The L16 81mm mortar is a British and Canadian standard mortar used by the Canadian Army , British Army , and many other armed forces. It originated as a joint design by the UK and Canada. The version produced and used by Australia is named the F2 81mm Mortar ; the U.S. armed forces version is the M252 .
5-790: It was introduced in 1965–66, replacing the Ordnance ML 3 inch Mortar in UK service, where it is used by the British Army , the Royal Marines and the RAF Regiment . In UK armoured/mechanised infantry battalions, the L16 mortar is mounted in an FV 432 AFV (six per battalion mortar platoon). British army light role infantry battalions and the Royal Marines may transport their mortars in BvS 10 vehicles (the replacement for
10-565: A pair of two-bomb plastic containers (known as greenies in the British Army). Ordnance ML 3 inch Mortar The Ordnance ML 3-inch mortar was the United Kingdom's standard mortar used by the British Army from the early 1930s to the late 1960s, superseding the Stokes mortar . Initially handicapped by its short range compared to similar Second World War mortars, improvements of
15-489: The Bv 206 ). Otherwise, it is carried disassembled in three loads, (barrel, baseplate and bipod with sights, each approximately 11 kg), normally carried by a vehicle or helicopter and assembled for firing from the ground. The weapon can be man-packed by the mortar detachment, in which case the ammunition would be carried by other soldiers of the battalion. In addition to their normal equipment, each soldier would carry four bombs in
20-704: The propellant charges enabled it to be used with great satisfaction by various armies of the British Empire and of the Commonwealth . The ML 3-inch mortar is a conventional Stokes -type mortar that is muzzle-loaded and drop-fired. It also reuses many of the Brandt mortar features. Based on their experience in the First World War , the British infantry sought some sort of artillery for close support. The initial plan
25-708: Was for special batteries of artillery, but the cost was prohibitive and the mortar was accepted instead. The Mark II mortar (Mark I was the Stokes) was adopted by the British Army in the early 1930s; and this was the standard British mortar when the Second World War broke out in September 1939. Experience in the early part of the war showed that, although the Mark II was reliable and sturdy, it did not have sufficient range compared to
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