Mortars shoot at a high trajectory, which means that they can deliver strikes deep into enemy trenches. In addition, they are highly mobile, fast, and sufficiently accurate. The only significant disadvantage is a fairly short range, but there are ways to improve it.
Polish 120mm OF-NMR mortar bombs with rocket range extenders spotted in Ukraine. (Screenshot)
Of course, there are mortars of a larger calibre that are capable of attacking fairly distant targets. FOr example, the Russian 240 mm self-propelled mortar Tyulpan can shoot at a distance of 10-18 km. However, this is a very large and unusual weapon.
Standard NATO 120 mm mortars have a range of about 8 km. This, by the way, is one of the reasons why the defenders of Ukraine make mortar decoys to fool the Russian invaders – the drones are very much looking for them because they know they can reach them. But there is also special ammunition that increases the effective range of mortar fire.
The defenders of Ukraine shared a video from the frontlines showing Polish 120mm OF-NMR mortar shells. They have additional rocket engines that allow them to fly a little further. The Ukraine Weapons Tracker page states that this is actually a “very rare Polish weapon” made for the 120-PM-43 mortar in service since 1943. This mortar is an old Soviet weapon from WWII. Its normal range is less than 6 km. That is why OF-NMR mortar shells were developed.
The OF-NMR projectile can hit targets up to 8 km away with the help of a rocket engine range extender – it goes more than 2 km further than standard rounds. This allows the mortar crew to stay slightly further from the contact line, avoiding the peeking eyes of the enemy drones and counter-battery fire.
Poland no longer needs these shells and can donate them to Ukraine without hurting its own military might. Poland had only 65 120-PM-43 mortars in 2022, but, of course, Poland is a NATO country and is not holding on to old Soviet mortars too strongly. It is likely that these mortars were also sent to Ukraine together with OF-NMR projectiles.
The 120-PM-43 was once considered to be one of the best mortars on the battlefield in Europe. A crew of 3 people prepares this mortar for work in just a couple of minutes. You can then fire 6 shots per minute with pauses for aiming and adjustments. Without those pauses, it is possible to achieve a rate of 15 shots per minute. But, of course, over time, the 120-PM-43 was simply technologically overtaken by more modern weapons. On the other hand, the 120-PM-43 is still used by a number of countries in Africa and Asia, as well as Russia.
People always say that Ukraine is getting a whole load of antique weapons. One needs to understand that weapon systems don’t age at the same rate as civilian equipment. Military equipment is built tougher, is simpler and doesn’t follow trends. If it shoots, it is probably still good enough to fight.
Written by Povilas M.
Source: Tech.wp.pl,