Artillery

AH-1 155 mm Howitzer

Also known as
  • AH1
  • AH-1A
  • AH1A
  • 155mm AH-1 howitzer
  • 155 mm AH-1 howitzer
  • PLL01
  • PLL-01
  • WA-021
  • WAC-021
  • WAC-21
  • W-1988
  • W-1989
  • Type 89 155 mm howitzer

The AH-1 is a Chinese 155 mm towed gun-howitzer in Norinco's WA-021/PLL01 artillery family, retaining the 45-caliber ordnance while adding export-market refinements such as an auxiliary power unit. Its clearest conflict record is the 2020 Tigray War, where Oryx documented seven AH-1 howitzers among heavy weapons operated by the Tigray Defence Forces.

AH-1 155 mm Howitzer, 155 mm towed gun-howitzer, Artillery
Image source: The Tigray Defence Forces - Documenting Its Heavy Weaponry

Role in Conflicts

2020 Tigray War
Fire Support
Side
Tigray forces

Oryx documented seven 155 mm AH-1 howitzers in its photo- and video-backed list of heavy weapons operated by the Tigray Defence Forces during the 2020 Tigray War.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
China
Built by
Norinco
Type
155 mm towed gun-howitzer
Service note
1990s WA-021/PLL01 family; AH-1 export designation introduced in the 2010s
Designer
Norinco
Designed
Early to mid-1980s WA-021/PLL01 family development
Unit cost
Not publicly established
Produced
WA-021/PLL01 family production from 1986 into later export variants; AH-1 export designation introduced in the 2010s
Number built
WeaponSystems.net estimates more than 50 and possibly more than 150 WA-021/PLL01-family guns; Oryx visually documented seven AH-1 howitzers with Tigray Defence Forces

Specifications

Caliber
155 mm
Barrel
45-caliber ordnance on the AH-1 according to WeaponSystems.net
Crew
9 for the WA-021/PLL01 family
Weight
About 9.5 tonnes for WA-021 without APU; AH-1 is described as an improved export model with APU
Range
Up to 39 km with base-bleed shells and 30 km with boat-tail shells for the WA-021/PLL01 family
Rate of fire
4 to 5 rounds per minute maximum; about 2 rounds per minute normal
Ammunition
155 mm NATO ammunition with a 23-liter chamber
Mobility
Towed by 6x6 10-ton or 7-ton truck; AH-1 marketed with improved auxiliary power unit
Carriage
Four-wheel split-trail carriage; no gun shield listed for WA-021
Elevation and traverse
-5 to +72 degrees elevation; 30 degrees left and 40 degrees right traverse for the WA-021/PLL01 family
Muzzle velocity
897 m/s at maximum charge level for the WA-021/PLL01 family
Family Context

The AH-1 is best read as an export designation inside a wider Norinco 155 mm line rather than as a clean-sheet artillery piece. Open references connect it to WA-021/WAC-21 export guns and PLL01 Chinese-service guns, with AH-2 extending the family to a longer L/52 ordnance and PLZ-45 carrying the related 45-caliber gun on a self-propelled chassis.

Designation lane

WA-021/WAC-21, PLL01, AH-1, AH-2, and PLZ-45 appear in the same Norinco 155 mm artillery family across export, Chinese-service, towed, and self-propelled configurations.

Sources: 155mm PLL01; China North Industries Corporation Working Paper.

Tigray evidence limit

The conflict row is based on Oryx's visually supported TDF heavy-weapon inventory, not on a separate fire-mission report naming individual AH-1 batteries.

Source: The Tigray Defence Forces - Documenting Its Heavy Weaponry.

Variants

The AH-1 name sits inside the WA-021/PLL01 155 mm family: WA-021/WAC-21 was the earlier export designation, PLL01 the Chinese-service model, AH-1 the updated L/45 export model, and AH-2 the longer-barrel L/52 development.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
WA-021 / WAC-21Earlier export model

WeaponSystems.net describes WA-021 as the export model, often seen without an APU, with WAC-21 likely an alternate rendering of the same designation.

Sources: 155mm PLL01

PLL01Chinese service model

WeaponSystems.net identifies PLL01 as the Chinese-service model, adopted in 1991 after early Type 89 project naming.

Sources: 155mm PLL01

AH-1Updated export model

WeaponSystems.net describes AH-1 as the 2010s updated export designation with the same L/45 ordnance and improved auxiliary power unit marketing.

Sources: 155mm PLL01

AH-2L/52 development

WeaponSystems.net and the IPIS/Omega Norinco working paper both place AH-2 in the same Norinco 155 mm artillery line as a longer 52-caliber system.

Sources: 155mm PLL01, China North Industries Corporation Working Paper

PLZ-45Related self-propelled 155 mm system

WeaponSystems.net links PLZ-45 to the same 155 mm 45-caliber ordnance family, while the IPIS/Omega paper lists PLZ-45 alongside PLL-01, AH-1, AH-2, and AH-4 in Norinco's 155 mm artillery portfolio.

Sources: 155mm PLL01, China North Industries Corporation Working Paper

Ammunition Fired

The AH-1/PLL01 family uses NATO-standard 155 mm ammunition rather than the older Soviet-standard 152 mm artillery ecosystem common in many Ethiopian and regional inventories.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
155 mm NATO ammunition, 155 mm NATO-standard artillery ammunition family for 39-, 45-, and 52-caliber howitzers, Munitions155 mm NATO ammunition155 mm artillery ammunition family

WeaponSystems.net identifies the WA-021/PLL01 ordnance as a 155 mm 45-caliber howitzer firing NATO-standard 155 mm ammunition with a 23-liter chamber.

Sources: 155mm PLL01

Timeline

AH-1 155 mm Howitzer Key Events

  1. WA-021/PLL01 family development

    WeaponSystems.net places WA-021/PLL01 development in the early to mid-1980s, with Norinco as developer and producer.

  2. PLL01 adopted in Chinese service

    WeaponSystems.net describes PLL01 as the Chinese-service model adopted in 1991 after earlier Type 89 project naming.

  3. AH-1 export designation appears

    WeaponSystems.net identifies AH-1 as the updated export designation, retaining the L/45 ordnance and marketed with an improved auxiliary power unit.

  4. Oryx documents TDF AH-1 howitzers

    Oryx listed seven 155 mm AH-1 howitzers among heavy weapons with photo or video evidence of operation by the Tigray Defence Forces.

Media

AH-1 155 mm Howitzer Images

AH-1 155 mm Howitzer, 155 mm towed gun-howitzer, Artillery - view 1
Source: The Tigray Defence Forces - Documenting Its Heavy Weaponry
AH-1 155 mm Howitzer, 155 mm towed gun-howitzer, Artillery - view 2
Source: The Tigray Defence Forces - Documenting Its Heavy Weaponry
Related Weapon Systems
152 mm D-1 gun-howitzer, Towed 152 mm howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery152 mm D-1 gun-howitzerTowed 152 mm howitzerThe 152 mm D-1 gun-howitzer is a Soviet towed heavy howitzer that put a short 152.4 mm ordnance on a lighter split-trail carriage. Its modern record is mostly residual-use evidence: Russia drew D-1 guns from stocks during the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, while open loss records tie the same World War II-era system to Armenian/Artsakh equipment in 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh and Syrian government artillery losses in the 2011 Syrian Civil War.
AHS Krab, 155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer, ArtilleryArtilleryAHS Krab155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzerThe AHS Krab is a Polish 155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer built by Huta Stalowa Wola around a NATO-standard 52-caliber gun, an AS-90 Braveheart turret lineage, a K9-derived tracked chassis, and the TOPAZ fire-control ecosystem. In Ukrainian service it gives artillery units a mobile Western-caliber gun able to fire standard and precision 155 mm ammunition, displace after missions, and operate in counter-battery-threatened sectors of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Sources

155mm PLL01Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports AH-1 background as an updated export designation in the PLL01/WA-021 family, Norinco producer context, designation logic, 155 mm 45-caliber ordnance, NATO-standard ammunition, crew, range, rate of fire, mobility, carriage, elevation, traverse, muzzle velocity, and related AH-2/PLZ-45 family context. | Accessed: 2026-07-06AH-1/AH-1A Chinese 155mm Towed HowitzerPublisher: U.S. Army TRADOC ODIN | Note: Supports background that the AH-1/AH-1A is a Chinese 155 mm towed artillery variant of the PLL-01 equipped with an auxiliary power unit. | Accessed: 2026-07-06China North Industries Corporation Working PaperPublisher: International Peace Information Service and Omega Research Foundation | Note: Supports manufacturer and product-family context for Norinco artillery systems, including PLL-01, AH-1, AH-2, AH-4, PLZ-45, PLZ-52, and SH-1 155 mm artillery systems. | Accessed: 2026-07-06WAC-021 / PLL-01 / WA-021 155mm Towed HowitzerPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports additional WA-021/PLL-01 background, the 1980s development and 1987 introduction framing, Norinco development, Type 88/W-1988/W-1989 designation context, 39 km maximum range, and auxiliary-power mobility context. | Accessed: 2026-07-06The Tigray Defence Forces - Documenting Its Heavy WeaponryPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2020 Tigray War direct use: Oryx lists seven 155 mm AH-1 howitzers in a photo- and video-backed inventory of heavy weapons operated by the Tigray Defence Forces, and supports image provenance for the selected gallery images. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Mobilised For War: Ethiopia's Russian 2S19 Msta SPGsPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports Ethiopian Army background for Chinese 155 mm AH-1 towed howitzers in Ethiopia's artillery arsenal during the 2020 Tigray War period. | Accessed: 2026-07-06