General Facts
- TYPE
Mortar - ORIGIN
United States - NICKNAMES
- - DESIGNED
Mid 1970's - DESIGNER
? - PRODUCTION
1978 - present - PRODUCERS United States
- QUANTITY
Unknown - UNIT COST
$10.600 - CHARACTERISTICS
Long range
Good accuracy
Heavier than previous models
Expensive
Introduction
The M224 is a 60mm light mortar of US origin. The M224 was developed in the early 1970's in order to replace the M19 light mortar. It was accepted for service in 1977 and remains in service today.
Layout
The M224 is a conventional smoothbore 60mm mortar. It is muzzle loaded and drop fired. Normally the M224 is based on the aluminum M7 baseplate and uses a bipod with lightweight sight unit. The M224 can also be converted to hand held mode using only the light M8 baseplate.
Firepower
The M224 is designed to fire new longer range 60mm ammunition, but can fire the older ammunition of the M2 and M19 as well. The maximum range for the M224 is 3.5 km. The maximum rate of fire is 30 rounds per minute with 20 rounds per minute being standard.
Mobility
Due to the longer barrel the M224 is heavier than the earlier M2 and M19 light mortars but remains easy to transport by two people. When used in handheld mode with the M8 baseplate the weight is minimal.
Users
The M224 is mainly used by US armed forces. It has been exported to a few other nations as well.
M224
The M224 is a conventional smoothbore 60mm mortar. It is muzzle loaded and drop fired. It can fire the same 60mm ammunition as the older M2 and M19, but normally uses newer long range ammunition. It is either fitted with the M7 baseplate and associated bipod or the lightweight M8 baseplate for handheld use.
- Specifications:
- M224
| Type | Mortar |
|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
| Ordnance | 60mm smoothbore mortar, 1.00 m tube |
| Elevation | ? |
| Traverse | ? |
| Rate of fire | 30 rpm (max), 20 rpm (sustained) |
|---|---|
| Range | 70 m (minimum), 3.490 m (max) |
| Carriage | None |
| Weight | 21.5 kg |
| Length | ? |
| Width | ? |
|---|---|
| Height | ? |
| Towing vehicle | - |
| Speed | - |
| Remarks | - |
60mm M19
The M224 is a heavier but much more capable weapon that replaced the M19 in US service.
