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Search Defense Update
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Mobile
mortars and their application
in the modern battle |
Relevant links:
Mobile Mortar Systems
Advanced Mortar Munitions
Mortar types:
Advanced Mortar Munitions
AMOS
AMS-II
Bighorn
CARDOM
Dragon Fire
TDA-2R2M
2S31 Vena |
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Modern Mobile Mortars Trends |
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AMS II 120mm mortar installed on
8x8 LAV chasis, used by the Royal Saudi Arabian Army.
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The enthusiasm in
Russian mortars was not matched by the west.
Post war Western nations seemed to place limited interest
in developing mobile mortar system, placing their priorities on heavier
self propelled rocket artillery designs, with nuclear capability.
Smaller armies, faced with restricted arms
procurement resources such as Israel's Army,
that had to cope with lack of organic artillery,
equipped halftracks, tank
chassis or light armoured vehicles mounting forward firing
81, 120 and 160mm
mortars. |
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A new trend appeared, however, after Vietnam, as well as
the development of low-intensity warfare
engagements that followed the Vietnam War, when the lack of organic
tactical fire support once again became a major problem to front line
troops. One of the main drawbacks, was that man-packed infantry mortars
carried insufficient ammunition to provide effective fire support
at the tactical combat level and the tac commander depended mainly on
higher unit artillery barrages, which often misfired, due to erratic
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AMOS self
propelled mortar system, produced by Patria (Finland) and
Hagglunds
(Sweden)
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communications, endangering friendly fire incidents. With ground forces becoming ever more mobile, and AFVs
rendering better survivability on a fire saturated battlefield, in-house
organic fire support became a vital combat element even at relatively
junior tactical levels. This situation became even more critical in Military
Operations in Urban
Terrain (MOUT)
operations, which will become major contingencies in future combat
situations. Under such conditions, lack of organic commander's
"hip-pocket" fire support would become devastating for the in-fighting
troops.
With dramatic developments in enhanced firepower
lethality, under-armor self propelled artillery became a life saving
imperative, and battlefield survival of the veteran infantry mortar
equally depended on an urgent technological solution.
It was in the mid-seventies and early eighties of the
last decade, that some of the more interesting developments in mobile
mortar design matured into highly effective weapon systems.
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