Type 31 60mm

History

The Chinese 31 Series 60mm Light Infantry Mortar is a homegrown copy of the American M2 60mm Mortar series. The American M2 itself is nothing more than a replica of the 1935 French Stokes-Brandt "Mortier Modele 1935", proving that French design itself is rock solid and masterful.

The main difference between the Chinese and American versions is that the Chinese version has a shorter barrel, 675mm in length. While this makes the Chinese version lighter, its range is limited to 1,530 meters.

The design of the Model 31 is very traditional, as is the operation. The system consists of three main components: a square base plate, a launch tube and an adjustable bipod. The crew can adjust the height by levers along the bipod assembly. A carry handle on top of the launch tube makes it easy to transport, and the Model 31 can be further disassembled to allow fire brigades to carry its parts. Operation is similar to previous American and French designs, requiring the operator to simply drop a 60mm projectile through the muzzle into the smoothbore tube.

The firing pin activates the projectile's propellant, launching the projectile into the air along a predetermined calculated path towards the target area.

The Type 31 was eventually modernized into the Type 63 light mortar. This new version is designed to be lighter and more portable, with a smaller baseplate area - the baseplate is now rectangular instead of the original square design.

In service, the Type 63 behaves similarly to the Type 31 before including capabilities.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes