Patent ID: 8020484

Claim:
A towed howitzer, interchangeable between a travelling mode and a firing mode, the towed howitzer being suitable for deployment on a ground plane, the towed howitzer comprising: a barrel for firing a projectile, the barrel defining a barrel axis; a cradle for holding the barrel at an azimuth and an elevation; an aiming mechanism capable of varying the elevation and the azimuth of the barrel; a front leg, for supporting the aiming mechanism, comprising a wheel intended for contacting the ground at a foremost ground contact point and a sliding mechanism for extending and retracting the wheel along a longitudinal front leg axis; a suspension system for resiliently mounting the wheel a restraining mechanism for selectively enabling the suspension system; and a back leg for contacting the ground at a backmost ground contact point, the back leg comprising a hinging for swinging the back leg out of contact with the ground, wherein in the firing mode, the suspension system is locked and the back leg contacts the ground at the backmost contact point, and in the travelling mode, the back leg is lifted off the backmost contact point and the suspension system is applied.