interesting new weapon system in development...

[GLax]

http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/030902-arty.htm

if you dont wanna read it, its basically a 120mm mortar that can go (theoretically) 14,000 yards. yes 14,000 yards. its being designed at the Rock Island Aresenal possibly for the Marine Corps and Army...

[seventy6er]

14,000 yards. yes 14,000 yards

Sorry to say, but that doesn't sound so incredible far to me. 14.000 yards is about 12,8 km which is not that amazing to me...

[wyrm_142]

What you are missing is that the average mortar in use today only ranges about half of that 14,000 yards.

With the types of deployments we are seeing in the GWTO, small forces aren't able to deploy with field arty, so the mortar is the only indirect fire weapon they have.

[GazB]

It is a 120mm mortar. The Vena (ie a 120mm gun/mortar mounted on a BMD chassis) has a range of 13km, and it has a nice range of laser guided projectiles too.

Fully tracked airborne capable vehicle, with 70 rounds on board ready to fire and a rate of fire of 8-10 rpm.

Been in service for quite some time.

The French also have a very nice range of gun/mortars that could probably match the Vena's gun too, though the Russians seem to like mortars... from the Vasilek 82mm automatic mortar (fires from 4 round clips and can fire at 400 rpm cyclic), through to standard 82mm, 107mm, 120mm, 160mm and of course the vehicle mounted 2S4 Tulip... a 240mm mortar with a range of 19km and before they were withdrawn 2KT nuclear shells. The standard round is a 110kg... imagine that falling vertically on your trench system. (There are laser guided munitions for all these weapons too).

[Beowulf]

400 rpm? why? how could you have that many mortar rounds with you?

[Herrmannek]

This is probably theoretical speed of firing
edited teoretical => theoretical

[GazB]

"400 rpm? why? how could you have that many mortar rounds with you?"

As I said it is cyclic rate of fire... like the cyclic rate of fire of an AK is about 600 rpm.

They would normally be used in a group of 6-8 and fire off 2-3 clips for area targets and then move. They are very light, towed weapons. Designed for airborne units. (Normally towed by GAZ jeeps, or BMDs, though there have been seen fitted on top of some troop carrying vehicles)

(note assuming 6 weapons, each firing 3 clips, that would be 72 rounds on target in less than a minute and then they'd move somewhere else).

[James]

That's SICK. :P