Insurgent groups often use improvised, or "homemade" mortars to attack fortified military installations or terrorize civilians. [11], The Stokes mortar was a simple muzzle-loaded weapon, consisting of a smoothbore metal tube fixed to a base plate (to absorb recoil) with a lightweight bipod mount. The tail fins need to be placed at some distance to the body, due to the low pressure inhibiting their effect. These were passed electrically to the guns where they were displayed on repeater dials to the layers who 'matched pointers' (target data and the gun's actual data) to lay the guns. Coast artillery employed direct fire, and until the late 19th century laying had changed little, apart from gaining telescopic sights, over the centuries. [4] In the Ming dynasty, general Qi Jiguang recorded the use of a mini cannon called the Hu dun pao that was similar to the mortar. Horizontal aiming involved sighting along the barrel, this was enhanced by a notch made in the ring around the barrel at the breech end and an 'acorn' on the ring around the muzzle. How does a mortar sight work? Ordnance Dept, p. 84, Elementary optics and applications to fire control instruments: May, 1921 by United States Army Ordnance Dept, p. 82, THE COLLIMATOR, "SOF Carbines: Comparing the Son Tay GAU-5A/A and the M4A1 CQBR (Part II) - Soldier Systems Daily", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Collimator_sight&oldid=1129953457, This page was last edited on 27 December 2022, at 22:36. Gun laying has sometimes been called "training the gun". The earliest mortars were used in Korea in a 1413 naval battle when Korean gunsmiths developed the wan'gu (gourd-shaped mortar) (, ). A Mortar is basically just a huge tube, which is closed on the bottom side and mounted on a base plate that allows for some adjustment. [5], The first use in siege warfare was at the 1453 siege of Constantinople by Mehmed the Conqueror. 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This alignment is in the horizontal and vertical planes. The introduction of breech-loading guns, then recoil systems and smokeless powder, completed the change in warship armament from hull-mounted to turreted guns. Use a trowel or paddle to turn the mortar mix by hand. This is an ode to the mortar, and all of its beautifully complex inner-workings. The coarse and fine azimuth scales can be adjusted, clamped and disengaged for a fast . William C Farmer, Ordnance field guide, p. 279, Jan Kay, International Defense Directory, 199192, p. 241, Surveillance and target acquisition systems A. L. Rodgers - 1983 p. 201, Maj. Michael J. Stroff III, USMCR, Night Marksmanship: A Step Forward, Marine Corps Gazette; vol 74 no 4; Apr 1990; pp. This was a gun-mounted rotatable open sight, mounted in alignment with the bore, and able to measure large angles from it. But there are some people out there that are a little smarter, and they're looking for research projects." More than mortars. With the adoption of recoil systems for field artillery, it became normal to pivot the saddle on the lower carriage, initially this "top traverse" was only a few degrees but soon offered a full circle, particularly for anti-aircraft guns. For your camera to work, light must come in through the lens and reach the back of the camera. [7][8], Robins used the ballistic pendulum to measure projectile velocity in two ways. Mortar laid parallel with sights 2-23 Figure 2-15. There are types of bore sights. The controlled explosion fills the chamber with gas and propels the shell out of the tube. (For example, long-range artillery could not shell a target 1km away and 30 metres (100ft) higher, a target easily accessible to a mortar.). With indirect fire, it may allow for other variables as well. A feature of 20th-century laying was the use of one- or two-man laying. Privacy Policy. When nature creates a successful apex predator, she rarely deviates from her original design. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. [6], A problem affecting gun laying, was the tapered external barrel shape. "I'm 5'2 and have had to fight for everything, everywhere and twice as hard. They are a method of indirect fire so they are designed to fire at things which cannot be seen, making traditional "sights" impractical. Mallet's Mortar, the largest British mortar ever made. MIL scopes have 2 digit readings, while MOA scopes utilize digits. Apart from calibrating sights, there was no significant difference in field artillery laying arrangements for most of the 20th century. The resulting directions, known as a firing solution, would then be fed back out to the turrets for laying. Mortars are short-range weapons and often more effective than long range artillery for many purposes within their shorter range. This action absorbed the recoil progressively as the internal air pressure rose and, at the end of recoil, generated a strong, but decreasing, back pressure that returned the gun forward to its original position. Interesting Engineering 892K subscribers Subscribe 52K views 11 months ago #engineering Here's how mortars are able to terrorize enemy soldiers from above. The issue was finally resolved by the introduction of digital computers in the battery command post that calculated the correct elevation angle for the range and muzzle velocity accurately and quickly. The device, operated by one person, brought two images from a distance object into coincidence allowing the distance to be calculated from their relative motions. Finally, the command to prepare a mortar round for firing is not load but HANG IT! A related problem, particularly for large and longer range guns, was that the wheels could be at different heights due to the