CLASSIFICATION OF MORTARS
Mortars are usually classified according to tactical, organizational and constructive characteristics.
Based on the experience of World War II, mortars are subdivided into mortars for direct support of infantry in battle (company and battalion); direct infantry support (regimental); reinforcements (sometimes called breakthrough or high power mortars).
In accordance with organizational and staff affiliation, mortars are divided into military (company, battalion, regimental, divisional) and reserve of the High Command (RVGK). According to the method of movement - on wearable, transportable, towed, pack and self-propelled.
Organizationally, military mortars are part of motorized rifle (infantry), parachute and similar units and are intended for direct fire support and escort of troops in any terrain and situation. Troop mortars, supplementing the fire of the subunits to which they enter, make it more effective, since the steepness of the flight path of mines allows them to hit closed targets that are inaccessible to small arms fire and artillery flat fire.
Company mortars (caliber 50-60 mm) are organizationally part of rifle and motorized rifle (infantry) companies and constantly accompany them in battle, striking enemy manpower and fire weapons located behind shelters and companies inaccessible to small arms fire.
Battalion mortars (caliber 81-82 mm) are organizationally part of motorized rifle (infantry), airborne and similar battalions, accompany them on any terrain and are designed to defeat enemy manpower located in shelters (ravines, hollows, etc. .), fire weapons located behind shelters and inaccessible to small arms fire, as well as regimental and battalion artillery. These mortars are also used for making passages in wire fences, for firing special mines (lighting, smoke), etc.
Regimental mortars (caliber 106-120 mm) are organizationally part of motorized rifle (infantry) and other regiments, constantly follow in their battle formations and perform tasks in the interests of rifle battalions and the regiment as a whole.
Divisional mortars were organizationally attached to divisions, and RVGK mortars were at the disposal of the top military leadership and were intended to qualitatively enhance the firepower of military artillery and perform specific tasks: for example, the destruction of powerful enemy fortifications (wood-earth fireworks, dugouts), field-type fortifications (trenches with overlapping , light dugouts).
Organizationally, RVGK mortars are grouped into subunits and units that are at the disposal of the Supreme High Command and are attached to combined-arms formations operating in the decisive direction of large formations and groupings of troops.
The design features of mortars are determined depending on the principles of the design of the main units, their layout, methods of loading and igniting the charge.
For example, according to the principle of a barrel device, mortars can be smooth-bore and rifled.
The barrel of a rifled mortar is similar in its internal structure to the barrel of a conventional artillery gun. The rifling in the barrel causes the mine to spin, and it stabilizes in flight by rotating, like an artillery shell. Nowadays, rifled mortars are used relatively rarely. With rifled barrels, two types of mortars are known: shooting mines with leading belts similar to rifled artillery shells and shooting mines with ready-made projections made in the shape of the rifling of the barrel.
Smoothbore mortars also exist of two types: those that shoot over-caliber mines (the diameter of the mine is greater than the diameter of the barrel bore) and those that shoot with caliber mines (the diameter of the mine is approximately equal to the diameter of the barrel bore). An over-caliber mine has a tail rod (sometimes equipped with a stabilizing device) that goes into the bore of the mortar. When fired, the force of the powder gases, acting on this rod, throws the over-caliber mine forward. Such mines were widely used during the First World War. A caliber mine is placed inside the bore and ejected by the force of powder gases. The correct flight of the mine and its stability on the trajectory when firing from a smooth-bore mortar is ensured by the use of special stabilizers in the form of feathers or wings. All modern mortars fire caliber mines.
According to the principle of absorbing the recoil force, there are hard mortars and mortars with recoil devices. In hard mortars, the recoil force when fired is transmitted to the base plate and absorbed by the soil. In mortars with recoil devices, the recoil energy when fired is absorbed by the recoil brake, as in an artillery gun.
According to the principle of placement and connection of the main units and guidance mechanisms, three mortar schemes are distinguished: blind assembly (all mechanisms are assembled on one massive slab); a real triangle (the trunk is pivotally connected to the biped, which rests on the ground, and the plate, which also rests on the ground; at the bottom, the biped and the plate are hingedly connected by a special link); imaginary triangle. With the scheme of an imaginary triangle, the two sides of this triangle are the trunk and the two-legged carriage, and the third side is an imaginary line passing along the ground between the support points of the trunk and the two-legged carriage. The scheme of an imaginary triangle has received universal recognition and has become a classic for mortars.
According to the method of loading, mortars are muzzle-loading and breech-loading. Mortars of small and medium calibers (from 50 to 120 mm) are loaded from the muzzle. In this case, the ignition of the charge can occur from the pricking of the main charge primer on the hard firing pin or under the influence of the striker of the firing mechanism, the release of which from the combat platoon is made by one of the calculation numbers. Large-caliber mortars (over 120 mm) are charged from the breech, and the charge is ignited using a firing mechanism.
Depending on the degree of automation of reloading operations, all modern mortars are divided into non-automatic (classical scheme) and automatic (for example, the 82-mm automatic mortar 2B9M "Vasilek").
According to the principle of ignition of the charge, there are mortars with an expansion ignition scheme, gas-dynamic and with a Stokes-type ignition scheme.
The expansion scheme for the ignition of the charge, used in mortars, is similar to the scheme for the ignition of the charge in artillery guns, when the ignition of the powder charge occurs in the chamber, closed on one side by the gate or the bottom of the barrel bore, and on the other side by the bottom cut of the projectile.
In a gas-dynamic ignition scheme, the charge is placed in a separate chamber connected to the barrel bore by a hole called a nozzle. With this scheme, the combustion of gunpowder occurs in a constant and small volume, which ensures the same conditions for the combustion of gunpowder, and, consequently, good accuracy of fire.
The greatest application in mortars was found in the Stokes-type ignition scheme. According to this scheme, the ignition and combustion of the main propellant charge occurs in the closed volume of the stabilizer tube. When a certain pressure in the stabilizer tube is reached, the propellant gases break through the walls of the main charge cartridge, ignite additional charges located around the stabilizer tube in the jammed space, and impart a forward motion to the mine. In this case, the ignition of additional charges occurs instantly, and the combustion of gunpowder is monotonous, which ensures sufficient accuracy of fire.
Depending on the method of movement, mortars can be: wearable (transported disassembled by means of calculations using special devices or packages), transportable (for transportation they are packed in the body of a car, tractor or armored personnel carrier), towed (transported in a trailer behind the tractor and supplied with a detachable or wheel drive inseparable during firing), pack animals (disassembled are transported by pack animals in special packs).
Self-propelled mortars are mounted on a wheeled or tracked base of transport or combat vehicles and are armored, semi-armored and open.
In terms of the effectiveness of the action on the target, mortar mines are not inferior to shells of conventional artillery guns of the corresponding caliber. The fragmentation effect of mines in modern mortars even surpasses the fragmentation effect of cannon and howitzer shells of the same caliber. Therefore, the appearance of mortars led to the partial replacement of relatively heavy and expensive classic artillery pieces with lighter and cheaper mortars.
All mortars, regardless of design, have some common combat properties that are highly valued in the army. The steepness of the flight path of mortar mines (elevation angles of the barrel from 45 to 85 degrees) allows you to destroy closed targets that are not affected by the flat fire of small arms, grenade launchers, recoilless guns and cannons. Mortars can fire from deep shelters (ravines, ditches), through obstacles (house walls, forest), over the head of their troops.
Mortars have great survivability (up to 10,000 rounds and more). This is due to the absence of rifling in the barrel and the relatively low pressures of the powder gases. The most valuable quality of any mortar is its low weight and high power of the mine. For example, a 120-mm mortar is 9 times lighter than a 122-mm howitzer close to it in caliber and almost 23 times lighter than a 122-mm cannon. And if we take the ratio of the mass of the gun (mortar) to the mass of the projectile (mines), then we get the following characteristic figures: for cannons 180/350, for howitzers 100/180, for mortars 15/30.
DEVICE OF MORTARS
The DESIGN of a muzzle-loading mortar of the classical scheme is very simple. The main parts of the mortar: a barrel with a breech, a biped - a carriage, a base plate, a sight and a safety guard against double loading.
The barrel gives the direction of flight and muzzle velocity to the mortar. It is a steel pipe, smooth outside and inside, on the lower end of which a bottom is screwed, called a breech. If modern guns have the greatest pressure of powder gases in the barrels is
3500-4000 kgf / sq. Cm, then in mortars it does not exceed
1000-1200 kgf / sq. Cm, therefore, mortar barrels are made thin-walled and, therefore, light. So that the gases of a burning war charge do not break through the thread of the breech when fired, a copper ring is inserted into the breech. When the breech is screwed on, the steel pipe rests against this copper ring, slightly flattens the soft copper, and this achieves a hermetic blockage of the lower, or, as it is called, the breech of the barrel.
At the bottom of the breech, a drummer is mounted, onto which the mine is pricked with its primer when it is lowered into the barrel.
In the simplest case, the percussion mechanism is a sting screwed into the lower part of the barrel, into the bottom of the breech. When loading, the mine is lowered into the barrel from the front, i.e. from the muzzle, part of it. The mine slides freely down the smooth surface of the barrel, and the primer of the charge placed in the tail of the mine is immediately impaled on the sting. From this prick, a shot is immediately fired. The rigid striker is simple in design and provides a high rate of fire.
Therefore, in heavy 107-120-mm mortars, a cocked percussion mechanism is more often used. It has two positions - hard and cocked. In the latter case, the firing pin of the striker in the initial position before the release of the trigger lever is recessed so that it does not protrude from the bottom of the breech. This eliminates the possibility of spontaneous pricking of the mine primer when loading. Shooting with a cocked drummer is carried out when, after loading, it is necessary to check the aiming, and then withdraw the combat crew from the mortar to cover.
The base plate serves as a support for the barrel and distributes the pressure of the barrel when fired over a relatively large surface, ensures the stability of the mortar and does not allow it to dig deep into the ground. It has no removable parts. It is a rigid structure and consists of a base sheet, to which lining is welded on top, and stiffeners are welded on the bottom, which are also openers.
The machine is a support for the mortar barrel in a combat position and provides it with vertical and horizontal guidance angles. In mortars of small and medium calibers, the machine is a two-legged carriage. For heavy mortars, the machine has a more complex design, including chassis elements.
At the moment of the shot, the mortar barrel settles, shudders. At this time, the barrel of the mortar, together with the base plate, under the action of the pressure of the powder gases, quickly and abruptly moves along the axis by a certain amount within the limits of residual and elastic deformations of the soil. After the shot, under the action of the forces of elasticity of the soil, the barrel with the plate returns to its original position. Thus, a kind of rollback and rollback of the barrel occurs, similar to the way it occurs in an artillery gun.
To ensure accurate aiming of the barrel, the two-legged carriage is equipped with three mechanisms: lifting, turning and leveling. Each of these mechanisms is a screw that rotates in the uterus using a gear and a crank.
The lifting and turning mechanisms, with the help of which the vertical and horizontal aiming of the mortar is carried out, as a rule, are of the screw type. Unscrewing the screw of the lifting mechanism from the uterus, the muzzle of the barrel is raised; screwing the screw into the uterus, lower the muzzle and thereby change the range of the mine fall. The rotary mechanism allows you to accurately aim the mortar to the right or to the left at a small angle: from 3 to 5 degrees for different mortar systems. To turn to a greater angle, rearrange the biped.
Horizontal aiming is performed using a protractor and a rotary mechanism. At large turning angles, the bipedal carriage is moved. Vertical aiming is carried out by the sight and the lifting mechanism of the mortar. Each mortar sight has a protractor and a sight scale. The protractor is designed to measure horizontal angles, and the scope is designed to measure vertical angles.
The combat operation of muzzle-loading mortars revealed one of their most significant drawbacks - the possibility of double or re-loading the mortar from the muzzle and firing a shot by impaling the igniter cap onto a hard firing pin. Such cases occurred during intensive shooting in combat conditions, mainly due to the carelessness of the combat crew, when the loader might not notice a shot from his mortar and send a second mine into the barrel after the first. In this case, the first mine met the second either somewhere near the muzzle of the barrel, or in the hands of the loader in front of the muzzle. This could also happen with a misfire; weak piercing of the primer of the first mine; a protracted shot or the failure of a mine to reach the striker due to contamination of the barrel bore, mine body, or foreign objects entering the barrel bore. A shot fired from a mortar loaded with two mines inevitably led to very serious consequences - the death of the crew, if he was not in cover, and the destruction of the mortar.
The most radical method of eliminating this phenomenon was the rejection of muzzle loading in more powerful mortars of caliber - 160-mm and 240-mm, loaded from the treasury. This excluded the possibility of double loading. However, the abandonment of muzzle loading and the transition to breech-loading mortars of all calibers, starting with the smallest, was not the optimal solution to the problem of eliminating double loading, since in this case, in order to get rid of one drawback, a number of very valuable qualities of muzzle-loading mortars would be sacrificed. Consequently, it was not about eliminating the very possibility of double loading, but only about protecting mortars from it.
Currently, all domestic muzzle-loading mortars are equipped with reliable automatic double-loading fuses that are put on the muzzle of the barrel. To send a second mine into the barrel after the first is prevented by the fuse blade, which, when fired, is drowned by the powder gases overtaking the mine, flowing out through the annular gap between the surface of the barrel bore and the centering thickening of the mine.
The mortar can be transported disassembled or on a wheel drive.
82mm battalion mortars are transported in armored personnel carriers (BMP) or in car bodies. But when approaching the enemy, when the movement of vehicles becomes impossible in the range of his fire, the mortar crew can carry the mortar and ammunition to him in packs. Usually these are short distances - 5-10 km.
