The French procurement authority DGA has placed the order for the system qualification and delivery of command mortars and a wide range of ammunition in 60 mm caliber. The 45-month contract calls for the delivery of a total of 120 M6 C-640 Mk1 commando mortars and 18,000 rounds of 60 mm ammunition. The manufacturer Hirtenberger explained to ES&T that two thirds of this contract period should be used for adapting the mortar and qualifying the entire system (mortar and ammunition). The remaining third of the time will be used for the production and delivery of the systems and ammunition.
As part of the adaptation development, a light “makeshift bipod” is to be developed for the M6 C-640 Mk1 command mortar in order to be able to convert the hand-held command mortar into a “classic” bipod mortar if necessary.
The 60 mm Cdo ammunition family from Hirtenberger was selected as ammunition. With a cartridge weight of 1.25 kg, the Cdo (Commando) ammunition is around 30 percent lighter than conventional 60 mm mortar ammunition. The range of the ammunition is up to 2,360 m (explosive, smoke and surveillance) or 2,060 m (luminous). The order includes the delivery of the following range of ammunition:
- 6,500 cartridges 60 MM Cdo HE (explosive)
- 2,000 cartridges 60 MM Cdo ILL-VIS (luminous, visible)
- 2,300 cartridges 60 MM Cdo ILL-IR (luminous, infrared)
- 2,500 60 MM Cdo SMK-RP (Fog, Red Phosphorus)
- 4,700 60 MM Cdo PRACTICE (practice cartridge)
The explosive cartridge is capable of producing over 3000 shrapnel fragments, of which over 800 have a mass of more than 0.18 g. The lighting duration of the light cartridges is 30 seconds. (infrared) or 40 seconds. (visible). The luminous power is more than 250,000 candelas (visible).
„Dieser Auftrag ist ein weiterer Schritt für uns, als Systemanbieter auf dem Markt aufzutreten und den erfolgreichen Weg in Europa weiterzugehen“, so Martin Perka, der für Frankreich zuständige Vertriebsmanager bei Hirtenberger, gegenüber der ES&T.
The company's systems have recently received approval for use in the Dutch armed forces,ES&T reported. In Germany, too, the systems are still in the race. The Bundeswehr plans to purchase a total of 159 mortar systems and around 25,000 cartridges as initial equipment in 60 mm caliber. This should happen in three separate steps: weapons systems, explosive ammunition and flare/smoke ammunition. The tenders have been dragging on since the middle of the decade. In addition to Hirtenberger, Rheinmetall and Expal are also viewed as potential candidates for the Bundeswehr's 60 mm mortar and 60 mm mortar ammunition.
Waldemar Geiger
| M6 C-640 Mk1 commando mortar | |
| Manufacturer | Hirtenberger |
| caliber | 60 mm |
| Length | · 87 cm (total) · 64 cm (ballistic) |
| Weight ammunition (command) | 1.25 kg |
| Combat distance | > 2,000 meters effective with Cdo ammunition |
| Shot sequence | 30 shots/minute |
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