M75 light mortar

M75
TypeMortar
Place of originYugoslavia
Service history
In service1981–present
Used bysee Operators
WarsYugoslav Wars
Syrian Civil War
Production history
DesignerMilitary Technical Institute
ManufacturerPPT Namenska
Specifications
Mass177 kg for M75 in firing position 261kg in transport
Crew5
Caliber120 millimetres (4.7 in)
Rate of fire15 rpm
Effective firing range9,056 metres (29,711 ft) (M75 with rocket-assisted ammunition)
Feed systemmanual

The M75 is a Yugoslav 120mm mortar designed by the Military Technical Institute. It is a smoothbore, muzzle-loading, high-angle-of-fire weapon used for long-range indirect fire support. It is currently produced by the Serbian company PPT Namenska and the Bosnian company BNT.

Description

The M75 can be deployed to provide fire support, for the destruction of enemy personnel and firing positions, for opening routes through barbed wire obstacles and mine fields, for demolition of fortified objects, for the destruction of infrastructure, illumination and for deploying smoke screens. The M75 has a rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute and can be used for sustained shelling. Mortars are considered to be very important arms as they are very effective and simple to use weapons deployed in a fire support role. The M75 requires only 30 seconds to be transferred from transport to firing position. Since it is light regarding its caliber, it can be easily airdropped and parachuted to firing position. It uses the NSB-4B sight for firing.

Specifications

Maximum range: 9,500 metres (31,200 ft)
Minimum range: 297 metres (974 ft)
Weight: 178.0 kilograms (392.4 lb) without ammunition
261.0 kilograms (575.4 lb) when mounted on trailer
Rate of fire: 15 rounds/min first minute, 9 rounds/min sustained
Crew: 4+1

Ammunition

HE Mortar Shell

Smoke Mortar Shell

Illuminating Mortar Shell

Operators

Current operators

Former operators

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Yugoslavian Mortars". www.pmulcahy.com.
  2. ↑ "BNT - BNT military production". Archived from the original on 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
  3. ↑ "M75 Mortar Technical Information Guide".
  4. ↑ "Krusik HE - HE mortar shell". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22.
  5. ↑ "Krusik Smoke - Smoke mortar shell". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22.
  6. ↑ "Krusik Illuminating - Illuminating mortar shell". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22.
  7. ↑ The Military Balance 2020, p. 90.
  8. ↑ The Military Balance 2020, p. 93.
  9. ↑ The Military Balance 2020, p. 189.
  10. ↑ The Military Balance 2020, p. 141.
  11. ↑ International Institute for Strategic Studies (2020). The Military Balance. Vol. 120. Routlegde. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-367-46639-8.
  12. ↑ Fisk, Robert (19 July 2018). "A Bosnian signs off weapons he says are going to Saudi Arabia – but how did his signature turn up in Aleppo?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-14.