Soltam L-33 RO’EM

At the end of the 60s, the Soltam company began the development of a new self-propelled howitzer on the Sherman medium tank chassis. A M-4 A3E8 medium tank was used, and the turret was removed and a closed superstructure was installed in its place. In addition, the engine was located at the front of the hull, and the vehicle was equipped with the 155/33mm Soltam M-68 howitzer. That is how the Soltam L-33 came about, known as “Ro’em”. The howitzer can fire between -3º and + 53º elevation and has a traverse of 30º towards right and left, and it had a manual aiming mechanism. The barrel has a gas evacuator, single muzzle brake and a pneumatic ram that allowed the howitzer’s loading at any elevation. It had a maximum range of 21 km and the maximum firing rate was 4 rpm for a short period of time. They carried 60 shells onboard, 16 of them ready for immediate use. It is estimated that about 200 Ro’em were built since 1970 onwards. They fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the 1982 Lebanon War. All Soltam L-33s were removed from service many years ago.

Soltam L-33 RO’EM gallery and more info