Modele F2 (105 mm)

Description

The 105/47 F2 MECA 105 mm (otherwise known as the Modèle F2) is a medium-pressure cannon mounted in a GIAT Industries TK 105 three-man turret that fires 105 x 527R proprietary ammunition. The turret uses a SAMM CH49 electrohydraulic gun control system, albeit it lacks a stabilization system. An NF-1 7.62 mm machine gun is fitted coaxially to the main cannon and two electrically-operated smoke launchers are fitted onto each side of the turret. A total of 38 rounds are carried for the main cannon.

The 105 mm F2 rifled tank gun has a very light barrel with shallow rifling. The semi-automatic breech has a vertical sliding wedge block and electrical firing system. There is a fixed muzzle reference mirror just behind and above the double-baffle muzzle brake, which helps with detecting barrel warping. A single hydropneumatic cylinder is mounted on the left side of the gun that acts as the recoil brake, while the recuperator cylinder is mounted on the right-hand side.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• AMX-10RC

General info

The Modèle F2 is a very similar to the other 105 mm cannons found in the AMX-30s. It weighs around 720 kg and its firing range was little over 1,250 m.

Because it is a medium pressure cannon, it has great muzzle velocity. It has access to HE, HEATFS but also APFSDS which unlike the APFSDS found in the AMX-30s, creates average amounts of spalling, knocking out the target with a single shot while using it way more consistent and reliable.

The HEATFS round creates consistent damage after penetration, but just like other HEATFS ammunition, it isn't uncommon for a simple bush to stop the whole round. One should think about grabbing at least a few HEATFS rounds, as only chemical shells can deal overpressure damage to light vehicles and APFSDS rounds can just pass straight trough them, creating little to no damage as their armour is very thin most of the time.

Available ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
OCC 105 F3	HEATFS	350	350	350	350	350	350
OE 105 F3	HE	25	25	25	25	25	25
OFL 105 F3	APFSDS	325	321	318	316	308	303

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
OCC 105 F3	HEATFS	1,120	5.65	0.05	0.1	1.02	65°	72°	77°
OE 105 F3	HE	800	7.1	0	0.1	2	79°	80°	81°
OFL 105 F3	APFSDS	1,400	3.8	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
O-FUM-PH-105 F3	800	7.1	20	5	25	50

Comparison with analogues

Comparable cannons to the Modèle F2
Name	Year of Creation	Mass (kg)	Rounds Per Minute	Calibre
CN-105-F1	1966	2,470	9 RPM	105 mm
OTO Melara 105/52	1977	_____	7 RPM	105 mm
L7A3	1957	1,287	6 RPM	105 mm
M68	1958	1,128	6 RPM	105 mm

Usage in battles

The Modèle F2 excels at fighting over long distance due to its rounds having pretty high velocity. Because it is only mounted on the AMX-10RC, which is a light vehicle, one should not charge forwards and take on brawls. The effective way to use this cannon is to hang around in the back, preferably in a vantage point, and pick off unsuspecting enemies. The cannon has -8° of gun depression, but due to the AMX-10RC's controlled suspension, one can take advantage of hills and uneven terrain, effectively making the gun depression lower/higher.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• High velocity of rounds
• Has access to APFSDS, which only a few vehicles have in that battle rating
• APFSDS reliably destroys tanks in one shot

Cons:

• Somewhat slow fire rate; roughly 6 rounds a minute
• Lack of a stabilizer system

History

The Modèle F2 (F2 MECA) was designed as a light gun that could fire fin-stabilized projectiles and it was made exclusively for the AMX-10RC. The 105 mm F2 guns installed in the AMX-10RC (6 x 6) vehicles of the French Army were to have been replaced by the rifled 105 mm 105 G2 gun.

It was only fitted to the AMX-10RC which is still in service with France, Morocco and Qatar. Since the AMX-10RC is not marketed by GIAT anymore, it is very unlikely that there will be any future productions of this gun.

Media

Modèle F2 mounted on an AMX-10RC

See also

• CN-105-F1 (105 mm) - similar to the F2
• OTO Melara 105/52 (105 mm) - An Italian 105 mm cannon

External links

• [army-guide.com] F2 MECA