What is an 81mm mortar?
An 81 mm mortar is a medium-weight mortar. It is a smooth-bore, muzzle-loading, high-angle-of-fire weapon used for long-range indirect fire support to light infantry, air assault, and airborne units across the entire front of a battalion zone of influence. Many countries use or used an 81 mm mortar in their armed forces.
How is the range of a mortar controlled?
The range of a mortar is controlled by the number of propellant "C-charges" attached. A charge is a semi-circular donut of nitrocellulose, which resembles a puffy letter "C." A round for the M252 mortar comes with four charges attached.
How does a mortar round get fired?
The mortar squad leader verifies the number of charges; then the assistant gunner drops the round down the muzzle of the tube. The round, pulled by gravity, accelerates down the smooth bore of the mortar until the primer (in the base of the tail boom of the round) strikes the firing pin located in the bottom of the mortar tube.
Which countries use the 81mm mortar bomb?
Many countries use or used an 81 mm mortar in their armed forces. Examples are: Warsaw Pact countries and China use a similar 82 mm caliber for the same purpose. ^ "81mm mortar bomb".
How much does a mortar round weigh?
about 4 poundsEach round weighs about 4 pounds. The 81-mm mortars, M29A1 and M252, are the current US medium mortars.
How much does an 81 mm mortar weigh?
M252 81mm Medium Extended Range MortarSpecificationsWeight (Mortar Assembly)35 pounds (15.89 kg)Weight (Bipod)26 pounds (11.80 kilograms)Weight (Baseplate)25.5 pounds (11.58 kilograms)Weight (Sight Unit)2.5 pounds (1.14 kilograms)10 more rows•Jan 16, 2013
How heavy is a mortar cannon?
M252 mortarMass41.3 kilograms (91 lb)Length50 in (127 cm)Barrel length1.27 metres (4 ft 2 in)Crew515 more rows
How much does a 60mm mortar round weigh?
Training Practice (TP).ModelTypeWeightM766 SRTR Short-Range Training RoundTP2.9 lb (1.32 kg)M767ILLUM, IR3.76 lb (1.71 kg)M768HE3.65 lb (1.66 kg)M769 Full Range Practice RoundTP3.75 lb (1.7 kg)14 more rows
What is the largest mortar in the US military?
The M30 106.7 mm (4.2 inch, or "Four-deuce") heavy mortar is an American rifled, muzzle-loading, high-angle-of-fire weapon used for long-range indirect fire support to infantry units....M30 mortar.M30SpecificationsMass305 kg (672.25 lb)Length1.524 m (5 ft)Caliber106.7 mm (4.2 in)13 more rows
How many 81mm mortars are found in an infantry battalion?
The 81mm mortar platoon is located in the weapons company of the infantry battalion and is organized into a platoon headquarters and two 81mm mortar sections with four mortars per section for a total of 8 Mortars per platoon.
What is the largest mortar round?
The largest mortars ever developed were the Belgian "Monster Mortar" (24 inches; 610 mm; developed by Henri-Joseph Paixhans in 1832), Mallet's Mortar (36 inches; 914.4 mm; developed by Robert Mallet in 1857), and the "Little David" (36 inches; 914.4 mm; developed in the United States for use in World War II).
How far can a 81mm mortar shoot?
L16 81mm mortarMuzzle velocity225 m/s (740 ft/s)Effective firing rangeHE: 100–5,675 m (109–6,206 yd) Smoke: 100–5,675 m (109–6,206 yd) Illumination: 400–4,800 m (437–5,249 yd)Maximum firing range5,650 m (6,180 yd)Feed systemManual22 more rows
Can a mortar destroy a tank?
The 0.23-to-0.47-inch (5.8 to 11.9 mm) thick armor generally prevented penetration by small arms fire and shell fragments. However, even a near miss from field artillery or an impact from a mortar HE round could easily disable or destroy the tank: if the fuel tank was ruptured, it could incinerate the tank's crew.
How much does a 120mm mortar weigh?
467.4 lbMortar 120mm M95 Long RangeMortar 120mm М95 LONG RANGEManufacturerPPT-Namenska ADSpecificationsMass212.0 kg (467.4 lb) on field 465.0 kg (1,025.1 lb) with trailer during transportLength2.089 m (6.85 ft)12 more rows
Do SEALs use mortars?
