Artillery

155 mm Modèle 50

Also known as
  • Obusier de 155 mm Modèle 50
  • Obusier de 155 mm modèle 1950
  • Obusier de 155 mm modele 1950
  • OB-155-50 BF
  • 155 BF Mle 50
  • 155mm Modèle 50
  • 155mm Modele 50
  • 15,5 cm Haubits F

The 155 mm Modèle 50 was France's postwar split-trail 155 mm howitzer, produced for French service and export before the TRF1 replaced it. Its catalog record is anchored by documented French use in Algeria and Israeli Modèle 50 artillery service in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, with Swedish license production known as 15,5 cm Haubits F.

155 mm Modèle 50, 155 mm towed howitzer, Artillery
Image source: Lesany 155mm Model 50 image

Role in Conflicts

Algerian War
Fire SupportDefensive Holding
Side
French forces

BASART lists the 155 BF 50 / Mle 1950 among French ground-artillery equipment used in Algeria; a French artillery-history article places the type late in the war.

1973 Yom Kippur War
Fire SupportDefensive Holding
Side
Israel

Army Recognition describes Israeli M-50 vehicles based on the Modèle 50 piece falling into Egyptian hands during violent Suez Canal fighting in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, while WeaponSystems describes the Modèle 50 as core Israeli artillery in the 1973 conflict.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
France
Built in
FranceSweden
Type
155 mm towed howitzer
Service note
Early Cold War French service; retained by French reserve units into the late 1990s
Designer
Arsenal de Bourges / French state artillery establishment
Designed
1950
Produced
1952 onward in France; 1955-1958 licensed Swedish production
Number built
About 980 French-built guns plus about 100 Swedish-built licensed guns
Developed into
TRF1 155 mm towed howitzer replacement line and Israeli M-50 Sherman-based self-propelled conversions

Specifications

Caliber
155 mm
Crew
11
Combat weight
8,155 kg in firing position
Travel weight
8.5 t to 8.9 t depending on source
Barrel
23 to 28 calibers depending on measurement convention; 4.41 m including muzzle brake in WeaponSystems data
Carriage
Four-wheel split-trail carriage with circular firing platform
Elevation
-4 degrees to +69 degrees
Traverse
About 80 degrees total; BASART gives 730 mil right and 600 mil left
Rate of fire
3 rpm normal; 4 rpm burst; 1-2 rpm sustained in WeaponSystems data
Muzzle velocity
647 m/s with Mle 1956 high-explosive shell
Maximum range
17.7-18 km with French HE; 14.8 km with U.S. M107; 23.3 km with rocket-assisted ammunition
Ammunition
Separate-loading projectile and charge; French Mle 1956 HE, U.S. M107, smoke, illumination, and rocket-assisted rounds are documented
Split-Trail Design

The Modèle 50 was a heavy towed howitzer built around a four-wheel split-trail carriage and a circular firing platform under the forward carriage. In firing position the front of the carriage rested on the platform, the trails opened behind the weapon, and the 155 mm tube used a prominent multi-slotted muzzle brake with hydropneumatic recoil equipment.

Crew and movement

An eleven-person crew and 6x6 truck towing arrangement made the gun a battery asset rather than a manhandled field piece.

Fire envelope

Reference data gives about -4 to +69 degrees of elevation and roughly 80 degrees of total traverse from the split-trail mount.

Ammunition handling

Separate-loading projectiles and charges supported French HE, U.S. M107, smoke, illumination, and rocket-assisted rounds depending on source and operator.

Sources: BASART Obusier de 155 mm modele 1950/1963; WeaponSystems 155mm Modele 50; Army Recognition Model 50 155mm.

Variants

The Modèle 50 family used French service, export, and licensed Swedish designations; Israeli M-50 self-propelled guns mounted the same French 155 mm ordnance on modified Sherman chassis.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
OB-155-50 BFFrench split-trail towed howitzer designation

WeaponSystems and Army Recognition identify OB-155-50 BF as a French designation for the Modèle 50 split-trail howitzer.

Sources: WeaponSystems 155mm Modele 50, Army Recognition Model 50 155mm

15,5 cm Haubits FSwedish licensed-service designation

WeaponSystems lists the Swedish service designation and describes licensed Swedish production by Bofors from 1955 to 1958.

Sources: WeaponSystems 155mm Modele 50

M-50 self-propelled howitzerIsraeli Sherman-chassis derivative

Army Recognition describes the Israeli M-50 as the Modèle 50 piece adapted to a heavily modified Sherman chassis; no separate public catalog record existed during this entry's creation.

Sources: Army Recognition Model 50 155mm

Fired Ammunition

The Modèle 50 fired separate-loading 155 mm ammunition, including French Mle 1956 high-explosive shells and U.S. M107 projectiles in source-backed range tables.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
M107 155 mm high-explosive projectile, 155 mm high-explosive projectile, ArtilleryM107 155 mm high-explosive projectile155 mm high-explosive projectile

WeaponSystems lists a 14.8 km Modèle 50 range with the U.S. M107 shell, while French artillery references distinguish the Mle 1956 HE shell as the standard French projectile.

Sources: WeaponSystems 155mm Modele 50, BASART Obusier de 155 mm modele 1950/1963

Replacement Systems

French and Swedish service moved from the Modèle 50 generation to later 155 mm systems rather than treating the gun as a current-standard howitzer.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
TRF1, 155 mm towed howitzer, ArtilleryTRF1French 155 mm towed howitzer replacement

WeaponSystems says the TRF1 replaced the Modèle 50 in French service.

Sources: WeaponSystems 155mm Modele 50

155 mm FH77B Bofors howitzer, 155 mm towed howitzer, Artillery155 mm FH77B Bofors howitzerSwedish 155 mm howitzer successor

WeaponSystems says the Bofors FH77 replaced the Modèle 50 / Haubits F in Swedish service.

