Author: Sasha
This article was originally written by Sasha and is not allowed to be reproduced by any media
The most advanced 60-mm mortar of the PLA: the very modern Type 201 titanium mortar
Today's protagonist is the PLA's new generation of 60-mm mortars, which are also active standard weapons, PBP201 60-mm light titanium alloy mortars. In modern warfare, whether 60-mm mortars are still worth equipping, listen to Sasha.
In the late 80s and early 90s, the PLA successively launched Type 89 and Type 93 60-mm mortars, which became active equipment.
The Type 89 is mainly equipped with army infantry battalions, while the Type 93 is equipped with light units such as mountain troops, airborne troops, and marines.
In terms of performance, the Type 93 is basically world-class, especially with a range of up to 3,500 meters.
In comparison, the Type 89 has a range of only 2,700 meters, weighs 8 kg less (Type 93 22 kg, Type 89 14 kg), and has a barrel length of 0.5 meters (Type 93 1.35 m, Type 89 0.83 m), which is a 60 mm mortar in the traditional sense.
For artillery, comprehensive performance is more important, rather than simply highlighting certain aspects of performance.
It's just that the 60-mm mortars of the PLA are in an awkward position. This kind of weapon, which is not powerful and needs to be operated by multiple people, has been overwhelmed by various new equipment such as grenade launchers, anti-tank missiles, cruise missiles, and battlefield drones, and the Type 89 has almost been withdrawn.
As a result, the pace of replacement of the PLA's 60-mm mortars is also relatively slow.
Back in 2012, the US military was armed with an upgraded version of the M224A1 60-mm mortar.
The gun was only 17 kg, but it had a range of 3,500 meters. The artillery uses a lot of new technologies, such as the installation of laser rangefinders, satellite navigation and positioning systems, fire control computers and other equipment. It has functions such as automatic positioning and orientation, and its reaction speed and shooting accuracy have been greatly improved.
One of the major features of the M224A1 is that it has upgraded its information warfare technology, making the gun a fulcrum of the US military's information-based combat platform.
The M224A1 artillery squad can keep abreast of all sorts of information about the enemy, including specific locations. The information-based combat platform will command the M224A1 to carry out accurate artillery strikes, becoming a node of the U.S. military's combat system.
Seeing that the world's military progress is so rapid, the PLA cannot sit idly by.
In the more than 20 years since the 90s, the media has repeatedly broken the news about the PLA's new generation of 60-mm mortars.
In 2022, state media finally publicly reported on the PLA PBP201 60mm light titanium alloy mortar.
Like the new generation of 82-mm mortars of the PLA, the Type 201 has undergone a number of modern improvements.
It has several features:
First, the weight is greatly reduced.
Compared with the weight of Type 89 and Type 93, which are more than ten or twenty kilograms, Model 201 uses a large number of titanium alloys, and the total weight is only 8.5 kilograms, which is a very important technical improvement.
Taking Type 93 as an example, after disassembling into 3 parts, each part has 6 kg to 8 kg. Due to the large weight of the components, the Type 93 needed to be carried by 3 artillery crews, carrying the barrel, the gun carriage and the base.
This resulted in a large number of personnel in the Type 93 artillery squad, and it was also necessary to equip the gun commander and 2 ammunition men, a total of 6 people.
In modern warfare, a lightweight infantry squad has only 6 people, and now letting 6 artillery men operate 1 small cannon does not meet the requirements of actual combat.
The Type 201 is so light in weight that it is possible to significantly reduce the composition of the artillery squad, 2-3 artillery units are enough.
Naturally, the mobility of the artillery is also better, and a single soldier can carry it.
Second, the range and power have not diminished.
With a large number of heavy weapons and drones, 60mm guns no longer need too much power and range, but only need to effectively cover the front-line infantry.
The maximum firing range of the Type 201 is more than 2000 meters, and with long-range shells it can reach 5000 meters, which is enough.
As for the 60-mm shells, the power has not decreased, which can meet the needs of anti-personnel personnel.
Thirdly, the accuracy of shelling has greatly improved.
Like the U.S. military, the Type 201 is equipped with optoelectronic integrated sights and satellite-guided projectiles.
The optoelectronic integrated sight uses advanced photoelectric sensing technology, which can quickly lock on to the target and provide accurate aiming data, which greatly improves the shooting accuracy. The satellite-guided projectile is accurately guided by the satellite navigation system, which further improves the hit rate and lethality of the projectile.
