Land Systems / Battlefield

M-240 (240mm)

Towed Heavy-class Mortar System [ 1970 ]

Despite its Cold War-era roots, the M-240 240mm heavy infantry mortar continues to see battlefield service today.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/29/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The M-240 is a Soviet Cold War-era smoothbore, heavy-class, vehicle-towed infantry mortar of 240mm caliber. The weapon fires a massive lethal projectile out to ranges of 9,700 meters (increased with rocket-assisted rounds). The weapon has been in service globally since the early-1970s and continues to be found on modern battlefields as a secondary solution.

The complete system utilizes a single-axle, twin-wheeled suspended carriage that features its own anchor / counter balance, sighting device, and elevation gear. The mounting hardware allows the barrel to take a "muzzle-up" stance when ready-to-fire and traversal of the gun tube is 18-degrees from centerline with an elevation span of +45 to +65 degrees. Due to the size and weight of the weapon and its ammunition, a crew of eleven personnel are required for optimal results. This still restricts the system to a rate-of-fire of just one projectile per minute.

The weapon is cleared to fire a variety of battlefield projectile types including High-Explosive (HE), High-Explosive (3F2 "Gagara"), FRAGmentation (HE-FRAG) (3O8 "Nerpa"), nuclear (3B11), and incendiary ("Sayda") types. Projectiles can weigh as much as 290lb.

The vehicle-mounted version of this same weapon is the 2S4 (SM-240) "Tyulpan" tracked carrier detailed elsewhere on this site.

The system has seen combat service since the days of the Cold War and includes exposure in the Yom Kippur War (1973) with Syria, the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan (1985), the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), and the Syrian Civil War (2012-Present). Reports have shown the piece is still in use today during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War of 2022.

The M-240 continues to see operational service today (2022) though in far fewer numbers than at peak. Current operators include Bulgaria, Egypt, Russia, Syria, and Ukraine. Former operators are Czechoslovakia, Lebanon, and Romania.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

September 2022 - Reports have shown first-use of the M-240 heavy mortar system by the Ukrainians in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.

Specifications

Service Year

1970

Origin

Soviet Union

Status

ACTIVE
In Limited Service.

Crew

11
CREWMEN

Production

1,500
UNITS

State Factories - Soviet Union

(View other Vehicle-Related Manufacturers)

Bulgaria; Czechoslovakia (former); Egypt; Lebanon (former); Romania (former); Russia; Soviet Union (former); Syria; Ukraine

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Fire Support / Assault / Breaching
Support allied forces through direct / in-direct fire, assault forward positions, and / or breach fortified areas of the battlefield.

✓ Special Purpose
Special purpose design developed to accomplish an equally-special battlefield role or roles.

In-Direct Fire Capable

This system's capability is such that it can engage targets / target areas without Line-of-Sight attained.

Psychological Effect

Ability to provide lethal, in-direct firepower at range for area saturation; can include nuclear, biological, and chemical agents.

Length

17.5 ft
5.34 m

Weight

9,149 lb
4,150 kg

Tonnage

4.6 tons
LIGHT

(Showcased structural values pertain to the M-240 production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)

Powerplant: None. This is a towed artillery piece.

Transmission: Not Applicable.

Range

6.0 mi
(9.7 km)

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the M-240 production variant. Compare this entry against any other in our database)

1 x 240mm caliber gun tube.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an artillery gun tube/barrel

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

Dependent on supply. HE, HE-FRAG, Nuclear, and incendiary types available.

M-240 - Base Series Designation.

2S4 (SM-240) "Tyulpan" - Tracked, vehicle-based variant mounting the land-based weapon component.

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