Defence IQ Glossary: Mortar

An early version of the Alakran mortar carrier system.  Image: NTGS.   For years, the issue of reducing or eliminating mortar recoil force has been one of the most in need for proven sol...

In an active battlefield, the factor of response time is vital. Digital systems have been taking the effort in calculation out of the hands of soldiers for some time, enabling split-second turnaro...

Although 81mm self-propelled (SP) mortar systems are still operated by some countries, including the U.K., there is now a trend towards the larger 120mm SP systems, which have a longer range and gener...

A new dawn for mortar systems has arrived. While lessons and upgrades have been harnessed from Afghanistan, tomorrow’s conflicts may present an entirely different environment with a number of em...

The most commonly operated towed or hand-held indirect fire mortar calibres are 60mm, 81mm and 120mm, but others, such as 82mm and 107mm are also in use. There are over 100,000 towed/hand-held and sel...

Bharat Forge, part of Indian conglomerate the Kalyani Group, has acquired Ruag’s gun manufacturing facility and plans to establish a joint venture with Israel’s Elbit Systems. The new ven...

EXPAL`s SHEPHERD-MIL is an autonomous aerial reconnaissance device in the shape of a bird, silent and discreet, which incorporates two Day/Night cameras and allows automatic take-off and landing, as w...

US mortar systems appears to be hitting their zenith since the introduction of PGMs. Defence IQ explores the first smart mortar on the battlefield... In early November 2012, ATK completed the product...

Colonel Lorenzo D’Addario, Deputy Chief of the Italian Army’s Land Transformation Department, recently joined Defence IQ to discuss the developments in Italy’s mortar capabilities&...

Colonel Lorenzo D’Addario is the deputy chief of the Land Transformation Department with the Italian Army. In this interview with Defence IQ, he explains why his forces are investing €16 mi...

Amid vital preparation for the US military's withdrawal date of December 31st 2011, Iraqi forces are doing all they can to reacquaint themselves with artillery capabilities not seen since the rule o...

Relatively lightweight compared to artillery cannon and howitzers, mortars are muzzle-loading indirect fire weapons that fire shells at low velocities, short ranges, and with high-arcing ballistic tra...