Human packs are extremely necessary when fighting in wooded, swampy and mountainous areas, in off-road conditions, where the movement of vehicles is limited, when overcoming water lines with the help of improvised means, when fighting in settlements. The packs are comfortable because they are fixed on the soldier's back, so the hands remain free and the packs do not interfere with crawling.
Mortars for transportation in the mountains are disassembled into large units and placed on horse packs. These packs have special equipment for attaching to saddles.
The device of large-caliber mortars is much more complicated. But in principle, they have the same basic structural elements: a smooth-walled barrel, a wheeled carriage, a base plate, a sight.
Separately, it is necessary to dwell on the completely new design of the mortar, developed by domestic gunsmiths.
In the late 1960s, the Soviet Union created an 82-mm automatic mortar 2B9 "Vasilek". Due to its design features and methods of hitting targets, it belongs to the class of so-called mortar guns. Designed to destroy enemy fire weapons and manpower with fire both on mounted and flat trajectories (direct fire).
The 2B9 mortar is an example of a self-loading automatic weapon, which is fired with an open bolt. The work of the automation is based on the recoil of the free shutter. The primer of the main charge of the mine is pricked at the final stage of the movement of the bolt forward.
The 2B9 mortar consists of a barrel, a bolt box, a bolt, an anti-recoil mechanism, an upper machine, a lower machine with two chassis frames.
The smooth-bore barrel is threaded to the bolt box. Part of the barrel is placed in a cooling chamber, which is filled with water during intense firing. This allows for continuous continuous fire with a permissible rate of fire of 300 rounds in 30 minutes (without liquid cooling - 200 rounds in 30 minutes).
On the later generation mortars, designated 2B9M, air-cooled barrel is used.
The spring-type recoil device has three piston rods with springs. One of them is installed on top, the other two - below the bolt box. The shutter and the piston rods of the recoil device attached to it constitute the movable part of the mortar. Its guidance in the vertical and horizontal planes is carried out manually.
In the firing position, especially when firing using the upper group of corners, the mortar rests on the central base plate (attached to the lower machine) and the openers of the beds set apart. At the same time, the wheels are moved to the front position and hung out above the ground. For firing a mortar, 82-mm mortar rounds are used.
MORTAR AMMUNITIES
A MORTAR shot is a set of elements designed to produce one shot from a mortar. The main elements of a combat mortar round include: a mine, a fuse and a warhead.
According to their combat purpose, mines are divided into three groups: the main purpose - fragmentation, high-explosive fragmentation, high-explosive, incendiary. They serve to directly engage enemy manpower or destroy his defensive structures; special purpose - smoke, lighting and propaganda mines; to perform combat missions of an auxiliary nature - educational and training. Designed for training and education of personnel of mortar units.
The finally equipped mortar mine consists of a drop-shaped body with an explosive charge, a stabilizer, a fuse, main and additional charges. Mines of this type are used for firing smooth-bore mortars.
The body is a shell for an explosive charge made of an explosive or other type of equipment, depending on the purpose of the mine. A fuse is screwed into the head part of the body, and a stabilizer is screwed into the bottom part. There is a centering bulge on the cylindrical part of the mine body. It is necessary so that the mine does not hit in the barrel bore, but adjoins it with only a small gap. The stabilizer wings have centering lugs. These nubs and protrusions ensure correct movement of the mine along the bore.
An explosive charge, consisting of an explosive of blasting (crushing) action, is intended to break the mine body into fragments that hit the enemy's manpower, or to destroy its structures.
The stability of the mine on the trajectory in flight is provided by a stabilizer, which consists of a tube with holes and tail (wings) welded to it.
There are stabilizers with drop-down tail. In official handling and when loading, the diameter of such a stabilizer does not exceed the diameter of the mortar bore. During the shot, after the mine leaves the barrel bore, the feathers open up, and the tail diameter becomes larger than the barrel bore diameter - the stabilizing moment of the mine increases.
Fragmentation, high-explosive, high-explosive and smoke mines have shock fuses that are triggered when they come into contact with an obstacle. In the same mines, remote fuses are also used, which provide a detonation in the air at a certain height - at a predetermined point on the trajectory before meeting an obstacle.
Depending on the speed of action, impact fuses are subdivided into instant, inertial and delayed fuses.
Fuse designs are extremely diverse, but in any fuse there are three essential elements that make up the fire chain: the igniter cap, the detonator cap and the detonator.
Lighting, incendiary and propaganda mines are equipped with remote fuses. There is no detonator cap or detonator here. They are not needed because there is no explosive charge in these mines. The fire chain of the remote fuse ends with a powder firecracker, which ignites an expelling charge from black powder, which, in turn, throws the contents of lighting, incendiary and propaganda mines into the air.
Powder mortar charges are subdivided into basic and additional. To eject mines from the bore and impart an initial velocity to it in modern mortars, a combat charge is used, consisting of an igniting (main) charge. The igniting charge is placed in the stabilizer tube and in appearance resembles a hunting cartridge: a paper sleeve, a brass bottom with a primer. The base charge is the smallest charge, it is constant. You cannot shoot without it. The igniting charge of an 82-mm mortar consists of 8 grams of nitroglycerin powder, and the 120-mm mortar has the same tail cartridge, but the mass of gunpowder in it is more - about 30 grams. However, an 82-mm mortar can be fired with one main charge, enclosed in a tail cartridge: this will be the so-called "main" (smallest) charge, which will send a mine with an initial speed of only 70 meters per second. She will be able to fly no more than 475 meters.
To increase the firing range, additional charges are used, which are put on the mine stabilizer tube. In 82-mm mortar mines, the stabilizer wings have special sockets. Additional charges can be inserted into these slots, each of which is placed in a transparent film case and has the shape of a boat.
Ring-shaped charges are another type of charge. These are narrow long silk bags with nitroglycerin or pyroxylin powder. There is a loop at one end of the bag and a button at the other. The pouch is wrapped around the mine stabilizer tube and fastened onto it. The charges are usually designated by numbers. The 82-mm mortar mine has three such charges. The charge number corresponds to the number of rings added to the base charge; charge # 1 is the main charge plus one additional charge — the ring; charge # 2 is the main charge plus two rings; charge # 3 is the main charge plus three rings. The third ring charge is equal in strength to the sixth charge from the boats, the second to the fourth, and the first to the second.
Shrapnel action mine character
Counter-guerrilla weapons
For SOBR instructors
In our time, junior officers, appointed commanders of special assault groups, try not to take the mortar with them, citing the large weight of the system. The real reason is that now the principle of working with a portable mortar is forgotten even in the troops, and in the systems of law enforcement agencies this topic has always been a "blank spot". At the same time, the unique combat capabilities of mortars for conducting precisely counter-guerrilla warfare remain unclaimed.
Once upon a time, about 50 years ago, it was portable mortars of caliber 50-82 mm that turned out to be an almost indispensable weapon in a closed, rugged and difficult terrain with a complete absence of landmarks. A portable mortar is, first of all, a rational combination of the power of a projectile (a feathered mine) and the ease of a movable throwing device - the mortar itself. The most valuable quality of the mortar is its low weight with the great power of the mine, which gives a colossal effect of fragmentation and high-explosive action at the target. Suffice it to note that the effectiveness of the rupture of one 82 mm fragmentation mine is equal to the combat work of five to six F-1 hand grenades. In this case, the ratio of the weight of the mortar to the weight of the mine will be? 1/16.
