2S12 Sani

2S12 "Sani"
2S12 "Sani"
	2S12 Sani
Type	Heavy mortar
Place of origin	Soviet Union / Russia
Service history
In service	1981 – present
Wars	Soviet war in Afghanistan, First and Second Chechen Wars
Production history
Designed	1981
Manufacturer	Uraltransmash Works (Ekaterinburg, Russia); Motovilikha Plants Corporation (Perm, Russia)
No. built	1500+ pieces
Specifications
Mass	190.5 kg (420 lb) without transport chassis
Crew	4 gunners, 1 commander (plus 2 prime mover crew)
Shell	120 mm HE mortar bombs
Carriage	2F510 2x1 wheeled transport chassis, GAZ-66 4×4 truck (prime mover)
Elevation	45°–80°
Traverse	±5° from center
Rate of fire	12 rds per minute
Effective firing range	Minimum: 0.5 km (0.31 mi); Maximum: 7.1 km (4.4 mi)
Sights	MPM-44M graduated sight

The 2S12 "Sani" (GRAU index) is a 120 mm heavy mortar system used by the Russian Army and other former Soviet states.^[2] First fielded in 1981, the 2S12 is a continued development on the towed mortars first used in World War II.

Design

2S12 is in fact the designator for the combination of the 2B11 "Sani" heavy mortar with its transport vehicle 2F510, a GAZ-66-15 4x4 truck. The 2B11 weighs nearly 500 lb when fully assembled, and thus must be mounted to the 2x1 wheeled chassis 2L81 and towed to the emplacement site by the truck. The GAZ-66 prime mover also transports the ammo load: 24 70-lb crates of 120mm HE mortar bombs, 2 bombs per crate, for a total of 48 available rounds.^[3]

Once on site, it is unloaded from the transport chassis and manually emplaced by the crew of 5. It is the largest caliber indirect artillery employed at the battalion level.

There is also an improved model, the 2B11M, that can fire the laser-guided round "Gran" with a range of 7,500 m. 2S12A and 2S12B improved models are in service now.^[4] 2S12A got a new "Ural" family transport vehicle with high power diesel engine and electric hoist for loading the mortar and a new base plate with a hinge that allows for pointing horizontally without turning the heavy support.^[5]