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verification. (January 2010) |
M224 | |
---|---|
Type | Mortar |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
In service | 1978–present [1] |
Used by | United States Iraq [2] Ukraine |
Wars |
Vietnam War (prototype model) Gulf War War in Afghanistan Iraq War War in Iraq Russo-Ukrainian War |
Production history | |
Unit cost | $10,658 |
Variants | M224 M224A1 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 21.1 kilograms (47 lb) |
Barrel length | 1 meter (3.3 feet) |
Crew | 3 |
Caliber | 60 mm (2.4 in) |
Rate of fire | up to 20 rpm sustained, 30 rpm in exceptional circumstances and for short periods |
Effective firing range | HE: 70–3,490 m (76–3,816 yds) |
Feed system | manual |
The M224 60 mm Lightweight Company Mortar System (LWCMS) is a smooth bore, muzzle-loading, high-angle-of-fire mortar used for close-in support of ground troops. It was deployed extensively in the War in Afghanistan by the United States military.
The M224 system is composed of these parts:
The mount consists of a bipod and a base plate, which is provided with screw type elevating and traversing mechanisms to elevate/traverse the mortar. The M64A1 sight unit is attached to the bipod mount. The mortar can be fired in the conventional mode or the handheld mode. This smooth-bore system can be gravity-fired or fired by using a manual spring-loaded trigger.
It is typically fielded at the infantry company level. A small mortar section with two mortars was organic to Army rifle companies (light, airborne, air assault) and Ranger companies. Marine rifle companies have a section with three 60 mm mortars in the company weapons platoon.
The M224 LWCMS (Lightweight Company Mortar System) replaced the older ( WWII-era) 60 mm M2 mortar and the inaccurate M19 Mortar and began fielding as prototypes in the mid-1970s during the Vietnam War. The M2s and M19s had an effective range of only 2,000 m (2,187 yd). While the M224s were designed to fire all types of the older ammunition, their primary rounds are of the newer, longer-range type that range out to 3,489 m (3,816 yd).
In 2011, an improved M224A1 version was brought into service. [3] The M224A1 consists of the M225A1 tube, M170A1 bipod assembly, M7A1 baseplate, M8 auxiliary baseplate and the M64A1 sight unit. [3] By reducing the number of components and using lighter materials, the M224A1 mortar system weighs at about 37.5 lbs (17 kg) which is 20% less with a reduction of 9.3 lb (4 kg) compared to the original M224. [3] The US Army plans to replace all legacy M224s with the new M224A1. [3] Concurrently, a lighter version of the 81 mm M252 mortar was also developed.[ citation needed]
The M224 Mortar can fire the following principal classifications of training and service ammunition:
The M224 rounds have three fuze types: The Multioption Fuze ( M734), the Point-Detonating Fuze ( M525), and Timer fuze. The M734 is used for the M720 HE round and can be set to function as proximity burst, near-surface burst, impact burst, or delay burst.