slope of the ground, which caused inaccuracy. Gradually stir in the mix and the remaining water. The first modern mortar was the so called Stokes Mortar, it was developed during the First World War unlike traditional mortars it was relatively small and mobile, which made it well-suited for trench warfare, because unlike unwieldy artillery it could be used directly by the infantry units at the front line. Such systems, like the Soviet 120mm 2S9 Nona, are mostly self-propelled (although a towed variant exists). One of the biggest evolutions in the mortar design was put forth by the British in World War I: the Stokes Mortar. Before the First World War, the British BL 60-pounder gun was fitted with oscillating (reciprocating) sights, using sighting telescopes, a sight clinometer and range scale as well as a deflection drum for the telescope. (2) With the aiming circle fine leveled, index 0 on the azimuth scale and azimuth micrometer scale. The British Wilson-Dalby gun director used a pair of trackers and mechanical tachymetry; the operator entered the fuse length, and deflection angles were read from the instruments.v, In 1925 the British adopted a new instrument developed by Vickers. The official designation of the American version became "Mortar, 60mm M2". A rough explanation of how to operate the "Dominus" training mortar.This is an early showcase that lets us understand the entire idea of how to aim, correct,. How do you account for changes in elevation, like if I am on a hill firing at a target lower than me or the other way around? Each round has a close-fitting sliding plug in the tube that fits over the spigot. The problem was of successfully aiming a shell to burst close to its target's future position, with various factors affecting the shells' predicted trajectory. Fin-stabilised mortar bombs do not have to withstand the rotational forces placed upon them by rifling or greater pressures, and can therefore carry a higher payload in a thinner skin than rifled artillery ammunition. This computed a correction for the cross level of the gun and used feedback from electro-mechanical devices, such as gyroscopes and electronic clinometers, aligned to the axis of the bore. He has a passion for projects that bridge the gap between civilians and veterans to shine a brighter light on issues. A modern example of a gun-mortar is the 2B9 Vasilek. A modified version of the mortar, which fired a modern fin-stabilised streamlined projectile and had a booster charge for longer range, was developed after World War I;[13] this was in effect a new weapon. Some allow you to drop the round in, and trigger . One money-saving feature here is that Rocket Mortgage does not require private mortgage insurance on Jumbo Smart loans. By Ruddy Cano Updated on Dec 30, 2022 3 minute read SUMMARY The mortar is an indirect fire weapon that rains freedom down from high angles onto an enemy within a (relatively) short range. By World War II the situation was largely as follows: for targets up to a few thousand yards away, a smaller-calibre automatic gun was used, with simple sights that enabled a layer to judge the lead based on estimates of target range and speed; for longer-range targets, manually controlled predictors were used to track the target, taking inputs from optical or radar rangefinders, and calculating firing data for the guns, including allowance for wind and temperature. They aren't exactly "sighted" in the same way as other weapons. Traditionally an infantry asset, mortar capabilities are evolving both technologically and tactically, delivering new possibilities for mounted and dismounted units and with ammunition and fire control solutions bolstering their operational performance. The M2 was made up of three major components consisting of the firing tube, baseplate and bipod. Horizontal alignment with the target was by eye, while vertical laying was done by raising the muzzle with timber or digging a hole for the closed end. The Germans solved this problem by inventing the Richtflche, or lining-plane, in about 1890. Once a round is fired, forward observers/spies/civilian spotters can correct the fire. Collimator sights are also used in astronomy as Finderscopes to aim a telescope at a designated celestial object. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. Whether the trade off is worth it for an extra piece of gear.. One solution was platform and slide mountings. They were typically little more than bare barrels moved in wagons and placed on the ground for firing, then wooden frames and beds were introduced. The rocking-bar (or 'bar and drum') sight had an elevation scale, could mount a telescope as well as the open sight, and provided a small amount of horizontal deflection. The Mortar Sight A06 is used for the indirect aiming of M8 mortar in azimuth and elevation and it consists of a mechanical aiming device with precise elevation and azimuth adjustment means by worm gear for angle setting and with an optical sighting telescope. The British dealt with range measurement first, when it was realised that range was the key to producing a better fuse setting. This allows the projectile to slide down the barrel freely but grip the rifling when fired. Once leaving the tube gravity returns the shell to the earth. Gun laying is a set of actions to align the axis of a gun barrel so that it points in the required direction. However, naval and some fortress carriages and mounting evolved differently. The system was eventually replaced by the improved "Admiralty Fire Control Table" for ships built after 1927. It was a mechanical analogue computer Predictor AA No 1. Their targets moved in two dimensions, and the gun had to be aimed at the target's future position. The first practical rangefinder was developed by Barr & Stroud a pioneering Scottish optical engineering firm. The carriage, or mounting, also enabled the barrel to be set at the required elevation angle. Stokes' design was initially rejected in June 1915 because it was unable to use existing stocks of British mortar ammunition, and it took the intervention of David Lloyd George (at that time Minister of Munitions) and Lieutenant Colonel J. C. Matheson of the Trench Warfare Supply Department (who reported to Lloyd George) to expedite manufacture of the Stokes mortar. The addition and removal of augmenting charges increases the flexibility in terms of range, since a mortar usually operates at angles of 45 to 80 degree. There are some important key differences between MOA vs MRAD scopes: MOA adjustment is effortless. Gun laying may be for direct fire, where the layer sees the target, or indirect fire, where the target may not be visible from the gun. The rings are usually easy to remove, because they have a major influence on the speed and thus the range of the bomb. Followed by the high explosive filler in the body, the primary charge in the tail section and usually augmenting charges on the tail. Gravity causes the shell to fall onto a firing pin which strikes the shell's primer. An early transportable mortar was invented by Baron Menno van Coehoorn in 1701. Steps for Setting up the Bore Sight To begin the process of setting up your rifle's boresight, you will need to have an unloaded gun and a solid, sturdy rest. Decades of effectively marking, lighting, and destroying targets has earned the mortar many friends and many more enemies on the battlefield. ORGANIZATION If the mortar section is to operate quickly and effectively in accomplishing its mission, mortar squad members must be proficient in individually assigned duties. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. A new tool is heading to Afghanistan to make it easier for Marines to put insurgents in their sights. Exceptions to this were the U.S. M2 4.2-inch mortar and M30 mortar, whose ammunition had a sub-caliber expandable ring that enlarged when fired. The differences are that low angle fire has a shorter time of flight, a lower vertex, and flatter angle of descent. Defense Update: Modern Mobile 120 mm Mortars, Defense Update: Advanced Mortar Munitions, How does a Mortar work? Despite this effort, nothing followed from it, and it was only with the introduction of the French 75 mm in 1897, that recoil systems started to become normal. The shell does not emit constant muzzle flares like Artillery or MBRL. When the round is fired, the projectile is pushed off the spigot, but before the plug clears the spigot it is caught by a constriction at the base of the tube. M1 Sabot The M1 81mm sabot (inert) consists of two major components: the 81mm aluminum alloy sabot and 22mm subcaliber cartridge. Mortars, however, are light enough that they can be carried across difficult terrain and quickly assembled to take control of the battle space. This required ways to measure elevation angles and know the relationship between the elevation angle and the range. For any given gun and projectile types, it reflects the distance to the target and the size of the propellant charge. To achieve the required elevation angle, various arrangements were used. A Raschen bag addresses this problem. High explosive, and smoke. Some guns require a near-horizontal elevation for loading. This also makes it possible to launch attacks from positions lower than the target of the attack. Some models have a moving firing pin that can be fired via a trigger mechanism. Cookie Notice The round contains an infrared imaging sensor that it uses to guide itself onto any tank or armoured fighting vehicle in the vicinity where it lands. Your goal is to reduce the total battle economy of your enemy. (1) Set up the aiming circle 25 meters to the rear of the mounted mortar. Military History Visualized subscribestar, Military History Visualized Merchandise. [2] The earliest version of the wan'gu dates back to 1407. [20] The "Baba Mortar", the prototype mortar, were crude. The barrel was mounted in a wooden cradle with trunnions to mount it on the carriage. They are usually constructed from heavy steel piping mounted on a steel frame. Since the momentum of the gun is equal to the momentum of the ejecta, and since the projectile was (in those experiments) the large majority of the mass of the ejecta, the velocity of the bullet could be approximated. ARLINGTON, Va. The handheld mortar has long been a staple for the U.S. Marine Corps, and yesterday the weapon got a major boost as combat instructors at Marine Corps Base Quantico successfully. By World War II, it could fire as many as 30 bombs per minute and had a range of over 2,500 yards (2,300m) with some shell types. A near-silent mortar can operate using the spigot principle. Sighting on the mortar sight 2-24 Figure 2-16. With bearing, once the mortar is pointing in the right general direction, the bipod can be traversed from side to side a bit to allow fine aiming. In the early 17th century, 'dispart sights' compensated for this. All rights reserved. Range and height of the target determined fuze length. But the compact and mobile mortar systems we have today are the result of a long history of indirect fire systems in the Modern mortars normally range in calibre from 60mm (2.36in) to 120mm (4.72in). This makes it very hard to accurately sight in a rifle. Spigot mortars are generally out of favour in modern usage, replaced by small conventional mortars. Military History Visualized 2.4M views 5 Things You Don't Know