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TL;DR: A Chinese truck equipped with an Italian howitzer on the bed.
History:
Getting towed howitzers from point A to point B in a timely manner has always been an issue when it comes to large militaries. One of the most well known ways of transporting these weapons was through their mounting on various self-propelled chassis, turning them into self-propelled howitzers, or SPHs. The most well known form of SPH are tracked SPHs. This type of SPH provides a robust and fairly mobile platform to transport their weapons. Modern tracked SPHs usually incorporate a 360 degree rotating turret, direct fire capabilities, and decently reliable protection for their crews. As a result, however, they are usually quite expensive to build or purchase, making them unattractive for both less-funded militaries and well-funded militaries looking to motorize large quantities of howitzers. One of the solutions to this issue was simply mounting howitzers on cheaper to produce chassis. These chassis were usually wheeled and incredibly lightly armored but also more mobile on solid ground than tracked chassis. The late 1990s to early 2000s saw a global shift in the motorization of howitzers, with more and more militaries increasing funding on wheeled SPHs that were cheaper and easier to produce in larger numbers. China, noticing the shift, also began work on their own wheeled SPHs, with NORINCO producing vehicles like the SH1 and SH2 for the growing market. Later on, in 2014, Poly Technologies would develop and unveil their own entry, however, their entry would be for a different audience. NORINCO’s SH1 and SH2 were fairly sophisticated machines with all sorts of onboard tech, which caused its price tag to be rather high. PolyTech wanted to develop something cheaper for either less intensive duties or for poorer countries. What they came up with was the Type 15P Special Operations Vehicle (SOV), a very simple 4x4 wheeled SPG based on the SX2110 general utility truck, The original body of the truck would be completely removed and replaced by a basic open-topped structure, with the howitzer placed facing rearwards on the bed. The howitzer chosen as the main armament was, very strangely, the Italian 105mm OTO Melara Mod. 56. Behind the driver is turret for a secondary armament. The armament can be changed as necessary, however, a 12.7mm HMG is the only weapon to have been photographed. Due to relatively weak main armament, no deployment is necessary, allowing for quick repositioning. Eight smoke dischargers are also available on the front of the vehicle. As of yet, no one, domestic or otherwise, seems to be interested in the Type 15P.
Place In War Thunder:
Gun trucks in War Thunder are largely considered meme vehicles with little real tactical value. This is largely due to their unarmored nature, terrible top speeds, and horrendous performance on soft terrain. The Type 15P, while still comparatively unarmored, moves significantly faster, fast enough to justify its lack of armor. Playstyle would be fairly self-explanatory. You’d want to avoid direct confrontation and artillery strikes. Your mobility would allow you to appear in very strong early game positions, however, you will have to play with an incredible handicap. Your main armament is on the back of your vehicle, meaning that if you’re caught trying to go somewhere, you’d need to swing your gun around before you can engage, essentially making you a wheeled Archer. While the Type 15P was largely intended for export, it provides an incredibly unique playstyle that should not be locked behind a paywall. It would be a perfect vehicle to add more unique Chinese flavor to the lower ranks to the ground tree as just about everything down there is “copypaste”.
Specifications:
Armament: 105mm OTO Melara Mod. 56 howitzer and 1x 12.7mm HMG
Dimensions: 7.90m, 2.50m, 2.98m (L,W,H) (Dimensions of the SX2110 general utility truck)
Weight: 8000~kg
Armor: None
Crew: 8
Ammunition: HE, HEAT, and Smoke
Speed: 100kph
Horsepower: 240hp
Pictures:
3/4th View:Rear View:
Sources:
http://www.military-today.com/trucks/shaanxi_sx2110.htm
http://www.military-today.com/artillery/oto_melara_mod_56.htm