Iraqi MT-LB 120mm Mortar Carrier
Country of
Origin: Iraq
Notes: This is a
modification of the standard MT-LB APC. The vehicle carries a battery of 120mm
M-43 mortars, one in the rear inside the armor and 4 mounted externally as the
rear. All mortars fire towards the rear of the vehicle; they are in fact
attached to the rear of the vehicle, except for one which is mounted within the
vehicle. The MT-LBs load carrying ability is used primarily to carry the large
amount of crew required to supply these mortars, and the vehicle is normally
followed by other MT-LBs carrying the vast amount of ammunition required to feed
the mortars. Doubtless the vehicles would have to be followed around by
ammunition supply vehicles. There is no evidence that this vehicle was ever
mass-produced; in fact, it may have been built simply to impress Saddam Hussein.
It is an interesting "what-if."
Twilight 2000
Notes: The 5 examples of this vehicle were quickly fielded during the Twilight
War, and just as quickly abandoned as impractical. Three were known to have been
converted back to conventional single mortar carriers, and 2 were destroyed
before this could be done.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
$168,355 |
D, A |
300 kg |
13.9 tons |
12 |
16 |
Headlights |
Enclosed |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
117/82 |
25/20 |
450 |
88 |
Stnd |
T3 |
HF5 HS2 HR2 |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
None |
None |
5xM-43 120mm Mortars, PK (C) |
20x120mm, 5000x7.62mm |
Hagglunds Pbv-401GRK
Country of
Origin: Sweden
Notes: I
believe that prototypes of this vehicle were built as experiments, but
production vehicles were never actually built.
This
mortar-carrying vehicle is another Swedish modification of the MT-LB.
The basic MT-LB chassis is externally similar, though it does have a
large turret at the rear of the vehicle. This turret is a variant of the
CV-9040’s turret, but mounts a 120mm breech-loading mortar with a coaxial
machinegun. On either side of the
turret is a line of four smoke grenade launchers.
Atop the turret are hatches for the commander and gunner, while the two
loaders enter and exit the vehicle primarily through the gunner’s hatch.
Internally, it is quite cramped, with ammunition stored in front where
the commander’s seat used to be and at the rear (making the still-present rear
door virtually useless). The mortar is in the turret, and is just rear of the
center of the vehicle. The driver
is at the front left of the vehicle.
Laying the mortar is generally done with an MBC, though legacy equipment
is still carried. Likewise, though
the vehicle has an additional long-range data-capable radio, there is room for
one more, and this was often occupied with a “crew entertainment system.” The
mortar is not designed to be dismounted and the vehicle has no extra bipod,
baseplate, or ground-mount sight.
Though minor changes in deflection can be made without moving the turret,
deflections of more than 3 degrees must be made by turning the turret.
The mortar can elevate and depress from -4 to 85 degrees, however, making
near shots as well as direct fire possible.
The Pbv-401GRK does, in fact, normally carry a small amount of
antivehicle and antiarmor rounds.
There is little in the way of gun stabilization. (The mortar fires over the
front of the vehicle, or more properly, in the direction the turret is facing.
The driver has a night vision sight, and the gunner passive IR as well as
advanced image intensification. The
commander is limited to standard image intensification, though he can tap into
the gunner’s sights. On each side
of the vehicle, on either side of the gun position, is a firing port; this is a
simple firing port that is a simple hole in the armor with a shutter.
These ports lever shut for a positive seal, as the Pbv-401GRK has an NBC
overpressure system with common mask interfaces as a backup.
The engine upgrade to 290 horsepower was done, but the small turret with
a machinegun was removed. Any deck
hatches other than the driver, commander, or loader’s hatches were removed.
The rear-mounted turret makes the Pbv-401GRK too unbalanced to allow the
vehicle to swim.
Twilight 2000
Notes: In the Twilight 2000 timeline, the three prototypes were brought up to a
common standard with the 10 other examples that managed to be modified from
their existing MT-LB fleet. They
did not survive long enough to receive any wartime improvements or appliqué
armor.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
$216,812 |
D, A |
492 kg |
13.93 tons |
5 |
22 |
Passive IR (D, G), Advanced Image Intensification (G), Image
Intensification (C) |
Enclosed |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
146/102 |
36/23 |
450 |
143 |
Stnd |
T3 |
TF7 TS4
TR3 HF5 HS2 HR2 |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
+1 |
Basic |
120mm TDA MO 120 RT, PKT, PKM (G) |
50x120mm, 4000x7.62mm |
KMZ BMP Automortar
Country of
Origin: Russia (Soviet Union)
Notes: This
vehicle does not exist in real life, though the Czechs do make a similar
vehicle. This one is the product of the designers at GDW.
Twilight 2000
Notes: This is a turretless BMP-2 with an 82mm Vasilyek mounted in the chassis
in place of the turret. The mortar fires over the rear of the vehicle, and is
not capable of direct fire from the vehicle. Characteristics are the same except
for reduced passenger capabilities. The mortar can be lowered so that the roof
hatches may be closed. One firing port on each side and one in the rear are
retained and may still be used.
Merc 2000 Notes:
This vehicle does not exist in the Merc 2000 timeline.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
$180,796 |
D, G, AvG, A |
1.5 tons |
11.25 tons |
4 |
14 |
Passive IR, Image Intensification |
Shielded |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
102/72 |
20/15/2 |
462 |
94 |
Stnd |
T2 |
HF8 HS4 HR4 |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
None |
None |
82mm Vasilyek automortar, PKT (C) |
40x82mm, 1000x7.62mm |
M-18
Country of
Origin: United States
Notes: This
vehicle does not exist in real life; it is a product of the imaginations of the
designers at GDW, though I have considerably added to the back story.
Twilight 2000
Notes: This is a limited-production version of the M-2 Bradley IFV. In this
version, the turret is removed and the firing ports plated over. In the
passenger space is mounted a turntable with a 120mm mortar. The vehicle carries
a baseplate and bipod so that the mortar can be dismounted and fired away from
the vehicle. The M-18 was produced only when production of the M-1064A3 mortar
carrier version of the M-113A3 fell behind and more mortar carriers were need in
a hurry. In addition, the modifications were available as a kit for use in
Bradleys that had irreparably damaged turrets but still useable hulls, and some
were modified in-theatre by third-echelon maintenance shops. Despite this, these
vehicles were far rarer than the M-1064A3. The hull front driver’s hatch is
retained, as is the rear ramp; opposite the driver’s hatch is a commander’s
hatch with a weapon mount, and on the rear deck is a large double hatch for the
mortar. The M-18 was, basically, an in-theater modification, an extreme
example of BDAR.
Merc 2000 Notes:
This vehicle does not exist in the Merc 2000 timeline.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
$128,065 |
D, A |
1 ton |
20 tons |
5 |
16 |
Passive IR |
Shielded |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
121/84 |
25/20/2 |
662 |
141 |
Stnd |
T4 |
HF8 HS4Sp HR4 |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
None |
None |
120mm M-121 mortar, MAG (C) |
88x120mm, 2200x7.62mm |