About: Mortars How does the 155mm howitzer work? M1061: Improved HE with insensitive munitions performance-enhancing fragmentation warhead. The lens directs the light so that it shines onto the back of the camera. A mortar is quite simple and easy to use. In particular, because of its high, parabolic trajectory with a near vertical descent, the mortar can land bombs on nearby targets, including those behind obstacles or in fortifications, such as light vehicles behind hills or structures, or infantry in trenches or spider holes. Bore Sight. Collimator sights are a relatively old idea,[4] being used in many forms for almost 100 years. This meant that their laying calculations had to predict the future position of both ship and target. From circa 1900 field artillery carriages provided traverse without moving the wheels and trail. It is also somewhat simpler to manufacture. Artillery fires on a horizontal trajectory, at faster speeds, and at longer ranges. Of course mortars design evolved since the Stokes mortar, but the basic principles are still the same, so how does a modern mortar work? Rifled mortars are more accurate but slower to load. This report is concerned with medium and heavy mortars of 81, 82, and 120 mm in calibre. It also incorporates any differences in height between gun and target. The Israeli Merkava tank uses a 60mm mortar as a secondary armament. [1] They are also referred to as collimating sights [2] or "occluded eye gunsight" (OEG). This led to compact carriages, mostly on four small wheels. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. A spigot mortar consists mainly of a solid rod or spigot, onto which a hollow tube in the projectile fitsinverting the normal tube-mortar arrangement. There are numerous armoured fighting vehicles and even main battle tanks that can be equipped with a mortar, either outside or inside of the cabin. All rights reserved. [5], These sights are 'blind' sights; that is, they are used with both eyes open while one looks into the sight, with one eye open and moving the head to alternately see the sight and then at the target, or using one eye to partially see the sight and target at the same time.[6]. Within the barrel of the tube is a firing pin used to ignite a mortar shell's primer. The Coehorn mortar gained quick popularity, necessitating a new form of naval ship, the bomb vessel. The German Army studied the Siege of Port Arthur, where heavy artillery had been unable to destroy defensive structures like barbed wire and bunkers. Augmentation charges on the outside 'neck' near the fin can be added or removed to manipulate firing range as needed. Increasingly sophisticated mechanical calculators were employed for proper gun laying, typically with various spotters and distance measures being sent to a central plotting station deep within the ship. This affected elevation when the gun was aimed by sighting along the top of the barrel. [29][30] The Russian KM-8 Gran is also laser-guided.[31]. In theory, the fins should be of a greater diameter than the body, but the cost were usually not worth the benefits of complicate designs. Mortar, when effectively applied, also helps spread the weight evenly across your masonry work. These provided 'independent line of sight' because they enabled data to be set on the mount and the telescope (or open sight) aimed at the target independent of the barrel elevation. Collimator sights as weapon sights are considered to be very simple, rugged and low cost devices. His body of work includes political campaigns, published works, health insurance, and humanitarian aid. Or during laying the gunner physically set the range to offset the axis of the bore from the axis of the sight by the correct amount and laid using the centre mark in the sight. The way the tube is installed is similar to the positioning of rocket pods. Improvised mortars used in the Syrian civil war are known as hell cannons. The warhead weight is 70kg and it is filled with TNT. Meanwhile, a group led by Dreyer designed a similar system. After World War II predictors changed from being electro-mechanical analogue computers to digital computers, but by this time heavy anti-aircraft guns had been replaced by missiles, but electronics enabled smaller guns to adopt fully automated laying. However, in the 1990s new or modified guns started adopting digital sights, following their successful use in the multi-launch rocket system developed in the 1970s. Amazon.de (affiliate link): Hogg, Ian V.: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ammunition, Bernhard Kast is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com., Bernhard Kast ist Teilnehmer des Partnerprogramms von Amazon Europe S. r.l. The barrel is generally set at an angle of between 45 and 85 degrees (800 to 1500 mils), with the higher angle producing a shorter horizontal trajectory. Although the latter two had a caliber of 36 inches, only the "Monster Mortar" was used in combat (at the Battle of Antwerp in 1832). This direct-fire sight was aimed at the target by moving the trail horizontally and elevating or depressing the barrel. In either case the problem is determining the target's height, speed and direction and being able to 'aim-off' (sometimes called deflection laying) for the anti-aircraft projectile time of flight. The bar was marked in yards or degrees. Operation By country By type v t e A mortar is usually a simple, lightweight, man-portable, muzzle-loaded weapon, consisting of a smooth-bore (although some models use a rifled barrel) metal tube fixed to a base plate (to spread out the recoil) with a lightweight bipod mount and a sight.
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