missile that is much cheaper: this way target can be hit from first shot.

[EternalOptimist]

Artillery fire comes in many different flavours, just because the current world situation requires the pin point accuracy variety doesnt mean the other types are now superfluous.
Spotting and fire for effect as well as AtW's Russian brain bombs are great for hitting a small known observed target.
Barrage is useful if you know roughly where the enemy positions are and you want to keep their heads down and scare the cr@p out of them by using a lot of ammo
Interdiction is great if you dont have a clue where the enemy are but you want to stop them using a known crossroads , etc, even without any obbo

p.s. OH please let the military know how to use a mortar tube for direct fire, I think they would be extremely grateful

[AtW]

Artillery fire comes in many different flavours, just because the current world situation requires the pin point accuracy variety doesnt mean the other types are now superfluous.

They are pretty useless - the main issue in modern warfare is dealing with guerillas that have support of local population, ie IEDs, sniper fire, suicide bombing etc. Howitzers are totally useless, no wonder that you hear about them when they do rare practice shooting rather than actually being used in action.

[DaveB]

Caliber implies its a howitzer and these normally shoot at targets that are not seen at straight line, ie 10 km away: this really answers your question - no you can't shoot straight from howitzer.

See image below:

FFS, most of the country is Desert, are you telling me it's acceptable that they couldn't hit a patch of sand 10 km wide, 10 km away rather than a small town? It's like driving into the only tree within 20 miles and wondering where it came from.

[AtW]

FFS, most of the country is Desert, are you telling me it's acceptable that they couldn't hit a patch of sand 10 km wide, 10 km away rather than a small town?.

All I am saying is that howitzers dont shoot straight (even though may be forced to), which is the answer to thread's title why they can't shoot straight - because they ain't designed for it really.

[OrangeHopper]

I must learn not to disagree with the resident expert!
I must learn not to disagree with the resident expert!
I must learn not to disagree with the resident expert!
I must learn not to disagree with the resident expert!
I must learn not to disagree with the resident expert!


I've had the dubious pleasure of firing a 88mm mortar in the Black Hills. Welsh mutton had by all that night.

[Churchill]

The Yanks have a nuclear round for the Howitzer, that'd solve all their problems.

[The Lone Gunman]

Not sure you are correct there TwAtY.
I think a Howitzer does shoot straight, the difficulty is knowing where "straight" will hit.

[threaded]

Mildly amusing thread. Shows up the difference between English and Russian naming for various weapons and ... actually you're all wrong, they're gun-howitzers.

HTH

[Churchill]

Also, he wasn't taking into consideration the wear of the gun barrel.

Try doing a google on "Morzen" or "Gunzen", two products developed by Zengrange in Leeds a few years ago.