Mobile Mortar Can Shoot, Scoot in 46 Seconds.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew
• Position: Best of the Web

PARIS--Answering the call for survivability in battlefields where time spent lingering can result in being an instant target for armed drones or other high-tech weapons, three European companies have partnered to create a mobile mortar system that can stop, fire and depart in under a minute.

French vehicle manufacturer Arquus has attached a deployable mortar created by Spain's NTGS to one of its Sherpa Light 4x4 armored vehicles. The system includes a 120mm mortar rifle barrel manufactured by France's Thales.

After coming to a halt, the Sherpa A2M can automatically deploy the mortar in 20 seconds, Arquus spokesman Marin Toilet said at the company's booth at the Eurosatory trade show in Paris. After acquiring a target, a soldier can grab a round, insert it in the tube and fire in about 6 seconds, he said.

The vehicle could stay parked longer depending on how many rounds are fired. The Sherpa can carry up to 40 rounds.

One operator must get out of the vehicle to load the rounds, which weigh about 20 kilograms.

The driver and the loader would make up the twoperson crew, although one can imagine the system being operated by a lone soldier if needed, he added.

Retracting the system takes another 20 seconds. In an emergency, the Sherpa could take off before the mortar is locked back in, but that wouldn't be ideal, Toilet said. The typical mortar used has a range of 8.2 kilometers with a five-meter accuracy. It can fire any type of Thales ordnance that fits in the barrel, he added. A self-propelled...