Artillery

120 mm M1982 mortar

Also known as
  • 120mm M1982
  • 120 mm M1982
  • M1982 mortar
  • M 1982 mortar
  • Aruncator de bombe calibru 120 mm model 1982
  • Aruncător de bombe calibru 120 mm model 1982
  • 120 mm Model 1982 mortar
  • 120 mm mortar model 1982

The 120 mm M1982 mortar is a Romanian smoothbore heavy mortar built as a late Cold War replacement for older Reșița and Soviet PM-43-pattern 120 mm mortars. It combines a conventional tube, bipod, triangular baseplate, and two-wheel transport carriage with Romanian service adaptations for truck towing, short-distance crew movement, and mountain-troop pack transport. Direct conflict evidence is narrow but usable: Romanian troops are documented firing the M1982 in Afghanistan in 2008.

120 mm M1982 mortar, 120 mm towed heavy mortar, Artillery
Image source: Wikimedia Commons M1982 PRAM-L image

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Romania
Type
120 mm towed heavy mortar
Service note
Entered Romanian service in 1982; retained in Romanian and exported Eastern European service
Designer
Romanian defense industry
Designed
Late 1970s
Produced
1982-present in open reference reporting
Number built
At least 317 reported in open references
Developed from
Romanian Reșița Model 1942 and Soviet PM-43 120 mm mortar service requirements

Specifications

Caliber
120 mm smoothbore; Romanian Wikipedia lists 120.1 mm
Crew
6
Weight
280 kg in firing position; 480 kg on two-wheel carriage
Barrel length
1.54 m
Muzzle velocity
272 m/s
Elevation
+45 degrees to +80 degrees
Traverse
10 degrees on bipod; 360 degrees on baseplate
Maximum range
5.575 km with older PM-43 ammunition; up to 7.4 km with newer ammunition in WeaponSystems.net reporting
Rate of fire
8-10 rounds per minute
Ammunition
120 mm HE, smoke, illumination, and leaflet-dispenser rounds; compatible with older PM-43 ammunition
Transport
Two-wheel carriage, DAC-665T 6x6 truck in Romanian service, short-distance crew movement, or six-horse mountain pack transport
Configuration And Mobility

The M1982 keeps the familiar heavy-mortar architecture of tube, bipod, baseplate, sight, and two-wheel carriage, but Romanian service sources also describe field movement options that mattered for infantry and mountain troops.

Firing setup

A 120 mm smoothbore tube fires from a triangular baseplate with an adjustable bipod and indirect-fire sight.

Carriage

A separate two-wheel carriage lets a vehicle tow the mortar and helps the crew reposition it over short distances.

Romanian mobility

Open sources identify the DAC-665T 6x6 truck as a Romanian towing vehicle and describe six-horse pack transport for mountain troops.

Vehicle applications

Specialist armor coverage links the domestic M1982 to an MLVM mortar-carrier installation, separate from later CARDOM-based MLI-84M concepts.

Variants

The M1982 is a Romanian 120 mm smoothbore mortar model. Open sources mainly distinguish its baseline towed/ground configuration from vehicle-mounted Romanian applications and later NATO-standard mortar-carrier concepts.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Ground and towed M1982Baseline 120 mm heavy mortar

WeaponSystems.net describes the M1982 as a muzzle-loaded smoothbore mortar with bipod, triangular baseplate, indirect-fire sight, and separate two-wheel carriage.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net 120mm M1982

Mountain troop pack configurationDismounted mountain transport

Romanian-language reference material and WeaponSystems.net describe mountain troops carrying the mortar components and ammunition on six horses when the wheeled carriage is not used.

Sources: Romanian Wikipedia M1982, WeaponSystems.net 120mm M1982

MLVM-mounted 120 mm M1982Romanian tracked mortar-carrier application

Tank Encyclopedia identifies an MLVM variant armed with a domestic 120 mm M1982 mortar and treats it as a predecessor context for later Romanian 120 mm mortar-carrier proposals.

Sources: Tank Encyclopedia MLI-84M Mortar Variant

Ammunition Fired

The M1982 is a 120 mm smoothbore mortar designed around Romanian service ammunition while retaining compatibility with older PM-43-pattern 120 mm mortar ammunition.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
Mortar bombs, 120mm, Heavy mortar ammunition, MunitionsMortar bombs, 120mm120 mm mortar ammunition class

WeaponSystems.net lists high-explosive, smoke, illumination, and leaflet-dispenser ammunition for the M1982, while Romanian-language reference material says the mortar can fire ammunition intended for the Soviet PM-43.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net 120mm M1982, Romanian Wikipedia M1982

PM-43, 120 mm towed heavy mortar, ArtilleryPM-43Predecessor and ammunition-compatibility reference

WeaponSystems.net and Romanian-language reference material both place the M1982 in the PM-43 replacement line and describe compatibility with older PM-43 ammunition.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net 120mm M1982, Romanian Wikipedia M1982

Timeline

120 mm M1982 mortar Key Events

  1. Romanian replacement design develops

    WeaponSystems.net places M1982 development in the late 1970s as Romania moved to replace older 120 mm mortar designs.

    Sources: WeaponSystems.net 120mm M1982

  2. M1982 enters service

    Open reference reporting dates the M1982's Romanian service entry and production start to 1982.

    Sources: WeaponSystems.net 120mm M1982, Romanian Wikipedia M1982

  3. Romanian M1982 documented in Afghanistan

    WeaponSystems.net identifies a Romanian M1982 being fired in Afghanistan in 2008, giving the record its direct conflict-use basis.

    Sources: WeaponSystems.net 120mm M1982

  4. Lithuania reports remaining M1982 holdings

    Lithuania's 2021 UN Register report listed two 120 mm M1982 mortars in national military holdings.

    Sources: UNROCA Lithuania 2021

Media

120 mm M1982 mortar Images

120 mm M1982 mortar, 120 mm towed heavy mortar, Artillery - view 1
Source: WeaponSystems.net 120mm M1982
120 mm M1982 mortar, 120 mm towed heavy mortar, Artillery - view 2
Source: WeaponSystems.net 120mm M1982
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Sources

WeaponSystems.net 120mm M1982Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports M1982 identity, Romanian origin, Reșița arsenal producer attribution, development and service dates, design layout, range, rate of fire, mobility, operators, image provenance, and 2001 War in Afghanistan direct use by captioning a Romanian M1982 being fired in Afghanistan in 2008. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Wikimedia Commons M1982 PRAM-L imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports primary image provenance and licensing for a M1982 PRAM-L 120 mm mortar photographed at IDET/PYROS/ISET 2019 in Brno under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Wikimedia Commons M1982 mortar categoryPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery media availability for the M1982 mortar and the category-level identity as a 120 mm mortar model. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Romanian Wikipedia M1982Publisher: Wikipedia | Note: Baseline reference supporting Romanian designation, service with Romanian Land Forces, PM-43 replacement and ammunition compatibility context, Romanian mobility notes, and basic specifications cited there to Romanian artillery literature. | Accessed: 2026-07-06UNROCA Lithuania 2021Publisher: United Nations Register of Conventional Arms | Note: Supports Lithuanian reported holdings of two 120 mm M1982 mortars in 2021; this is holdings context, not direct conflict-use evidence. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Tank Encyclopedia MLI-84M Mortar VariantPublisher: Tank Encyclopedia | Note: Supports the MLVM-mounted domestic 120 mm M1982 context and distinguishes that older Romanian mortar-carrier application from later CARDOM-based MLI-84M proposals. | Accessed: 2026-07-06