| US M30 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Rifled mortar |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1951 - Present |
| Used by | U.S. Army, Saudi Arabia, Hellenic Army, Brazilian Army |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 305 kg (675 lb) |
| Length | 1.524 m (5 ft) |
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| Caliber | 107 mm (4.2 in) |
| Rate of fire | 18 rpm max., 3 rpm sustained |
| Effective range | 770 m to 6,800 m (840 yd to 7,400 yd) |
| Maximum range | 6,800 m (7,400 yd) |
The M30 107 mm (4.2 inch Mortar) heavy mortar is an American rifled, muzzle-loading, high-angle-of-fire weapon used for long-range indirect fire support to infantry units.
Contents |
The M30 system weighs 305 kg including the complete mortar with a welded steel rotator, M24A1 base plate and M53 sight.
There was also a sub-caliber training device that utilized blank 20 gauge shotgun shells to propel an inert training round a few hundred meters.
The M30 entered service with the US Army in 1951, replacing the previous M2 107 mm mortar.[1] It was adopted due to the extended range and lethality in comparison to the previous M2 107 mm mortar, although the M30, at 305 kilograms, was significantly heavier than the 151 kilogram M2. Due to this heavy weight the mortar was most often mounted in a tracked mortar carrier of the M113 family. This vehicle mounted mortar was crewed by 5 people: the track commander (mortar sergeant/gun commander), gunner, assistant gunner, loader and vehicle driver. Ground mounting of the mortar was time consuming and strenuous as a hole had to be dug for the base plate of the mortar to rest in, sandbags had to filled and placed around the base plate to stabilize it and to protect the exposed ammunition. Also this decreased the accuracy of the weapon as the recoil from firing caused the base plate to shift in the ground. This movement also made the crew have to "lay" the gun back on the aiming stakes more often, causing a temporary lack of fire while the weapon was repositioned and re-sighted back to its original reference point.