TADTE 2019: Taiwan advances Mobile Mortar System development

by Kelvin Wong Jun 10, 2020, 14:17 PM

The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense’s (MND’s) Materiel Production Center (MPC) took the opportunity at the 2019 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition...

The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense’s (MND’s) Materiel Production Center (MPC) took the opportunity at the 2019 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE), which is being held in Taipei from 15 to 17 August, to unveil an updated version of the 81/120 mm Mobile Mortar System (MMS).

The MMS is a self-contained, electro-mechanical turntable mount that can be armed with an 81 mm or 120 mm smoothbore mortar. The system, which is being developed by the MPC’s 202nd Arsenal to meet a potential self-propelled mortar system requirement from the Republic of China Army (RoCA), features a specially designed hydraulic buffer assembly capable of attenuating recoil loads by up to a claimed reduction of 70%. This arrangement enables it to be integrated to a range of wheeled or tracked combat vehicles without requiring the suspension to be strengthened.

The Taiwanese MND Materiel Production Center's 202nd Arsenal has incorporated a range of enhancements to its 81/120 mm Mobile Mortar System. It is expected to enter initial operational training and evaluation imminently. (IHS Markit/Kelvin Wong)

Although platform-agnostic, the updated MMS has been integrated to the prototype 8×8 M2 Mortar Carrier by the Armament Bureau’s 209th Arsenal. The vehicle, which has been configured to carry up to 60 mortar bombs and equipped with a multirotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for battlefield targeting, is also making its debut appearance at the event.

Lieutenant Colonel Lin Wei, director of the 202nd Arsenal, told Jane’s

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