A mortar is a smooth-bore weapon that fires non-rotating, feathered projectiles, that is, mines. The mortar differs from other artillery systems not only in its low weight, but also in the simplicity of the device, ease of use, and a steep trajectory (elevation angles from 45 to 85o). The steepness of the flight path of mines allows you to destroy closed targets that are not hit by the flat fire of artillery and grenade launchers, facilitates the closure, selection and camouflage of your own firing positions, provides firing from deep shelters and shooting "over the heads" of your subunits. A mobile mortar is indispensable as a means of direct support of their orders, both attackers and defenders or ambushed.
Mortar systems have a very high accuracy and accuracy of fire. This allows you to effectively and quickly destroy enemy snipers, machine gunners and grenade launchers directly on the scene. The mortar is a flexible and powerful weapon capable of resolving a tactical situation of local importance like no other. The high lift height of the mine also allows you to effectively shoot down the enemy from tactical heights.
In short, a mortar is a tool that allows you to actively control the specific course of combat events.
The purpose of this material is to give law enforcement officers, officers and soldiers of the internal troops an initial idea of what a mortar is and how to handle it if you have to deal with it.
The design of a portable muzzle-loading mortar of the classical scheme is simple.
Photo 1. The mortar barrel (1 on Photo) is a smooth-walled pipe without grooves, onto which a breech is screwed in the rear (lower) part. At the bottom of the breech there is a drummer, on which the primer of the main (tail) charge of the mine is broken when it is lowered into the barrel. The breech ends at the bottom with a ball heel. Through this part, the trunk is connected to the base plate (2 in the Photo). There is a hole in the ball heel into which any pry bar is inserted for screwing on and off the breech from the barrel when cleaning the mortar.
In 82 mm mortars, the striker is hard, screwed into the bottom of the breech. This ensures simplicity of design and increases the rate of fire.
The barrel rests on a two-legged carriage, which gives it vertical and horizontal guidance angles.
Photo 2. There are lifting (4 on Photo 2), rotary (5 on Photo 1) and leveling (6 on Photo 1) mechanisms on it. The two-legged carriage is detachably connected to the barrel through a shock absorber (7 in Photo 2) by means of a clip (8 in Photo 2) and a basting. All guidance mechanisms of the mortar are of the screw type.
Photo 3. The leveling mechanism, which has a transverse level (9), is designed for accurate leveling of the mortar in cases where the sight is rigidly fixed on a two-legged carriage. Usually the sight is mounted on the left side of the swing mechanism. The need for accurate leveling is eliminated when a swinging sight is used that levels itself.
The base plate supports the barrel. It consists of a base sheet, to which stiffeners (coulters) are welded from below. The distribution of the recoil force over a large area helps to reduce ground pressure.
When fired, due to the elastic deformation of the plate and soil, the barrel moves along the axis by an insignificant amount and then returns to its original place. To prevent damage to the mechanisms of the mortar during a sharp movement of the barrel, the two-legged carriage is attached to the barrel by means of spring shock absorbers.
Post-war 82 mm mortars are equipped with double-loading fuses. This device prevents the laying of a second mine when the mortar is already loaded.
Photo 4. The mortar is shown schematically with the designation of the main parts in photo 1-2-3-4.
Photo 5. Mortar sights are optical and mechanical. Each mortar sight has a goniometer circle (10) for horizontal guidance. Horizontal aiming of the mortar is carried out by directing the sight line of the goniometer to the aiming point. The mortar sight, like the artillery compass, has a scale on the horizontal circle of the protractor, divided into large divisions of 1-00 (one hundred thousandths) for an optical sight, small ones of 0-20 (twenty thousandths) for a mechanical sight. In addition, the sight has a drum for measuring angles with an accuracy of 0-01 (1 thousandth) (11 on Photo 5). Let us recall that one thousandth is 1/1000 of the distance to the target, deployed "along the front". Consequently, an amendment of 1/1000 to the side at a distance of 1 km will give a deviation of 1 meter, for 2 km - 2 m, respectively. The mortar is guided horizontally by a rotary mechanism.
The actual sight with a level serves to measure vertical angles and vertical aiming at range. For aiming at a distance, the necessary sight is installed on its scale (13 on Photo 5), and then the barrel is raised or lowered by the operation of the lifting mechanism until the air bubble at the level of the sight takes a middle position and the target hits the aiming element. This gives the trunk the required elevation angle.
The sight is transported (carried) separately from the mortar. When installing the sight on a mortar, the number 30 on the goniometer circle and the risks on the base of the sight are aligned. According to the technical device, the mortar is simple and does not require much effort to master. A mortar of 82 mm caliber is transported over long distances in disassembled form. The calculation usually consists of 4 people.
A mortar round consists of a projectile (mine) and a powder charge.
Photo 6. A mine is a non-rotating, feathered projectile designed to be fired from a mortar. It is intended mainly to hit the target with shrapnel or to smoke the target, or to illuminate the area.
A fragmentation mine consists of a drop-shaped body, an explosive charge, a fuse and a stabilizer.
The body of the mine is designed to connect all the details of the mine, to place an explosive charge, and to form fragments in the event of a rupture. The body is available in steel or cast iron. A fuse is screwed into the head part of the body, and a stabilizer into the bottom part. On the outer surface of the body there is one or two centering nubs. They are necessary so that the mine does not "walk" in the barrel bore, but goes along it smoothly and with a small gap. Centering protrusions are made on the stabilizer wings. All this ensures the correct movement of the mine along the bore.
To reduce the breakthrough of powder gases between the mine and the inner surface of the barrel, annular grooves are made on the centering thickening of the barrel. In these grooves, the propellant gases expand, swirl and decelerate, while losing pressure and speed. Therefore, the amount of escaping gases is small - 10-15о.
The stabilizer gives the mine stability in flight and serves to accommodate the main and additional propellant charges (beams), and also centers the mine as it moves along the barrel. It consists of a tube with holes and feathers welded to the tube. There are six-feather and ten-feather mines. After the ignition of the main (tail) propellant charge placed in the tube, the propellant gases rush into the bore through the fire transfer holes. In this case, the ignition of additional charges located on the stabilizer tube or placed between its feathers.
An explosive charge is intended to explode a mine. Explosive - usually thick.
The fuse is designed to ignite the explosive charge of a mine when the mine collides with an obstacle after being fired.
The propelling charge of an 82 mm mortar consists of a tail cartridge (main charge) and additional charges.
The tail cartridge (main charge) is a cardboard case with a powder charge. A primer is inserted in the metal bottom of the sleeve. From above, the charge is covered with wads.
Additional charges (beams in artillery slang) of an 82 mm mortar are collected in packages (caps), which are boat-shaped for six mines, which are fixed between the stabilizer feathers. The charges for ten-point mines are ring-shaped and mounted on the stabilizer tube.
A shot from an 82 mm mortar occurs as follows: a mine lowered into the barrel bore falls down inside the barrel and is impaled by the tail cartridge primer onto the protruding drummer (firing pin) of the breech, which ignites the primer, the flame from which ignites the main charge (tail cartridge). The resulting powder gases, the cardboard walls of the sleeve and through the holes in the stabilizer tube, break through into the breech of the barrel. The force of the main charge is enough to give the mine an initial speed of 70 m / s. and throw it at a distance of 85 to 475 m. The gas pressure moves the mine with increasing speed along the barrel bore, sliding by the centering nub along its walls, and is thrown outward along the axis of the barrel bore. In the presence of additional charges on the stabilizer tube, the incandescent gases of the main charge ignite additional charges through the holes in the tube, as a result of which the gas pressure in the barrel bore increases and the firing range increases.
Features of a shot from a mortar - due to the absence of rifling in the barrel, the mine does not receive a rotational motion. The point of application of the recoil resistance force (the stop of the ball heel) coincides with the direction of the recoil force, as a result of which the departure angle is practically not manifested. Due to the low pressures in the barrel (in comparison with cannon pressures), mortars do not have a barrel flare, which ensures its unlimited survivability.
When a mine falls and collides with any obstacle, the mine fuse is triggered and ignites the explosive charge of the mine. The resulting gases burst the body of the mine and the fragments scatter very flat in all directions. Depending on what material, in what historical period and by what technology the hull was made, fragments are formed from 200 to 1000. The reality of hitting a target by fragments depends on the height of the target and is determined by the radius of dispersion of fragments hitting a target of a given height. The radius of the actual destruction of lying targets 82 mm of a fragmentation mine is not less than 18 m. In this case, the grass is completely mown in the affected area. The radius of capital damage to growth targets with the same mine is 30 m with the obligatory target hit by 2-3 fragments. The scattering of the fragments is up to 350-400 meters. The fragmentation effect of a smoke mine is 35-40% less than a fragmentation mine, but the target is also hit by flying pieces of burning phosphorus.
Smoke mines are useful in the field, in the forest, and in the mountains. With their help, the enemy's positions are smoked, which makes him practically blind. In addition, target designation, zeroing, and in the mountains - determination of wind speed at altitude is carried out with smoke mines. The density and stability of the smoke cloud depends on the number of exploded mines, the state of the atmosphere, the strength and direction of the wind.
Of the features of mortar ballistics, the following should be noted: the value of the angle of the greatest (limiting) range for 82 mm mines is about 45 °. This angle is given to the mortar barrel, horizontally aligned "by zeros" in the horizontal and vertical planes. When firing mortars, only hinged trajectories are used, obtained at elevation angles greater than the angle of the greatest range. Therefore, the scale of the sight on the mortar has a reverse cut. The so-called "narrow" sighting fork for an 82 mm mortar is 50 meters.
The shape of the hinged trajectory of the mine depends on the elevation angle and on the initial speed given to the mine by one or another number of additional charges. The greater the elevation angle and the lower the initial velocity, the lower the horizontal range. Conversely, the lower the elevation angle and the higher the initial velocity, the greater the horizontal range. By simultaneously changing the initial speed and elevation angle, you can get several overhead trajectories with the same horizontal range, but different heights. Large elevation angles and angles of incidence of the hinged trajectory of the mine almost completely exclude the presence of dead spaces and provide the possibility of firing from high cover and hitting targets in any fold of the terrain. Due to the lack of rotation of the mine, there is absolutely no derivation in flight.
Attention! When firing, a mortar mine rises very high, and, accordingly, is significantly blown away by the wind, which has a much higher speed at different altitudes than near the ground. This is especially true in the mountains, where winds at different heights blow in different directions with different strengths!
In counter-guerrilla warfare, mortars are often used to ensure the attacking advance of our battle formations by firing "over their heads." This is permissible only under the condition of complete safety of firing for their units, excluding the possibility of accidental defeat. Security is ensured by the presence of such a distance between the target and the closest location of their combat formations, which excludes the possibility of their destruction by fragments of their own mines. When calculating this distance, it is taken into account:
a) the half of the total dispersion of mines closest to their location, increased by one and a half times;
b) the radius of expansion of mine fragments (30 m); c) possible deviation of mines due to inaccurate accounting for the effect of wind.
In the case of firing at a non-shot target, the distance between the target and its units must be greater than the specified value by the "narrow fork" value (see earlier). In this case, you should shoot with the original sight setting, obviously increased by a possible error in determining the firing range and taking into account the influence of weather conditions - in general, by 25% more than a certain distance to the target.
Example. For safe opening of fire from an 82 mm mortar from a distance of 600 m on the first charge at an uninjured target located in front of its units, between the latter and the target, it is necessary to have the smallest distance of about 150 m (according to the calculation table, plus the size of a narrow fork of 50 m). The initial setting of the sight should correspond to a distance of 750 m. If events take place in a forest or on rough terrain, where the distance of fire contact is usually 150-200 m, then this is exactly what you need.
If their subunits are covered in the folds of the terrain from being hit by shrapnel from their mines, then the distance between them and the covered target can be reduced by the amount of the radius of dispersion of the fragments, i.e. by 30 m.
As follows from the above, an accurate measurement of the distance from the mortar to the target is of decisive importance in such firing. At one time, the German rangers, when firing the partisans, had mortar spotters in their attacking lines. Correction of mortar fire was carried out by telephone, the wire length of which was always 200 meters. The sights on the German 50 mm "tray" mortars, which, together with the control cells, moved behind the advancing targets on a permanent telephone wire leash, were set at a distance of 300 m.
In this case, an adjustment was usually made in the course of events ± 30 m closer / further.
Later, the German experience was used unchanged by the special battalions of the MGB in suppressing the resistance of the OUN-UPA. It was the Soviet 82 mm mortars that turned out to be the ideal weapon for forest combat - target designation was given to them on the spot, the distances were close, the targets were group targets, the mortars were trained at the front, the mortars were transferred, installed and guided quickly. And most importantly, mines went off from contact with leaves and branches of trees and exploded in the air. At the same time, the ambush positions of Bandera in the trees lost all meaning. It was impossible to hide in the folds of the terrain below. The losses were appalling.
For firing mortars on a plain, use the plain firing tables. The shooting tables for six-feather and ten-feather mines are not the same. The annular charge is about twice as strong as the "boat" charge.
Attention! When shooting, it is imperative to take into account the corrections for the deviation of the weight of the mine from the normal one (sign H). To do this, algebraically multiply the tabular amendment with its own sign by the deviation of the weight of the mine (the number of characters on the mine) and raise the result obtained with its own sign into the range.
Example! Tabular correction (+ 6m), three minus signs are applied to the mine (---). We multiply: (+6) x (-3) = -18 m. Correction - 18 m. Reduce the range by 18 m (from the vehicle firing table No. 102).
The mortar is perhaps one of the few types of heavy weapons that can be disassembled to be carried over rough terrain. Therefore, it is indispensable in the mountains. In the mountains, the target will not be as mobile as on the plain, but it will always be above or below the level at which the mortar position is located. Therefore, mortar firing in the mountains is carried out according to flat firing tables, adjusted for tables of target exceeding in relation to the mortar horizon.
At the same time, in order to obtain the sight setting for the flat tabular sight setting, it is necessary to algebraically add a correction for exceeding / lowering the target.
Attention! On rocky terrain in the mountains, shooting is carried out without a base plate! The base plate in such conditions is not only useless, but also harmful - it is not fixed on the stone, and after each shot it shifts back. At the same time, the mortar has to be installed and re-directed for each new shot. In this case, precious time is lost, the effectiveness of fire decreases and the consumption of ammunition increases. To install the mortar on rocky ground, two recesses for the biped-carriage and one deeper recess for the ball heel of the breech are cut with a pick or ice ax. At the same time, the mortar barrel rests directly on the stone with the ball heel. Instead of a base plate, which weighs 15-18 kg, it is more profitable and better to take 4-5 additional mines - they are simply shoved with stabilizers behind the waist belt.
But in such cases, it is prohibited:
a) to hold the ball heel with your foot - more than one fool has already crushed the foot;
b) shoot, resting the barrel not on the biped, but putting it on the back of another fool - more than one spine is broken from this practice, and no one at all counted shell-shocked from the shock wave of the shot.
When firing on crushed stone, the mortar barrel rests on the crushed stone with the lower part of the breech and a ball heel immersed in the crushed stone.
If the enemy is located much higher than you on a 40-50o slope, but not on the crest of a height, it will be more profitable for you to shoot so that the mines hit 20 meters higher than the enemy's positions. In addition to being hit by shrapnel, it will also be covered with rockfall caused by the explosion of a mine. The advantage of position at tactical altitude is reduced to zero. Therefore, having a mortar, you can easily refute the well-known postulate: "In the mountains, whoever is higher is right!" Having a mortar, you can fight off an ambush, provide an offensive advance of your own "bottom-up", as well as cover a partisan mortar, firing top-down from a closed position. It has already been confirmed that a skilled mortar gunner, firing an 82 mm mortar in the mountains at distances of 1-1.5 km with a large number of targets hit, consumes less "by weight" of ammunition than a machine gunner and even a heavy-duty automatic grenade launcher.
Two checkpoints or strong points located at a distance of 400-500 m from one another, equipped with 82 mm mortars, are practically inaccessible for the partisans to capture. Why? Because when attacking a checkpoint, the territory adjacent to it with "dead" spaces, where the enemy accumulates, is easy to handle with mortar fire from a neighboring checkpoint. Having a mortar battery of two or three 82 mm mortars, you can shoot down the enemy from tactical heights as effectively as using combat helicopters.
For effective mortar shooting in the mountains, you need to know very well the military topography and navigate the map.
Of course, the partisans will also have mortars. But in practice, this means little and is not decisive. For accurate, fast, effective mortar firing, especially at non-obvious and unobservable targets hidden behind the reverse slopes of heights, it is necessary to be able to very quickly make accurate mathematical calculations. This can only be done by a professional artillery officer, who usually immediately destroys the target with the first or second mine. Partisan mortar gunners shoot for a long time, by trial and error, flights and undershoots, according to the principle "2 bast shoes to the right, 10 fathoms forward." The reality of fire on a moving target in this case is equal to zero. This is the essence of the use of the mortar as a counterpartisan weapon. An army mortarman will always (always!) Be incomparably stronger than partisan mortarmen.
The mortar is an unusually powerful tactical weapon. Therefore, the Germans during the war had 50 mm "tray" mortars in every platoon, and we suffered from them the same losses as from German machine guns. Our gunners-gunners were the best in the world, but the German mortarmen were unsurpassed. Our partisans also took a hard hit from them.
The Soviet military leadership thought in large-scale strategic categories. The calibers of Soviet mortars had a persistent tendency to increase. Mortars of 50 mm caliber, and even 82 mm, were gradually withdrawn from service, as unsuitable for conducting large-scale hostilities. Their release was discontinued. The events in Afghanistan made it necessary to recall the tactical need for 82 mm mortars and resume their production.
In the Western armies, small caliber mortars have never been abandoned. In fig. 5-6 show the French MO-6OL and the American M-224 DE - light 60 mm mortars and mines for them. Weight, respectively, 14.8 and 20.4 kg, firing range, respectively, 2060 m and 3500 m. The French MO-6OL mortar was developed back in 1934 and has not changed since then. Both of these mortars have proven to be extremely effective in the fight against drug-guerrilla formations in the mountainous jungles of Latin America.
In this section, the choice of charges for the Soviet 82 mm battalion mortar and the firing tables from it are given for distances of no more than 2300 m.As practice shows, this is the distance of the observed target, and then only trained artillery virtuosos can shoot in counter-guerrilla warfare. Further distances in mountainous and wooded areas correspond to shooting at unobserved closed targets, require the most complex calculations, the highest level of training, as well as adjustments of fire carried out by special methods. In your case, this is unrealistic, and in order to improve the mortar qualifications, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the firing tables of the TS GRAU No. 102 for an 82 mm mortar. It contains detailed information on the mortar system, on sights and ammunition.
It should be noted that mountain passages make you lose weight. Therefore, it is preferable to take old-style mortars into the mountains without a double-loading fuse with simple lightweight sights.
Shooting a mortar is a dangerous occupation, so the following rules should be observed:
- shooting through the ridge of the shelter is possible if the distance from the ridge to the mortar is not less than “one and a half height” of the shelter along the horizon;
- when installing the mortar on the ground, the inclination of the base plate to the horizon should be 25-30o;
- the base plate must rest on the ground with its entire surface and be deepened into it not less than? coulter heights;
- the biped openers must be sunk into the ground up to the plates and be approximately at the same level with the ball heel of the breech;
Photo 7. before firing, the cap is removed from the fuse M-5 and M-6 and the integrity of the membrane is checked (14);
- additional charges (beams) are printed only at the firing position immediately before firing, annular additional charges are put on the stabilizer pipe only in the lowest position (all the way to the tail); charges - boats of six mines are fixed securely so that they do not fall out when loading; Do not leave mines with additional charges in the open air, do not lay on bare ground, grass, snow, etc .; protect additional charges from dampness and sunlight in summer; in winter - from snow, frost, frost.
It is forbidden to: Shoot with damp charges, whose caps are poorly protected, and on all charges of ABPl 42-20 or VTM powder brand, manufactured before 1945 inclusive (these powders can detonate), shoot mines in which the fire transfer holes are clogged with snow, ice, oil, dirt, etc., mines with defective stabilizer, mines with a damaged fuse membrane and hull defects.
Loading procedure.
When loading, the mine is introduced by the stabilizer into the muzzle of the barrel, recessed in the barrel to the centering bulge and released. After that, immediately remove your hands and especially your head away from the barrel, bend over to the side of the mortar and close your ears! If you do not have time to do this before the shot, at best - a shell shock, at worst - an accident.
When shooting, do not allow the rate at which a collision of a flying mine with a mine brought up for loading is possible (as a rule, a high rate of fire is not needed in the mountains). It is necessary to ensure that there are no obstacles in the path of the mine's flight, even light obstacles - snow cornices, tree foliage, etc., which can cause a premature detonation due to the high sensitivity of the fuse.
In the event of a misfire, wait at least 2 minutes (there may be a protracted shot), then sharply push the barrel with a bannik or any wooden object, at worst with a butt, this may trigger the main (tail) charge primer. If the shot did not occur, wait at least 1 minute more, and then discharge the mortar.
To discharge, the shock absorber clip is loosened, the barrel is carefully and without jerks turned 90o in the hinged support of the plate, the barrel is separated from the plate and, supporting the biped, the breech of the barrel is raised to a horizontal position. In this case, one of the numbers of the calculation holds the palms of the "ring" near the muzzle, so as not to touch the fuse, carefully takes the mine and takes it out of the barrel. With all these manipulations, do not stand in front of the muzzle! To prevent a shot when discharging, it is strictly forbidden to lower the raised breech of the barrel until the mine is pulled out! After that, the tail cartridge of the mine is changed, and it is used for its intended purpose.
The performance data of an 82 mm battalion mortar model 1937-1941. (THE USSR)
Caliber - 82 mm
Barrel length - 1220 mm
Weight in firing position - 50 kg
The greatest firing range - 3040 m
Fragmentation mine weight - 3.1 kg
Smoke mine weight - 3.46 kg
Explosive charge weight of a fragmentation mine - 0.40 kg
Tail (main) propellant weight - 8 g
Additional propellant charge weight (boat) - 7 g
Ring-shaped propellant weight - 13 g
Rate of fire - 15 rounds per minute.
Min markings:
Lighting - S-832s
Propaganda six-feather - A-832-A
Shrapnel ten-tip - 0832D
Fragmentation ten-point of improved design - 0832DU
Shrapnel six - 0832 \ smoke ten - D-832
Smoke six-feather - D-832
Fuses M-4, M-5, M-6.
Alexey Potapov
Special forces of the 21st century. Elite training. Volume 1. SPC "People's Health", "VIPv" LLC
Previous games in the Assassin's Creed series delight fans with bustling, lively and majestic cities. In Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, the opposite is true, focusing on the vast territories of the Caribbean. The shift in emphasis brought about a number of changes: islands, medium-sized cities and ships came to the fore. Even the confrontation between the Assassins and the Templars faded into the background. Moreover, the thoughts of the protagonist are not occupied with solving global problems, but are focused on finding ways to get rich quick. "Jackdaw" will help Edward Kenway to make his dreams come true, become famous and become a thunderstorm of the seas and oceans. A nondescript military brig, taken from the Spaniards, will eventually turn into a floating fortress. With the help found in or at the bottom of the ocean among the wreckage, you can improve everything: hull, guns, mortars, falconets and ammunition. And here change ships in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag it is forbidden; sailing on a ship of the line is allowed only according to the plot. is also limited and appears only for those who bought a licensed copy of the game and have a stable Internet connection, on the pirated version this is not possible.
Boarding in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag begins only after the battle, when the strength of the enemy ship's hull drops to the red mark. As soon as this happens, white zones appear on both sides, which must be entered at low speed, and then hold down the [S] key. During the capture, depending on the size of the ship, additional targets appear (kill the enemy captain, scouts on the masts, a certain number of soldiers, blow up barrels of gunpowder or rip off the flag), which must be completed, otherwise the ship will not be captured. When boarding, the size of the crew plays an important role; the larger it is, the higher the chances of success. The team can be replenished in taverns or pick up people on rafts right in the ocean by pressing the [Space] key at a short distance from the shipwreck victim. After boarding, there is a choice of how to deal with the defeated: release to reduce the level of fame, in order to get rid of pirate hunters, use the wreckage of the ship to repair Galka (on land, the port captains are engaged in repairs), or join the ship to Kenway's fleet. Regardless of the decision taken, the cargo from the holds becomes a trophy. Chests with money and items are kept on the decks of ships abandoned in the ocean. They need to be examined, not drowned.
Controlling the ship in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag:
- Shot from cannons with ordinary cannonballs- move the camera with the mouse to the left or right side of the ship, hold down [RMB] and press [LMB] (you cannot shoot simultaneously from two sides, being between two enemy ships).
- Shot from cannons with heavy cannonballs- move the camera with the mouse to the left or right side of the ship and press [LMB] (the number of available cores is indicated in the lower right corner of the screen, you can replenish the stocks of cores in the captain's cabin through the ship's layout, at the port captain on the islands or after a successful boarding). Heavy cannonballs deal massive damage at close range. To use heavy cannonballs, you first need to buy an upgrade of the same name in the captain's cabin.
- Shot with knipples- move the camera with the mouse to the bow of the ship, hold down [RMB] and press [LMB], or immediately press [LMB]. Knippels help to tear sails, break masts, slow down or stop opponents.
- Falconet shot- hold down the key and release it after aiming at the vulnerable spot of the ship, marked with a red pointer. It is impossible to shoot from the falconets at arbitrary targets, as it was in AC3, but they can be used during boarding by approaching them and pressing the [E] key.
- Shot from mortars- hold down the [Q] key, move the sight with the mouse at the target and press [LMB]. The amount of charge is indicated in the lower right corner of the screen. Supplies are replenished through the captain's cabin on Galka or from the harbor master on the islands. Mortars deal massive damage from a long distance. Very effective against battleships and forts. To use mortars, you first need to buy the upgrade of the same name in the captain's cabin.
- Spyglass- hold down the [E] key. The mouse wheel helps to zoom in, and the [W] key to mark the selected ship.
- The use of incendiary projectiles- move the camera with the mouse towards the stern and press the [LMB] key. Gunpowder barrels are effective against pursuers.
- Ram application- direct the ship towards the enemy and crash into it at full speed.
- Raise the sails and accelerate- press the [W] key several times.
- Stop and release the wheel- press several times [S] to stop the ship, and then hold down [S].
- Dodging enemy shots- hold down the [Space] key.
- Management of sailor songs (shanti)- keys and.
- Align the camera and change the angle of view- keys [C], [←], [↓], [→].
Associated with continuous hostilities and the seizure of foreign territories. Ancient cities were fortresses, the garrison of which was reliably protected by high walls. Often the capture of such a fortification meant complete victory in the war. However, the long siege of cities was accompanied by very heavy losses on both sides.
Required the creation of technical devices designed to destroy "serious" protection. Since the time of Alexander the Great, the first mentions of "ballistas" appeared - weapons capable of throwing stones along a hinged trajectory. This feature allowed devices, which were a kind of catapult, to inflict damage on an enemy hidden behind a fortress wall.
