FH - 2000 The FH - 2000 or Field Howitzer 2000 was developed by Singapore Technologies for Singapore Army . It is a 155 mm / 52 - calibre towed howitzer gun . It fires projectiles to a maximum range of 42 kilometers using special extended range ammunition , that was field tested in New Zealand . It has a crew of eight and uses a 75 hp diesel auxiliary power unit to give it a self - propelled speed of 10 kilometers an hour movement without towing . Development . The FH - 2000 is a development of the FH - 88 gun system , which was first produced in 1983 and uses many of the same components . Development of the FH - 2000 began in 1990 , with the first prototype produced in 1991 . The initial prototype was developed further , and acceptance tests were completed in December 1993 . The gun differs in a number of ways from the earlier FH - 88 most notable is the longer 52 calibre barrel as compared to the 39 calibre barrel of the FH - 88 . Design . The firing platform , when fully deployed , support the howitzer using a tripod mechanical structure . Firing loads are transmitted to the ground through this tripod , isolating the hydraulic cylinders of the platform , which provides for greater reliability . The FH2000 can be fitted with a series of sighting systems from optical to electro - optical . These sighting systems can be linked to the fire control computers . The breech mechanism is semi - automatic . The breech opens automatically during counter recoil . An electronically controlled and hydraulically powered flick rammer rams the projectile into the barrel chamber with high consistency . Deployment . By 1995 18 guns were deployed with the 23rd Singapore artillery battalion in three batteries of six guns . The gun has been offered for export , and the Indonesian army has taken delivery of a number of these units . Additionally , ST Kinetics assisted Turkey in the design and manufacture of its own 155mm / 52calibre " PANTER " towed howitzer system , which is understood to be based on the FH - 2000 design but upgraded locally with an uprated diesel Auxiliary Power Unit ( APU ) of 160 hp instead of the original 75 hp , thus giving it a self - propelled speed of 18 km / h as compared to 10 km / h for the FH - 2000 . 1997 Incident . On 9 March 1997 , a 155mm artillery round exploded in the barrel of a FH - 2000 gun howitzer during a live firing exercise conducted by the 23rd Battalion of Singapore Artillery at the artillery range of Waiouru Army Camp , near Waiouru in New Zealand . This resulted in the deaths of two full - time national servicemen , Third Sergeant Ronnie Tan Han Chong and Lance Corporal Low Yin Tit . 12 other servicemen were injured in the incident , including a Staff Sergeant from New Zealand Army , who was acting as the New Zealand Defence Force liaison officer / observer to the visiting SAF battalion . A Committee of Inquiry found that the most probable cause of this incident was a faulty artillery fuze that was fitted to the 155 mm projectile which had been loaded into the gun howitzer that resulted in the premature detonation . Subsequently , Chartered Industries of Singapore conducted a X - ray check on the same batch of fuzes from where the faulty fuze was taken from and found that approximately 1 . 3 % of these fuzes were faulty . The families of the two deceased SAF servicemen were compensated as well as the other injured servicemen . Various SAF and New Zealand personnel were also awarded , in recognition of their acts of bravery and professionalism during the incident . Lieutenant - Colonel Toh Boh Kwee , First Warrant Officer Mohinder Singh , First Sergeant Teo Boon Hong and Lieutenant Leroy Forrester NZDF received the Pingat Jasa Perwira ( Tentera ) for risking their lives to help injured soldiers immediately after the explosion .