Mortar M-240 caliber 240 mm. Firing range. Dimensions. Weight
The 240-mm M-240 mortar was adopted by the Soviet Army in the early 50s. One of the main reasons for the creation of this artillery system was that it required significantly less production capacity than a conventional artillery piece of the same caliber. Limitations such as the inconvenience of handling and the duration of deployment to a combat position were considered secondary, since the M-240 was in batteries, the task of which was to destroy fortified strongholds and operate in urban areas, where the ability to move quickly does not play a big role.
Currently, the M-240 has been withdrawn from service in the armies of the CIS countries, but it is still in reserve. The M-240 has a smooth barrel, loaded from the breech. When firing, the barrel rests on a large, heavy round plate on which a rectangular frame is mounted. In the middle part, the barrel is mounted on an axis on this frame so that it can be laid horizontally - after which loading is carried out. After the mine is inserted into the breech, the barrel returns to the firing position. The frame is also equipped with a recoil device.
It takes an eleven-man crew at least 25 minutes to deploy the M-240 mortar into its firing position, and almost the same amount of time to roll it into its stowed position—both operations are carried out using hand winches available on site. gun carriage.
When transporting, the M-240 is towed by a special eyelet at the end of the muzzle. As a rule, towing is carried out by a crawler tractor; other vehicles are used to transport ammunition, since each mine for the M-240 is 1.565 meters long and weighs 130.84 kg. The high explosive warhead contains 31.93 kg of trinitrotoluene.
The maximum firing range is 9700 meters, and the minimum is 800 meters. The combat rate of fire does not exceed one shot per minute, even though five people are involved in the process of loading and transporting ammunition on a two-wheeled cart. Two people bring the mine to the breech using a special device with a clamp, and another one actually inserts it into the breech and closes the bolt.
240 mm M240 mortar
Yom Kippur War
The Syrian Army deploys 240 mm mortars to the front in the Yom Kippur War. On the opening day of the war, they struck Israeli outposts at Tel Fares and Hermon, disrupting Israeli intelligence gathering and communications. [6] The Egyptian Army also used 240 mm mortars in attacks on the fortifications of the Suez Canal, in favor of heavy shells to destroy Israeli fortifications. [7]
240 mm mortars were much feared because their huge warheads were effective even against targets under cover. Syrian mortars continued to fire at Hermon after the official end of fighting, and the Israelis nicknamed them "Goliaths" both because of their size and the code name for the concrete underground bunker from which one of the batteries fired. One source implies that the Israeli raid was organized to destroy this position. [8]
Afghanistan
The Soviet Union's first combat use of 240 mm mortars occurred in 1985 during the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. The 1074th Artillery Battalion Battery, 108th Motorized Rifle Division used 240mm mortars towed by MT-LB tractors against the forces of Muhajeddin Ahmed Shah Massoud in the Charikor Valley and Panjshir, including the first use of the specialized laser-guided Daredevil. rounds. Faced with heavy machine gun fire from Masuda's fortress, the 240 mm battery engaged the target and destroyed it in 12–15 minutes with five to six rounds, the high angle mortar fire proving effective in bypassing the fortress wall where 122 mm bombing had failed. Troops reported that the mortar was very accurate and usually only needed one hit to hit a target; in addition, heavy shells were practically unaffected by weather conditions. However, the mortar was vulnerable to jamming if the barrel became dirty or damaged. [9] [10]
Lebanese Civil War
During the Lebanese Civil War, the Syrian Army's two hundred and fifty-four 240 mm mortars and S-23 180 mm cannons bombarded East Beirut in 1989 as part of an offensive to oust the Lebanese Army's Christian faction leader General Michel Aoun, inflicting more than 900 casualties. [eleven]
Syrian civil war
The Syrian Army has used M240 towed 240 mm mortars in the Syrian Civil War that began in 2012 against the city of Homs, making it the largest mortar used in modern warfare. (Some reports mentioned the use of 2S4 "Tulip", but their presence is not confirmed, unlike the M240). [12] The use of such heavy weapons in densely populated civilian areas was first confirmed by the tail fin of an exploding 240mm shell in Homs in 2012, prompting protests from human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch. [13] [14] Video footage later showed 240 mm mortars being fired and shells falling on buildings in Syria.
Reports of the use of M240 mortars became scarce after 2012, possibly due to dwindling ammunition supplies, but in 2015 and 2016, exploded casings from two dozen 308 240 mm rockets were found in the suburbs of Damascus, as well as in the east of the country. Guta and Dhuma, accompanied by unexploded O10 cluster munitions, which have never previously been used in combat, lead some to speculate that their use may reflect renewed Russian support. [15]
Tactical and technical characteristics of the M-240 mortar
— Adopted: 1950 — Designer: B. I. Shavyrin, SKB GA, Kolomna — Developed: 1944—1945 — Manufacturer: Plant No. 75, Yurga — Years of production: 1951—1958 — Total produced: 329 — Options: 2B8
Caliber: 240 mm
Crew (calculation): 11 (9) people
Weight of M-240 mortar
— Weight, kg: combat position: 3610, traveling: 4230
Overall dimensions of the M-240 mortar
— Length, mm: 6510 — Barrel length, mm: 5340 (20.8 klb) — Width, mm: 2430 — Height, mm: 2210
M-240 mortar shell
- high-explosive mines 53-F-864 and 53-F-865 (130.7 kg), - active-reactive 3F2 (228 kg), - guided 3F5 of the 1K113 "Daredevil" complex (134.2 kg), - nuclear mine 3BV4 (2 kt)
Rate of fire of the M-240 mortar
— 1 shots/min
Firing range of the M-240 mortar
— Maximum range, m: for F864: 800—9650, for 3F2: 19,690
— Initial projectile speed, m/s: 158—362 — Sight: panoramic MP-46 (MP-46M) — Shutter: piston, with a plastic shutter of the Banja system — Recoil device: without recoil devices (spring-type recoil absorber) — Carriage: two-wheel carriage
— Elevation angle: +45…+80° — Rotation angle: 45° elevation: 16°52″, 80° elevation: 78°
— Type of tractor: MT-LB, AT-T, AT-S, AT-L, Ural-375D — Transportation speed on the highway, km/h: 40
Characteristics of the 240 mm M-240 mortar
A country:USSRType:MortarDate of issue:1947Calculation:11 peopleCaliber:240 mmLength:6.51 m (trunk - 5.34 m)Width:2.43 mWeight:4150 kgRate of fire:1 shot per minuteFiring distance:800 m – 9650 mInitial projectile speed:158-362 m/secAmmunition:No information
Photo of the M-240 mortar
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