The Obice da 280 was an Italian coastal defense and siege howitzer designed in 1884 by the British Armstrong firm and produced under license by the Ansaldo company during the late 1800s.

Foreign firms such as Armstrong, Krupp, Schneider, and Vickers all provided arms and helped establish local production of their designs under license.

The Japanese version played an important role in the destruction of the fortifications and sinking the Russian fleet during the Siege of Port Arthur in the Russo-Japanese War.

[2] In the Coastal Defense role, the Obice da 280 was mounted on a rectangular carriage which consisted of a large diameter geared steel ring set into a concrete slab behind a parapet.

The recoil system for the consisted of a U-shaped gun cradle which held the trunnioned barrel and a slightly inclined firing platform with hydraulic buffers.

[6] For transport, the Obice da 280 could be broken down into multiple wagon loads for towing to the front by artillery tractors and then reassembled onsite on using cranes and winches.