Ordnance L16 82mm

History

The original WW2 British Ordnance ML 3 inch mortar proved its worth, then in global conflict. The weapon is heavily used by the British Army and Commonwealth Forces, and has found a home in several other global inventories. This type served well in the 1960s when a new, more modern weapon system was considered for the indirect fire element. Joint Canadian and British development work resulted in the excellent 81mm L16 series, which entered service with the British Army in 1965 as the L16A1.

Since then, with the improvement of the successor L16A2, many countries have followed the British example.

The L16 is used as an "indirect fire" weapon, which means the operator does not need to aim at the target. Conversely, mortars attack target areas rather than direct targets and provide fire support to accompanying infantry during offensive or defensive operations. Systems like the L16 are designed to be somewhat portable, but they can also be fired from vehicles (usually tracked vehicles) designed to mount weapons. In this way, the L16 becomes a highly mobile fire support system capable of deploying anywhere a modern mechanized force can go.

Additionally, its portability means that the L16 can be quickly transported and set up in short order to attack enemy positions as directed. L16 and its global derivatives have proven extremely effective in their previous roles.

Design of a new infantry-class mortar began in 1956, under the direction of the Royal Armaments Development Agency and Fort Halsted. Fort Halstead was tasked with developing the barrel and bipod assembly. After evaluation and formal acceptance, serial production began, with the Royal Armouries managing the initiative.

Production began immediately, and in 1965 and 1966 the L16 series mortars officially replaced the Wartime Ordnance ML 3-inch mortar system in British Army inventory. The weapon was subsequently used in Borneo, southern Arabia, Oman, the Falklands War, the Balkan Wars, the 1991 Gulf War, the invasion of Afghanistan and most recently Iraq, to ??provide combat support to coalition forces.

All in all, the L16 has proven to be a reliable and robust shooting platform in all environments.

Like other mortars in this class, the L16 is broken down into several major components, including the launch tube, bipod support assembly, base plate, optics, and ammunition. The launch tube is attached to a bipod support assembly that mounts the required optics and elevation/travel controls, all manually operated. The bipod acts as a front support, providing the L16 with the required arc of fire. The base plate is designed to dig into the ground and delay the recoil of the projectile being fired.

The bipod mount also has a spring-loaded fastening clip. Optics help the operator see the target area and adjust height and roll controls for precise shooting. The projectile is inserted into the open muzzle end of the smoothbore tube and falls to strike the waiting firing pin, which causes the projectile to exit the tube. The trajectory is simple, consisting of predetermined arcs determined by the mortar team. The L16 is normally operated by three specially trained personnel who make up the mortar team.

Overall, the gun weighs 78 pounds and has a tube length of 4 feet 2 inches.

The L16 fires a standardized 81mm high-explosive (HE) round. Aircrews also have access to smoke and lighting/flare projectiles, which can be used strategically to create a smoke screen for advancing Allied forces or to illuminate enemy targets at night. Each cup weighs 9.5 pounds. Well-trained crews can fire up to 12 continuous mortar fires, while 20 rounds per minute can be reached for short periods of time due to overheating of the barrel.

Each projectile exits the tube at approximately 740 feet per second and has a range of up to 5,560 yards, depending on the ammunition type. The weapon is aimed via a C2 optical system with Trilux illumination.

In addition to the British and Canadian armies, the L16 is included in inventories in Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Brazil, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malawi, Morocco, Malaysia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand , Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Somalia, United Arab Emirates, United States, Yemen and Zimbabwe. Both the U.S. and Australian militaries saw value in the new L16 and bought the model in bulk.

In their respective inventories, the L16 is known as the M252 and the F2 81mm mortar. Interestingly, Luxembourg was also the operator of the 3-inch Ordnance ML mortars during World War II.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes