The OTO Melara Mod 56 is an Italian 105 mm pack howitzer built for light, mountain, and airborne artillery. It breaks down into packable loads, fires standard 105 mm ammunition, and became widely exported under designations including the British/Commonwealth L5; documented conflict use ranges from Vietnam, Borneo, and the Falklands to Spanish-supplied guns in Ukraine and captured or improvised Boko Haram systems in Nigeria.
Ukraine used Spanish-supplied Mod 56 guns as light towed fire support after a six-gun delivery; reporting and imagery placed them with Ukrainian forces in Donbas and Avdiivka-area fighting from 2023, with later sightings in 2024.
Role detailsHumAngle reported Boko Haram footage showing a Mod 56 converted for mobile artillery use, and later reporting listed the gun among seized or recovered systems in northeast Nigeria.
Australian War Memorial and New Zealand government records document Commonwealth artillery crews firing 105 mm L5 pack howitzers at Nui Dat in South Vietnam.
Argentine forces used L5/Mod 56 pack howitzers during the Falklands War; museum and airborne-forces references describe captured Argentine examples from the 1982 campaign.
Australian War Memorial imagery from Borneo shows British soldiers firing a 105 mm L5 pack howitzer at Indonesian positions during the Indonesian Confrontation.
The Mod 56 combined pack-howitzer mobility with standard 105 mm artillery duties, which explains its use by mountain, airborne, jungle, and expeditionary units.
Forecast International describes the gun as dismantling into 11 components for draft-animal transport, while Commonwealth museum sources describe a 12-load service breakdown.
Sources: 105/14 Model 56 105 mm Pack Howitzer - Archived 5/2004; L5 pack howitzer 105mm - Norfolk Tank Museum; 105MM L5 PACK Howitzer - Royal Canadian Artillery Museum.
The Spanish Army lists shrapnel, smoke, and illuminating shells, and Forecast International ties the weapon to U.S./NATO-pattern 105 mm M1 semi-fixed ammunition.
Sources: OTO Melara Mod 56 Towed Howitzer 105/14; 105/14 Model 56 105 mm Pack Howitzer - Archived 5/2004.
Italian sources use the 105/14 Mod 56 name, while British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand records commonly use L5 Pack Howitzer.
Sources: Obice 105/14 mod. 56 Parte quarta; 105mm Pack Howitzer - Airborne Assault Museum; Members of 101 Battery firing a 105mm L5 pack howitzer; 161 Battery at Nui Dat - Film.
Direct rows on this page cover Commonwealth use in Borneo and Vietnam, Argentine use in the Falklands, Ukrainian use after Spanish transfer, and Boko Haram/ISWAP-related capture or improvised use in Nigeria.
Conflict rows are limited to sources that identify this weapon or L5/Mod 56 designation in the named conflict.
Available sources identify service designations rather than a broad production-variant family: 105/14 Mod 56 in Italian and Spanish use, L5 Pack Howitzer in British and Commonwealth use, and L10 ordnance terminology in British-service references.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| 105/14 Mod 56 | Italian and Spanish 105/14 service designation | Italian Alpini museum records describe Italian Army adoption as obice da 105/14 mod. 56, and the Spanish Army lists the equipment as OTO Melara Mod 56 Towed Howitzer 105/14. Sources: Obice 105/14 mod. 56 Parte quarta, OTO Melara Mod 56 Towed Howitzer 105/14 |
| L5 Pack Howitzer | British and Commonwealth service designation | Airborne Assault identifies the Italian-built Model 56 as adopted by the British Army as the L5 Pack Howitzer; Canadian and Australian records use the same L5 designation. Sources: 105mm Pack Howitzer - Airborne Assault Museum, 105MM L5 PACK Howitzer - Royal Canadian Artillery Museum, Unidentified Australian soldiers with 105 mm L5 Pack Howitzer |
| L10 ordnance | British-service barrel/ordnance designation | Airborne Assault's Falklands reference describes the Argentine example as an L5 pack howitzer with L10 ordnance. |
The Mod 56 was built for standard 105 mm artillery ammunition, and archived reporting ties it to the M1 semi-fixed family.
| Ammunition | Ammunition type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 105 mm HE cartridge | Forecast International described the Mod 56 as using US/NATO-pattern 105 mm M1 semi-fixed ammunition, which matches the cataloged M1 HE cartridge family. Sources: 105/14 Model 56 105 mm Pack Howitzer - Archived 5/2004 |
Forecast International traced the Mod 56 program back to 1953 development work, reflecting the start of the postwar Italian pack-howitzer program.
Sources: 105/14 Model 56 105 mm Pack Howitzer - Archived 5/2004
The Mod 56 entered Italian Army service in 1957 as a light pack howitzer for mountain and airborne units.
Sources: Obice 105/14 mod. 56 Parte quarta
Australian War Memorial imagery documents British soldiers firing an L5 pack howitzer at Indonesian positions during the Indonesian Confrontation.
Sources: 105mm L5 Pack Howitzer firing during Indonesian Confrontation
Australian War Memorial records document 101 Field Battery using the L5 pack howitzer in South Vietnam.
Sources: Members of 101 Battery firing a 105mm L5 pack howitzer
Airborne Assault and museum references describe Argentine L5/Mod 56 pack howitzers captured during or after the Falklands campaign.
Sources: 105mm Pack Howitzer - Airborne Assault Museum, L5 pack howitzer 105mm - Norfolk Tank Museum
Forecast International reported 2,586 guns built and noted that the design had been fielded far beyond Italy by that point.
Sources: 105/14 Model 56 105 mm Pack Howitzer - Archived 5/2004
HumAngle reported Boko Haram video showing a Mod 56 converted for mobile artillery use and later arms-seizure reporting in northeast Nigeria.
Sources: Boko Haram Video Shows Shoot-Down Of Nigerian Air Force Jet, Killed Pilots, Arms Seizures, Destruction Shadow Nigeria's War Against Terror Groups In Northeast
Oryx listed six Spanish-delivered Mod 56 howitzers, while Defense Express, Militarnyi, and The Armourers Bench reported Ukrainian battlefield use in Donbas and Avdiivka-area fighting.
Sources: OTO Melara 105 mm Howitzer Was Seen in Action in Ukraine, Guns N' Gazpacho: Spanish Military Aid To Ukraine, Militarnyi Mod 56 Donbas, Armourers Bench Mod 56 Ukraine
Army Recognition reported a Ukrainian-released image showing a Spanish-provided OTO Melara Model 56 still in use against Russian positions.
Sources: Army Recognition Mod 56 2024
The Australian Armour and Artillery Museum published a close look at its ex-Australian Army L5 pack howitzer, highlighting the Mod 56 family's Commonwealth service history.
Sources: The Hero of Long Tan: OTO-Melara Mod 56 105mm Pack Howitzer!
