The M74 mortar is designed by

Military Technical Institute Military Technical Institute ( sr, Војнотехнички институт, Vojnotehnički institut; abbr. ) is a Serbian weapons and aircraft design institute, headquartered in Belgrade, and governed by the Serbian Ministry of Defence. It ...

in Yugoslavia. It is smooth bore, muzzle-loading, high-angle-of-fire weapon used for long-range indirect fire support. Today they are produced by Serbian company

PPT Namenska PPT Namenska ( sr, ППТ Наменска, PPT Namenska) is a Serbian manufacturer of arms, mortars, grenade launchers, unmanned ground vehicle, hydraulics and pneumatics, airplane parts and some complex weapons system including modernized M-77 ...

and BNT from

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

Description

This mortar can be deployed as infantry support for destruction of personnel and enemy firing positions, for opening routes through barbed wire obstacles and

mine fields A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...

, for demolition of fortified objects, for destructing infrastructure elements, illumination and deploying smoke screen. The M74 model when disassembled could be carried by 3 soldiers thus having unique capabilities regarding transport in area with obstacles or in urban area compared with more heavier mortars. M74 provides 12 rds per minute

rate of fire Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. This can be influenced by several factors, including operator training level, mechanical limitations, ammunition availability, and weapon condition. In m ...

and it is intended to be used to deliver 15-20 mines before moving to another position. Since it is very light regarding its caliber it can be easily airdropped and parachuted to firing position. It uses NSB-4B sight for firing. Base-plate of M74 mortar is triangle shaped.

Specifications

Operators

Current operators

* * * * *

Former operators

* − Seized by Azerbaijan after the

2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh Between 19 and 20 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against the self-declared breakaway state of Artsakh, a move seen as a violation of the 2020 ceasefire agreement signed in the aftermath of the Second Nago ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:M74 mortar Artillery of Serbia Infantry mortars Mortars of Yugoslavia 120mm mortars Military equipment introduced in the 1980s