The Soltam K6 is a 120 mm (4.75 inch) mortar that was developed by

Soltam Systems Soltam Systems ( he, סולתם מערכות) is an Israeli defense contractor located in Yokneam, Israel. The company has been developing and manufacturing advanced artillery systems, mortars, ammunition and peripheral equipment since 1952. ...

of Israel. It is the long-range version of the Soltam K5 and has replaced older systems, such as the M30, in several armies including the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

. It is much lighter than the M30, has a greater range, and can sustain a rate of fire of four rounds per minute, while the M30 could sustain only three.

Design overview

The K6 fires fin-stabilized

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other we ...

from a smoothbore barrel. Unlike its smaller ammunition cousins, the 81 mm and 60 mm mortars, the fin blades of the ammunition fired from the M120 are not canted. Thus, no spin is imparted to the

projectile A projectile is an object that is propelled by the application of an external force and then moves freely under the influence of gravity and air resistance. Although any objects in motion through space are projectiles, they are commonly found i ...

in flight. Although heavy mortars require trucks or tracked mortar carriers to move them, they are still much lighter than

field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...

pieces. They outrange light and medium mortars, and their explosive power is much greater. An improved version is known as the K6A3. High explosive rounds fired by the M120 weigh about and can have a lethality radius of .

History and deployment

The K6 entered service with the

in 1991 as the M120 Mortar System. Its mission is to provide heavy weapon, high-angle organic

indirect fire Indirect fire is aiming and firing a projectile without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire. Aiming is performed by calculating azimuth and inclination, and may include correcting aim ...

support to the unit commander. The M120 is used by both mechanized units and

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often foug ...

in certain situations. Another feature of the M120 is the M303 Sub-Caliber insert, which allows the mortar to fire 81 mm ammunition. The M120 is transported on the M1100 Trailer by the M998

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the or ...

. The version that is mounted on the M1064 and M1129 mortar carriers is known as the M121. In 2007, the U.S. Army ordered 588 M326 MSS (Mortar Stowage Systems) from BAE Systems. Here, the assembled mortar is mounted on a truck, Humvee or M1101 trailer and can be mounted and dismounted in less than 20 seconds. In November 2016,

Elbit Systems Elbit Systems Ltd. is an Israel-based international defense electronics company engaged in a wide range of programs throughout the world. The company, which includes Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, operates in the areas of aerospace, land ...

announced it was awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract for the production of the M121

Specifications

The M120 mortar system consists of the following major components: * M298 cannon assembly () * M190 bipod assembly () * M9 baseplate () * M1100 trailer () * M67 sight unit () The M120 is capable of firing the following munitions: * XM395 precision guided munition * M929 smoke cartridge ( White Phosphorus)120mm Mortar Smoke Cartridge http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/m929.htm * XM930 illumination round ** XM930E1 illumination round * XM931 practice round * M933 high explosive round * M934

high explosive An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An ...

round ** M934A1 high explosive round * XM983 illumination round

Operators

*: 12; ''M120'' variant *: ''M120'' variant *: 20 *: 18 *: 450; ''M120'' variant * * ''M120'' variant *: 25; ''M120'' variant *:80 *: 142; ''M120'' variant *: 1,076 ''M120'' and ''M1064A3'' variants

References

External links