Sources: WeaponSystems 155mm Modele 50

French And Swedish Production

The Modèle 50 record has two production tracks: French state artillery production for domestic and export guns, and Swedish licensed production by Bofors for the Haubits F. The catalog manufacturer fields keep both the Bourges design attribution and the Bofors licensed-production lineage visible.

France

French sources associate the design with Bourges and specialist data lists about 980 French-built guns.

Sweden

WeaponSystems lists Swedish Bofors production from 1955 to 1958 and about 100 Swedish-built guns.

Service names

French OB-155-50 BF and Swedish 15,5 cm Haubits F labels refer to the same Modèle 50 design family.

Sources: WeaponSystems 155mm Modele 50; BASART Obusier de 155 mm modele 1950/1963; Army Recognition Model 50 155mm.

Timeline

155 mm Modèle 50 Key Events

  1. Modèle 50 adopted

    French and specialist references identify 1950 as the design or adoption point for the postwar French 155 mm howitzer program.

    Sources: WeaponSystems 155mm Modele 50, BASART Obusier de 155 mm modele 1950/1963

  2. French production and service begin

    WeaponSystems places French production and service entry in 1952, with the gun replacing older U.S.-supplied and wartime 155 mm howitzers in French service.

    Sources: WeaponSystems 155mm Modele 50

  3. Bofors license production starts

    WeaponSystems lists Swedish Bofors production from 1955 to 1958, supporting the 15,5 cm Haubits F designation and Swedish production context.

    Sources: WeaponSystems 155mm Modele 50

  4. Israeli Modèle 50 artillery in the Yom Kippur War

    Specialist references describe the Modèle 50 as a core Israeli artillery system in the 1973 war and describe Israeli M-50 self-propelled vehicles based on the Modèle 50 piece in Suez Canal fighting.

    Sources: WeaponSystems 155mm Modele 50, Army Recognition Model 50 155mm

  5. French replacement period

    References describe the TRF1 as the French replacement for the Modèle 50 from the 1980s, while reserve use continued longer.

    Sources: WeaponSystems 155mm Modele 50, BASART Obusier de 155 mm modele 1950/1963

Media

155 mm Modèle 50 Videos

155 mm Modèle 50 Images

155 mm Modèle 50, 155 mm towed howitzer, Artillery - view 1
Source: Canon de 155mm du 6e R.A.Ma djibouti 1979 image
155 mm Modèle 50, 155 mm towed howitzer, Artillery - view 2
Source: M-1950 Beyt ha-Totchan image
Related Weapon Systems
M109, 155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer family, ArtilleryArtilleryM109155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer familyThe M109 is a U.S.-origin 155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer family built for mobile indirect fire with armored and mechanized forces. The family spans the original short-tube vehicle, M109A1 to M109A4 rebuild and export lines, the M109A5 M284-cannon upgrade, the digitally modernized M109A6 Paladin, current M109A7 production, and the longer-barrel M109-52 concept; catalog evidence here centers on direct conflict use by U.S., Ukrainian, U.S.-led coalition, and Israeli forces.
10.5cm leFH 18, 105 mm towed light field howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery10.5cm leFH 18105 mm towed light field howitzerThe 10.5cm leFH 18 was Germany's standard Second World War light field howitzer, a Rheinmetall-designed 105 mm split-trail gun that replaced the leFH 16 and then branched into the muzzle-braked leFH 18M and lighter leFH 18/40. The cataloged conflict row focuses on its unusual survival into the Syrian Civil War, where opposition footage and specialist reporting documented leFH 18-family guns being fired after capture or transfer through Syrian stocks.
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Sources

BASART Obusier de 155 mm modele 1950/1963Publisher: Base Documentaire des Artilleurs | Note: Supports 155 BF Mle 50 identity, French service context, split-trail carriage, ranges, traverse/elevation, weights, ammunition handling, French-built production figure, and reserve-service longevity. | Accessed: 2026-07-06BASART Artillerie sol-sol en AlgeriePublisher: Base Documentaire des Artilleurs | Note: Supports Algerian War direct conflict-use/fielding: the Algeria artillery table lists FR 155mm Obusier de 155 BF 50 / Mle1950 among French artillery materiel for the war. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Artillerie et guerre d'AlgeriePublisher: L'echo du champ de bataille | Note: Supports Algerian War direct conflict-use context: the article says the French 155 BF 50 appeared late in the Algerian War. | Accessed: 2026-07-06WeaponSystems 155mm Modele 50Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports identity, aliases/designations, French and Swedish production, Bofors license context, specifications, users, related systems, and direct 1973 Yom Kippur War conflict-use context by describing the Modèle 50 as core Israeli artillery in the 1973 conflict. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Army Recognition Model 50 155mmPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Cross-checks OB-155-50 BF designation, Bofors license production, French truck towing context, ammunition, range, fire rate, Israeli M-50 self-propelled derivative, and direct 1973 Yom Kippur War context through Egyptian capture of M-50 vehicles in Suez Canal fighting. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Lesany 155mm Model 50 imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a 155 mm Modèle 50 at the Military Technical Museum Lesany; author Roman Mifek; own work; CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Canon de 155mm du 6e R.A.Ma djibouti 1979 imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a 155 mm BF 50 of the 6e R.A.Ma in Djibouti; original uploader Fantassin 72; CC BY-SA 2.5. | Accessed: 2026-07-06M-1950 Beyt ha-Totchan imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a French Model 50 155 mm howitzer at Beyt ha-Totchan, Israel; author Bukvoed; reusable Commons license metadata. | Accessed: 2026-07-06