Mortar And its usage in war

A mortar is a device that fires projectiles at low velocities and short ranges. The mortar has traditionally been used as a weapon to propel explosive mortar bombs in high-arcing ballistic trajectories. The weapon is typically muzzle-loading with a short, often smooth-bore barrel, generally less than 15 times its caliber. Mortar bombs are often referred to, incorrectly, as "mortars".[1]

Mortars are also used for a non-weapon purpose, to deploy ballistic parachutes. Such applications have included the deployment of drogue parachutes in preparation for water landing of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space capsules.

The mortar is a relatively simple and easy weapon to operate. A modern mortar consists of a tube into which assistant gunners drop a purpose-designed bomb. The tube is generally set at an angle of between 45 and 85 degrees to the ground, with the higher angle giving shorter firing distances. The bomb has a small baseline charge (primary charge) and no cartridge case; for extra range, propellant rings (augmentation charges) are attached to the bomb's fins. When it reaches the base of the tube, the bomb hits a fixed firing pin, which detonates the baseline charge and fires the projectile. Some mortars have a moving firing pin, operated by a lanyard; others may be fired by a trigger.

The augmentation charges (propellant rings) are usually easy to remove, because they have a major influence on the speed and thus the range of the bomb. Some mortar rounds can be fired even without any augmentation charges, e.g., the British 81mm L16 mortar.

Most modern mortar systems consist of three main components: a barrel, a base plate, and a bipod. Modern mortars normally range in calibre from 60 mm (2.36 in) to 120 mm (4.72 in). However, mortars both larger and smaller than these specifications have been produced. An example of the smaller scale is the British 51 mm Light Mortar, which is carried by an individual and consists of only a tube and a base plate. Conversely, a large example is the Soviet 2S4 M1975 Tyulpan (tulip flower) 240 mm self-propelled mortar.

Smaller mortars (up to 82 mm) are commonly used and transported by infantry based mortar sections as a substitute for, or in addition to, artillery.

Ammunition for mortars generally comes in two main varieties: fin-stabilized and spin-stabilized. Examples of the former have short fins on their posterior portion, which control the path of the bomb in flight. Spin-stabilized mortar bombs rotate as they travel along and leave the mortar tube, which stabilizes them in much the same way as a rifle bullet. Both types of rounds can be either illumination (infra-red or visible illumination), smoke, or high explosive. There are also training rounds and precision-guided rounds, such as the Strix mortar round.