![Prototyp moździerza RAK na podwoziu gąsienicowym](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Prototyp_mo%C5%BAdzierza_RAK_na_podwoziu_g%C4%85sienicowym.jpg)
M120 Rak is a
self-propelled wheeled gun-mortar equipped with an automatically loaded 120 mm
mortar mounted on a tracked (SMG 120 / M120G
) and wheeled (SMK 120 / M120K
) chassis, designed by
Huta Stalowa Wola
Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW SA) is a defense contractor that operates a steel mill in the city of Stalowa Wola, Poland. It is a major producer of military equipment and one of the largest heavy construction machinery producers in East-Central Europe. ...
(HSW). It is produced in Poland, and used by Polish Land Forces. Serial production and the first delivery started in 2017.
History
Work on the Rak mortar started in 2006, the first
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
s were presented in 2009. Initially designed by HSW, later with co-financing from the
Ministry of Science and Higher Education
{{Unreferenced, date=March 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
A Ministry of Higher Education is a government department that focuses on the provision or regulation of institutions of higher education. In some countries these exist as ministries compounde ...
. Most of the mortar elements are produced in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. HSW has received several patents for the construction of individual mortar solutions.
In April 2016, with the consortium of HSW and ROSOMAK S.A., a contract was signed for the supply of eight KMO Rak systems (64 M120K mortars and 32 artillery command vehicles (AWD)) in 2017–2019. In October 2019, another contract was signed for the supply of two KMO Rak systems (18 M120K mortars and 8 AWD) and two mortars for training at the Centrum Szkolenia Artylerii i Uzbrojenia (Artillery and Armament Training Center) in
Toruń
)''
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. In May 2020, the Inspektorat Uzbrojenia (Armaments Inspectorate) signed a contract with the consortium for the delivery of another 5 KMO Rak systems (40 RAK mortars and 20 AWD).
Description
The Rak Mortar can be built on a variety of chassis. The caterpillars are based on the lightweight HSW tracked chassis, while the wheeled ones are based on the Rosomak APC. In 2013, as part of the MSPO exhibition, the manufacturer presented the implementation of the mortar on the chassis of the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
Marder
Marder may refer to:
German military vehicles
* A series of World War II tank destroyers:
** Marder I
** Marder II
** Marder III
* Marder (IFV), a modern infantry fighting vehicle
* Marder (submarine), a World War II midget submarine
People with ...
infantry fighting vehicle. The fire set of the 120 mm self-propelled mortars, Rak, consists of eight cannons, used to throw mortar grenades at a distance. It is able to make accurate shots at distances from 8 to 12 km. In addition to standard grenades, it can fire shells with a
HEAT
In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...
charge, fighting armored vehicles, such as combat vehicles, smoke and lighting ammunition. The time of moving from the march position to the combat position is 30 seconds (maximum). The firing position can be left within 15 seconds after the last grenade is fired.
The complete Rak mortar system, apart from the latter, includes accompanying vehicles: artillery command vehicles (AWD), reconnaissance vehicles, technical and logistic support vehicles (ammunition vehicles) and armaments repair vehicles (AWRU). The vehicle is equipped with a digital fire control system, including with a
thermal camera
A thermal column (or thermal) is a rising mass of buoyant air, a convective current in the atmosphere, that transfers heat energy vertically. Thermals are created by the uneven heating of Earth's surface from solar radiation, and are an example ...
and a
laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...
rangefinder, so it can work effectively during the day and at night. The data may, inter alia, draw from the FlyEye unmanned aerial vehicle. The Rak mortar can fire remotely as an unmanned weapon, using commands and data transmitted electronically to the vehicle's computer. Initially, until the implementation of modern ammunition with a range of 10,000 m, Polish Rak mortars use old OF843B grenades for towed mortars, modernized with special fittings, with a weight of 16.02 kg and a range of 6,900 m, intended for training.
Technical and tactical data
* Caliber 120 mm
* Number of barrels 1
* Stock of ammunition 46 pieces
* Maximum range 12,000 m
* Time to be ready to fire 30 s
* Time to leave the firing position 15 s
See also
*
AMOS
Amos or AMOS may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Amos Records, an independent record label established in Los Angeles, California, in 1968
* Amos (band), an American Christian rock band
* ''Amos'' (album), an album by Michael Ray
* ''Amos' ...
*
Patria NEMO
NEMO (from "NEw MOrtar") is a single barrelled 120 mm remote-controlled mortar turret currently being developed by Patria Land Oy in Finland. It is a lighter version of the AMOS mortar system, which has been in use within the Finnish Defen ...
References
{{ModernPOLAFVsNav, style=wide
Military vehicles of Poland
Science and technology in Poland
120 mm artillery
Gun-mortars