Britain's L16 81 mm mortar is the standard mortar used by the British army. The version used by the U.S. armed forces is known as the M252.

It was introduced in the 1970s.

The L16 mortar is normally carried by a vehicle, such as the FV 432 AFV, but is sometimes carried by infantry on foot, as it was during the Falklands War.

Characteristics

• Calibre: 81 mm
• Barrel length: 1280 mm
• Weight: 36.6 kg
  • Barrel: 12.7 kg
  • Mounting: 12.3 kg
  • Baseplate : 11.6
• Rate of fire: sustained 15 rounds per minute
• Range: Minimum 100 m, maximum 5650 m
• Muzzle velocity: 225 m/s
• Used by: Austria, Bahrain, Canada, Guyana, India, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, UK, USA, Yemen

External links

• British army site on 81 mm mortar