At present, the error of 60 mm using Beidou navigation shells does not exceed 5 meters. The killing radius of the shell is 20 meters, which can basically seal the throat with one shot.
In the past, 60-mm mortars required several shells to hit the target, today only 1-2 shells are enough.
Naturally, this improvement increased the cost of use and weakened the power of the shells, but an increase in accuracy could mask everything.
Fourth, the level of informatization has been greatly improved.
The Type 201 is one of the nodes of the information system, which not only allows the gunner to receive various complex battlefield data such as digital maps, real-time location of friend and foe, meteorological information, terrain information, etc., but also uploads and shares various data in his own possession.
In today's Russia-Ukraine war, a lot of the battles look like video games.
A group of officers in front of a large screen hundreds of kilometers in the rear calmly commanded drones, artillery, tanks and even a few Ukraine soldiers to attack the Russian army from all sides. They fight when they win, and run away if they can't.
The Russian general once complained to the media: NATO's information warfare system is too powerful, and every artillery, every tank and even every infantry squad is under their supervision. They know our every move, and they may choose weapons and methods to attack and defend at any time, and this battle is very difficult to fight.
Fifth, there are some other improvements.
The media reported that the barrel, tripod and small-diameter seat sheet were made of titanium alloy. The handle is made of composite materials and has a small quadrant and bubble level integrated on it, allowing for easy one-man shooting without a gun mount.
The firing trigger is located at the bottom of the handle, controlled by the shooter, so it can not only put down the gun shot to carry out loading, so as to greatly reduce the height of the line of fire and avoid exposing the target to attract enemy fire, but also after the loading is completed, the gunner carries the barrel with the bullet to carry out short-distance maneuvering on the battlefield, and after finding the target, hold the handle tightly with one hand to control the direction, and press the trigger with the other hand to complete the firing, which is more accurate and simple.
The new laser holographic diffraction scope is equipped with a built-in laser rangefinder and ballistic computer, which can be used for both direct and indirect aiming, and can be used for fast and easy shooting at a distance of 3.5 kilometers.
Judging from the development trend embodied in the Zhuhai Air Show, it cannot be ruled out that in the future, our army may add small cruise missiles to the new generation of ultra-light 60-mm mortars. If this is the case, the function and scope of application of the cannon will be greatly expanded.
Why is the PLA still committed to the research and development of Type 201 when UAVs are crisscrossing the battlefield of Russia and Ukraine?
Many believe that UAVs can completely eliminate light mortars.
Drones on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield can hover for tens of minutes to several hours for a long time within a range of more than a dozen kilometers or even tens of kilometers.
Drones can launch a variety of weapons, including missiles, and even more terrifying suicide drones.
In this mode of operation, 60-mm and 82-mm mortars, not to mention combat, even have great difficulties in surviving, and even 100-mm mortars are struggling. At present, the caliber of mortars of the Russian and Ukrainian armies basically starts from 120 mm.
Facts speak louder than words, though.
Even the Ukraine army is armed with quite a few 60-mm mortars.
It can be seen from this that light artillery that can continue to shell in the Russian-Ukrainian war still has a certain role, which cannot be replaced by UAVs, cruise missiles, and various large-caliber artillery.
In one battle after another, the Russian army and the front-line infantry of the Ukrainian army mainly relied on calling for rear artillery fire and drone support to kill and wound the enemy. In addition to anti-tank, the real combat distance of the infantry has been shortened to one or two hundred meters or even tens of meters, and the battlefield attack force is pitiful.
There is no way to do this, once multiple infantry are gathered to operate their weapons, and it is difficult to move quickly, there is a high risk of being attacked by enemy precision artillery fire and drones.
In this case, light mortars of the Type 201 are important. It can be operated by one or two soldiers, has high artillery accuracy, relatively long range, and more importantly, can carry out all-weather and repeated bombardment, and is the most timely and reliable support artillery fire on the front line.
As one of the attack points of the information platform, it can complement each other with UAVs and help your infantry effectively destroy the enemy.
In any case, with long-range shelling of the Type 201, it is generally better to fire rifles and smash grenades indiscriminately within twenty or thirty meters in the trenches.
This is the reason why the US military, armed to the teeth, still retains the M224A1 60-mm mortar.
How much more will the Type 201 be used in the future?
Sasha is unpredictable, and can only be tested by war.
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