During these four days, the 12 SEALs learned how to prepare and fire a mortar, calculate fire direction, centering techniques, calling for fire – everything normally taught in a 45-day course was condensed into this short period to enhance the SEALs mission capabilities.
How much does a mortar cost the Army?
M224 mortarUsed byUnited States IraqWarsVietnam War (prototype model) Gulf War War in Afghanistan Iraq War War in Iraq (2013–2017)Production historyUnit cost$10,65815 more rows
What is a charge in mortar?
A charge is a semi-circular donut of nitrocellulose, which resembles a puffy letter "C.". A round for the M252 mortar comes with four charges attached. Longer-range shots require more propellant than can fit in the tail of the round, hence the necessity of external charges.
What is the job of a gunner in a mortar?
In addition to having general oversight of all squad activities, he also supervises the emplacement, laying, and firing of the weapon. The gunner stands to the left of the mortar where he can manipulate the sight, traversing handwheel, and elevating handwheel.
How much does the M252 weigh?
The M252 system weighs 91 lb (41 kg) completely assembled and is composed of the M253 Cannon (35 lb, 16 kg), M177 Mount (27 lb, 12 kg), M3A1 Baseplate (29 lb, 13 kg), and the M64A1 Sight Unit (2.5 lb, 1.1 kg). The mount consists of a base plate and a bipod, which is provided with screw type elevating and traversing mechanisms to elevate/traverse ...
What is the M224 fuze?
The M224 rounds have two fuze types: the Multioption Fuze ( M734) and the Point-Detonating Fuze (M935) . The M734 is used for the M720 HE round and can be set to function as proximity burst, near-surface burst, impact burst, or delay burst.
Where is the M252 mortar stationed?
Marines fire an M-252 81mm mortar during live-fire training at Udairi Range in Kuwait, 2012. Marine M252 mortar crew deploying on a cliff-side in the Middle Euphrates River Valley in Syria, 11 October 2018.
Where is the first ammunition bearer?
The first ammunition bearer stands to the right rear of the mortar. He has the duty of preparing the ammunition (charge settings, fuzes, etc...) and passing it to the assistant gunner. The second ammunition bearer stands to the right rear of the mortar behind the first ammunition bearer.
What is the M252?
The M252 is a gravity-fired smoothbore system. Attached to the muzzle of the weapon is the Blast Attenuation Device (BAD), used to reduce the blast effects on the mortar crew. To increase cooling efficiency, the breech end is finned; though first-hand accounts attest that the level of cooling is negligible.
Overview
Operation
A crew of five enlisted personnel operate the M252: the squad leader, the gunner, the assistant gunner, the first ammunition bearer, and the second ammunition bearer.
1. The squad leader stands directly behind the mortar where they can command and control their squad. In addition to having general oversight of all squad act…
Design
The M252 system weighs 91 lb (41 kg) completely assembled and is composed of the M253 Cannon (35 lb, 16 kg), M177 Mount (27 lb, 12 kg), M3A1 Baseplate (29 lb, 13 kg), and the M64A1 Sight Unit (2.5 lb, 1.1 kg). The mount consists of a base plate and a bipod, which is provided with screw type elevating and traversing mechanisms to elevate/traverse the mortar. The M64A1 sight unit (also used on the M224) is attached to the bipod mount. The M252 is a gravity-fired smoothb…
History
The M252 is an adaptation of the British 81mm L16A2 mortar developed in the 1950s. It entered service with the U.S. Army and replaced the previous 81 mm M29 mortar in 1987. It was adopted due to the extended range (from 4,500 meters to 5,650 meters) and enhanced lethality. In the U.S. it is produced by Watervliet Arsenal.
A lightweight version, the M252A1 was first fielded in December 2014. By using lightweight mat…
Operators
• Estonia
• Iraq
• United States
• Australia (M252A1)
See also
• Artillery
• Military technology and equipment
• List of artillery
• List of crew served weapons of the US Armed Forces
External links
• "Fact File: M252 Mortar". U.S. Army. Archived from the original on 23 November 2012.
• "Factfile: M252 81mm Medium Extended Range Mortar". U.S. Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 13 March 2007.