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120-PM-43 mortar

Field	Value
name	M1943 Mortar
image	120 mm regimental mortar M1943.jpg
image_size	300
caption	120mm PM-43 mortar
origin	Soviet Union
type	Mortar
is_artillery	yes
service	1943-present
used_by	Soviet Union
wars	Eastern Front (World War II)
Korean War
Vietnam War
Cambodian Civil War
Rhodesian Bush War
Portuguese Colonial War
Lebanese Civil War
Soviet–Afghan War
Gulf War
South Sudanese Civil War
manufacturer	Uralmash
weight	275 kg
crew	6
caliber	120 mm
rate	9 rpm maximum, 70 rds/hr sustained
velocity	272 m/s Frag-HE & HE
range	5700 m maximum, 500 m minimum
breech	muzzle loaded
elevation	+45° to +80°

Korean War Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Rhodesian Bush War Portuguese Colonial War Lebanese Civil War Soviet–Afghan War Gulf War South Sudanese Civil War The M1943 Mortar or 120-PM-43 () or the 120-mm mortar Model 1943 (), also known as the SAMOVAR, is a Soviet 120 millimeter calibre smoothbore mortar first introduced in 1943 as a modified version of the M1938 mortar. It virtually replaced the M1938 as the standard weapon for mortar batteries in all Soviet infantry battalions by the late 1980s, though the armies of the Warsaw Pact utilised both in their forces.

Ammunition

Design

This muzzle-loading mortar can be easily broken down into three parts – barrel, bipod and baseplate – for movement over short distances or towed by a GAZ-66 truck on a two-wheel tubular carriage. The baseplate mounting permits all-azimuth firing; however, as with most Soviet mortars, it was difficult to turn rapidly over a wide traverse. It could accommodate small-angle shifts of up to 6 degrees without having to shift the baseplate though.

Variants

It was copied in China as the Type 53 mortar. A more robust but heavier version, the Type 55, was developed by Norinco. Egypt also produced a locally modified variant, the Helwan Model UK 2. An improved version called the 2B11 Sani was also produced by the Soviets and, in combination with the 2B9 Vasilek, was being used to phase out the M1943 from service.

Users

A map with nations that use the 120-PM-43 mortar in blue

Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Bangladesh: Type 53 variant
: 6
: 12
: 6
: 12 in store
China: Manufactured as Type 53 and Type 55
: 28
Czech Republic
Egypt: PM-43 and Helwan Model UK 2
: 8
: 18
Hungary: 1
Iraq
Kazakhstan
: 8
: 12
: Type 53 variant
Nepal
: 24
: Type 53 variant
Russia
Slovakia
South Sudan: Type 55
Sudan
Sri Lanka
Syria
Tanzania: Type 53 variant
Vietnam: PM-43, Type 53 and Type 55
: 6

Former users

East Germany
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
South Yemen
Soviet Union
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

References

Rottman, Gordon L.. (December 2002). "Korean War Order of Battle: United States, United Nations, and Communist Ground, Naval, and Air Forces, 1950-1953". Praeger.
Rottman, Gordon L.. (10 Feb 2009). "North Vietnamese Army Soldier 1958–75". [[Osprey Publishing]].
Campbell, David. (30 Nov 2017). "Soviet Paratrooper vs Mujahideen Fighter: Afghanistan 1979–89". [[Osprey Publishing]].
(1986). "120-HM 38". Atlas.
US Army, ''FM 100-2-3 The Soviet Army: Troops, Organization and Equipment'', 5–60
Encyclopedia XXI century. Weapons and technologies of Russia. Volume 12. Weapons of destruction and ammunition, pp. 183, 217-222.
Firing tables for 120-mm regimental mortars mod. 1938 and mod. 1943 TS No. 104, Military Publishing House of the USSR - Ministry of Defense (1967)
(15 March 1992). "120 mm Type 53 mortar".
(4 June 2001). "NORINCO 120 mm Type 55 mortar".
(4 June 2001). "Helwan 120 mm Model UK 2 heavy mortar".
(May 2008). "Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict: Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society". [[Routledge]].
(4 June 2001). "120 mm M-43 mortar".
(22 November 2000). "National inventories, Bangladesh".
"Trade Registers".
Rottman, Gordon L.. (1993). "Armies of the Gulf War". Osprey Publishing.
Small Arms Survey. (2012). "Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets". [[Cambridge University Press]].
US Department of Defense. "North Korea Country Handbook 1997, Appendix A: Equipment Recognition".
(23 March 2021). "Tracking Arms Transfers By The UAE, Russia, Jordan And Egypt To The Libyan National Army Since 2014".
[[International Institute for Strategic Studies]]. (2021). "The Military Balance". Taylor & Francis.
"Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis July 2006 – May 2009". Ministry Of Defence Democratic Socialist Republic Of Sri Lanka.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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