Brandt_60_mm_LR_Gun-mortar

Brandt 60 mm LR Gun-mortar

Brandt 60 mm LR Gun-mortar

Mortar

The Brandt 60 mm Long Range gun-mortar is a breech loading mortar capable of firing on a flat trajectory. It was developed from the Brandt Mle CM60A1 and resembles a long-barrelled, long-ranged variant of that weapon.[1]

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Description

The Brandt 60mm LR gun-mortar was developed directly from the Brandt Mle CM60A1 and retains the same falling block breech mechanism reminiscent of direct fire artillery.[2] The firing pin is automatically withdrawn when the breech is unlocked, reducing the potential for misfire.[2] Like its predecessor, it can be either muzzle-loaded or breech-loaded and was designed to be mounted in the turrets of armored fighting vehicles.[2] The LR gun-mortar was also tested as a deck-mounted support weapon for maritime patrol craft such as the VCSM.[2] It utilizes a hydraulic recoil system.[1] The recoil length is 170mm, maximum recoil thrust is 2,800kg, and the weight of the recoiling mass is 75kg.[2]

The LR gun-mortar has a total length of 1.8 metres.[2] Different variants were produced with electrical or mechanical firing mechanisms.[2]

Ammunition

The LR gun-mortar was designed to fire specialized long range ammunition with an indirect fire range of 5,000 metres and a direct fire range of 500 metres.[2] The standard LR high-explosive projectile possessed a fuze which detonated at any angle of impact.[2] It was manufactured of perlitic cast iron and had unfolding fins.[2] The projectile weighed 2.2kg and had a total length of 367mm.[2] Brandt claimed that its explosive charge possessed an efficiency comparable to that of an 81mm mortar bomb.[2]

The LR gun-mortar could also fire any of the standard 60mm ammunition produced for French infantry mortars, including the Mk 72, Mk 61, and Mk 35/47 high-explosive projectiles, as well as the Mk 63 illumination shell.[2] However, without the specialized ammunition indirect fire range is reduced to 3,000 metres and direct fire range to 400 metres.[2]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "Cavalry Mortars — A Better Way". Armor magazine. Fort Knox, Kentucky: US Army Armor Center: 17–22. September–October 1995.
  2. [2]
    African Defence Journal, Issues 17–28. The Journal, 1982, Collected Issues 17–28. p. 44.
  • Hogg, Ian (2000). Twentieth-Century Artillery. Friedman/Fairfax Publishers. ISBN 1-58663-299-X Pg.166
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