At the end of the seventeenth century, the ballista principle was applied in the design of a mortar - a cannon that fired at an angle of 45 degrees. The successor to such a weapon was the mortar. Photos of the device, its types, fighting qualities and technical characteristics are presented in the review. It also describes the history of the creation and stages of development of this type of weapons.
Definition
A mortar is an artillery weapon that is designed to fire at a high elevation angle, with the aim of hitting sheltered manpower and destroying fortified field communications. Being a type of mortar, it is distinguished by the absence of a gun carriage and a recoil device - these parts are replaced by a plate that is installed on the ground or armored vehicles. Firing from the mortar is carried out with feathered ammunition, in the shank of which a propellant charge is attached.
Historical reference
For the first time, a weapon that fired a shell-mine, firing along a steep trajectory, was used by the Russian army in the war with Japan in 1904-1905, during the defense of the city of Port Arthur. Officer and engineer Leonid Nikolayevich Gobyato became the creator of the "close-range shooting apparatus".
The basis of the gun was a 75-mm howitzer with a trimmed barrel, adapted to fire ship mines. Subsequently, the new "miracle cannon", which actually proved its excellent fighting qualities, was named "mortar". The firing range of the gun depended on the change in the angle of inclination of the barrel, as well as the size of the charge, and ranged from 50 to 400 meters.
The Russian experience in the use of mortars was thoroughly studied by foreign specialists. The device was widely used during the World War 1914-1918. In 1915, 47 and 58 mm mortars were put into service with the army of tsarist Russia, with a firing range of 400 and 520 meters, respectively. The creator of these devices was the captain of the artillery E. A. Likhonin.
Mortar device
To understand how a mortar fires, you need to consider its design. The tool has three main components:
- Trunk. The tube-shaped element defines the direction of flight of the projectile. The top of the part is equipped with a socket (a) for convenient loading. The bottom of the barrel is a breech with a hammer pressed into it (c), which pierces the projectile (mine) primer.
- Base plate. The part has a barrel. Serves as a gun when fired, transferring the recoil force to the surface (ground, chassis, etc.).
- Bipod. An element that supports the barrel when firing. It is folded into the stowed position with the help of a spring lyre (c).
The principle of operation and range of the mortar
The percussion mechanism of the mortar provides for the presence of a striker mounted in the lower part of the barrel. A gun charge - a mine - is fed from the muzzle. The ammunition slides on a smooth surface, and its primer, located in the tail section, "pricks" on the firing pin sting, which is why a shot occurs. This type of striker is called rigid, it is extremely simple in design and can provide a high rate of fire.
The gun ammunition - mine - has a drop-shaped body, equipped with an explosive warhead, with a stabilizing tail section. It houses the fuse, as well as the main (propellant) and additional charges, due to the use of which the initial velocity and range of the projectile is regulated.
In determining the distance at which the mortar is capable of firing, special tables, created individually for each type of weapon, help. Let's consider a typical example of such calculations.
Shooting table. Mortar 120 mm SAO 2S9
Thus, we can conclude that the range of the projectile depends not only on the magnitude of the propellant charge, but also on the elevation angle of the gun. Note that the initial velocity of the ammunition and the distance that it is able to cover are also interrelated with the length of the mortar barrel.
Mortars. Characteristics of tools, their goals and objectives
In combat, great importance is attached to the mobility of means of fire, the possibility of their use at forward positions, the striking effect of weapons and their ability to camouflage. These requirements are fully met by the mortar. As a weapon with a mounted trajectory of firing, it provides:
- Destruction of enemy manpower located in open areas of the terrain, as well as in trenches, trenches, gorges and ravines, behind vertical walls and heights.
- Installation of smoke screens, contributing to the covert redeployment of their units.
- Illumination of the area with the aim of "blinding" the enemy.
The tactical and technical parameters possessed by the mortar
The fighting qualities of the mortar
- High rate of fire. The devices are characterized by easy reloading, which makes it possible to fire from guns with high intensity. The rate of fire of some types of modern mortars is up to 170-190 rounds per minute.
- High power multipurpose ammunition. Fragmentation, high-explosive, cluster, incendiary, smoke and light - these are just some of the types of shells that a mortar can fire. The firing range of the gun is regulated by changing the power of the charge pushing the mine out of the barrel.
- Simple device. The convenience of the design of most mortars, the possibility of their disassembly and ease of transportation make it possible to move the guns over rough terrain, continuously supporting their units with fire. Some models can be used for shooting from the car body.
- Constant combat readiness. Mortars are distinguished by a high speed of bringing into the "working" state, due to the ease of assembly.
- Steep trajectory of the projectile. The gun is capable of hitting a closed target, protected from flat artillery and machine-gun fire. Thanks to this feature, the mortar is capable of firing "over" its units.
Classification
Let's briefly consider the types of guns, taking Russian mortars as a basis. Since the days of the USSR, this type of weapon has been classified as follows:
- Company guns (caliber 55-65 mm).
- Battalion (80-85 mm).
- Regimental (105-125 mm).
- Divisional (large-caliber and jet).
Mortars are distinguished by the device of the barrel as smooth-bore guns and rifled ones. There are two ways to charge them - from the muzzle and breech. The degree of automation of recharge also varies. There are automatic weapons, for example, 2B9M "Vasilek" - a mortar, the photo of which is presented below.
There are self-propelled mortars - mounted on a wheeled or tracked chassis.
Development of tools
The most important stage in the development of mortars was the Second World War of 1939-1945. The industry of the USSR alone produced over 345,000 such guns! Naturally, it is necessary to recall the famous "Katyusha" BM-13 - the first Guards rocket launcher. The firing range of this gun was from 4350 to 5500 m.
The main characteristics of the mortars of that time, which were in service with the countries participating in the war, are combined in this table.
Modern tools
Today's mortars, thanks to the rapid development of military-industrial technologies, have become ultra-modern rifle complexes. We will not describe in detail all the advantages of artillery guns of the XXI century, but consider only one model. And on her example, we will see how far progress has stepped forward.
At the military-technical exhibition MILEX-2011, held in Minsk, Russian engineers presented a silent mortar 2B25, called "Gall". The peculiarity of this product is that it has the most secretive combat use. When a mortar is fired, the powder gases are "locked" in the ammunition, and the gun does not emit smoke, sound or
"Gall" strikes targets at a distance of 1000-1300 m with a rate of fire of 15 rounds / min. The weight of the mortar does not exceed 15 kg, and the mass of the projectile is only 1.9 kg. 2B25 is designed to support the work of special forces and has no analogues in the world.
Conclusion
The development of navigation systems and the computerization of fire control turned the mortar into a precision weapon. Nevertheless, it retained its basic properties - simplicity and convenience, inexpensive ammunition, a mounted firing trajectory and the absence of the need for long-term training of "service personnel". The mortar is still one of the most reliable types of weapons that do not require special resources and numerous artillery crews.
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