L16 81mm mortar

L16 81mm mortar
L16 81mm mortar
	81mm mortar L16
Type	Mortar
Place of origin	United Kingdom; Canada
Service history
Used by	See Users
Wars	Nepalese civil war; Borneo, South Arabia, Oman; Falklands War; Indo-Pakistani War of 1971; Balkans, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan;
Production history
Designer	Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment, Fort Halstead (barrel and bipod)
Designed	1956
Manufacturer	Royal Ordnance (barrel and bipod)
Produced	1965
Specifications
Mass	combat 35.3 kg (78 lb)
Barrel length	1,280 millimetres (50 in)
Crew	3
Caliber	81 millimetres (3.2 in)
Action	muzzle loading
Breech	none
Recoil	baseplate and spring buffered mounting clamp
Rate of fire	15rpm, 1-12 rpm sustained, 20 rpm for short periods
Muzzle velocity	225 m/s (740 ft/s)
Effective firing range	HE: 100 - 5,675 m; (109 - 6,206 yd); Smoke: 100 - 5,675 m (109 - 6,206 yd); Flare: 400 - 4,800 m; (437 - 5,249 yd)
Maximum firing range	5,650 m (6,180 yd)
Feed system	Manual
Sights	Optical (C2) with Trilux illumination

The United Kingdom's L16 81mm mortar is the standard mortar used by the British armed forces. It originated as a joint design by the UK and Canada. The version produced and used by Australia is named the F2 81mm Mortar, whilst the version used by the U.S. armed forces is known as the M252.

It was introduced in 1965/6, replacing the Ordnance ML 3 inch Mortar in UK service, where it is used by the Army, the Royal Marines and the RAF Regiment.

In UK armoured/mechanised infantry battalions, the L16 mortar is mounted in an FV 432 AFV (six^[2] per battalion mortar platoon). British army light role infantry battalions and the Royal Marines may transport their mortars in BvS 10 vehicles (the replacement for the Bv 206). Otherwise, it is carried dissassembled in three loads, (barrel, baseplate and bipod with sights, each approximately 11 kg), normally carried by a vehicle or helicopter and assembled for firing from the ground.

The weapon can be man-packed by the mortar detachment, in which case the ammunition would be carried by other soldiers of the battalion. In addition to their normal equipment, each soldier would carry four bombs in a pair of two-bomb, plastic containers (known as greenies in the British Army).

The mortar has been used by many countries' armed forces.

Operators

Current operators

Former operators

Rhodesia – Rhodesian Army

Gallery

View down the smoothbore barrel of the L16 mortar.
L16 baseplate.
L16 sight.
L16 mortar of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

References

^ "81mm Mortar". Retrieved 4 November 2014.
^ Rinaldi, Richard A. (August 2002). "Modern British TOE's" (PDF). Orbat.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
^ "Mortieren (60-, 81- en 120mm)". Defensie.nl. Ministerie van Defensie. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.

External links

"81 mm mortar". British Army.

[1] "81mm Mortar". Retrieved 4 November 2014.

[2] Rinaldi, Richard A. (August 2002). "Modern British TOE's" (PDF). Orbat.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2013.

[3] "Mortieren (60-, 81- en 120mm)". Defensie.nl. Ministerie van Defensie. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.

[2]

[3]

v t e British Armed Forces individual weapons and cartridges, with L numbering
Pistols	L9A1 L106A1 L117A2 L131A1
Assault rifles carbines Designated marksman rifles	L85A3 L86A2 LSW L22A2 L129A1 L129A2 L119A1 L2A1 L403A1
Sniper rifles	Arctic Warfare Covert L96A1, L118A1 L115A1, L115A3, L115A4 L121A1 L82A1
Submachine guns	L80A1 (MP5K), L90A1 (MP5K A1) L91A1 (MP5 A2/A3), L92A1 (MP5 SD2/SD3) Special Forces UCIW
Shotguns	L74A1 L128A1
Machine guns	L108A1, L110A1 L7A2 GPMG L2A1 (M2HB), L111A1 (M2HB-QCB)
Grenade launchers	L17A1/A2 L67A1 L134A1
Anti-armour	LASM LAW 80 M3 Carl Gustaf L2A1 (ILAW) L142A1 (AT4CS HP)
Missiles	MILAN FGM-148 Javelin Starstreak
Mortars	L9A1 51 mm light mortar M6-640 L16A2 81mm mortar
Modern cartridges used	5.56×45mm NATO 6.5mm Creedmoor 7.62×51mm NATO 12.7×99mm NATO .338 Lapua 9×19mm Parabellum 12 gauge

v t e Canadian Army
History	History of the Canadian Army Canadian Corps First Canadian Army Military History of Canada Fort Frontenac Library Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps Peacekeeping
Structure	Structure of the Canadian Army 2nd Canadian Division 3rd Canadian Division 4th Canadian Division 5th Canadian Division List of Units
Mechanized brigade groups	1 CMBG 2 CMBG 5 CMBG (former) 4 CMBG
Brigade groups	31 CBG 32 CBG 33 CBG 34 CBG 35 CBG 36 CBG 37 CBG 38 CBG 39 CBG 41 CBG
Support brigades	6 CCSB
Small arms	C9 light machine gun C7 rifle/C8 carbine C6 general purpose machine gun Browning .50 calibre heavy machine gun Browning-HP 9 mm pistol P225, 226 C22 pistol C15 Long Range Sniper Weapon (LRSW) C3A1 sniper rifle C14 Timberwolf C19 rifle C20 DMR C21 sniper rifle C13 fragmentation grenade M203 grenade launcher M72 SRAAW(L)
Crewed weapons	Carl Gustav SRAAW(M) Spike ATGM TOW LRAAW(H) 81 mm mortar RBS 70 NG MANPADS Skyguard C3 close support howitzer LG1 Mark II 105 mm towed howitzer M777 lightweight 155mm howitzer C16 CASW
Armoured fighting vehicles	LAV III LAV VI Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicle Leopard 2 Bison APC M113A3 and MTVL RG-31 Textron TAPV
Schools	Canadian Army Command and Staff College Peace Support Training Centre Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre Combat Training Centre
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