Artillery

120 mm M74 mortar

Also known as
  • M74
  • M-74
  • 120 mm M74

The 120 mm M74 is a Yugoslav-origin towed mortar developed in the mid-1970s as part of the M74/M75 light-mortar generation. Current Serbian, Bosnian, Polish, and SIPRI records keep the system in the export-industrial and wartime-transfer record, while open-source conflict documentation places captured examples in Nagorno-Karabakh and a CIG-identified M74 in RSF-linked fighting at El Fasher.

120 mm M74 mortar, 120 mm smoothbore towed mortar, Artillery
Image source: PPT Namenska Mortars

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Yugoslavia / Serbia / Bosnia and Herzegovina
Type
120 mm smoothbore towed mortar
Service note
Mid-1970s design still marketed by Serbian and Bosnian industry
Designed
Mid-1970s
Unit cost
Not publicly documented
Produced
Mid-1970s onward
Number built
Not publicly documented

Specifications

Caliber
120 mm
Barrel length
1,692 mm with breech piece / tube with stand
Maximum range
6,440 m with 120 mm M62P3 mortar bomb
Minimum range
266 m in Yugoimport product data
Rate of fire
12 rounds per minute
Crew
1 + 4 operators
Combat weight
120 kg
Transport weight
219 kg
Elevation
45 to 85 degrees
Traverse
3 degrees left/right without shifting the bipod; 360 degrees with bipod displacement
Maximum barrel pressure
Under 835 bar
Sight
NSB-4 / NSB-4B
Mobility And Fire Profile

The M74 is presented in official product literature as a light 120 mm close-support mortar for high-angle fire, smoke, illumination, and infantry support in broken terrain.

Fire mission

Yugoimport describes the mortar as a close infantry-support weapon for personnel, firing points, light fortifications, smoke-screen work, and night illumination.

Firing arc

Product sheets give 45 to 85 degrees of elevation, 3 degrees left/right traverse without shifting the bipod, and all-around traverse after bipod displacement.

M62P3 baseline

Both PPT Namenska and Yugoimport tie the public 6,440 m maximum range figure to the 120 mm M62P3 mortar bomb or mine.

Variants

VTI history treats the M74 and M75 as related second-generation 120 mm light mortars developed from the mid-1970s Yugoslav fire-support program.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
120 mm M75 mortar, 120 mm towed smoothbore mortar, Artillery120 mm M75 mortarHeavier related 120 mm light mortar

VTI places the M74 and M75 together in the same mid-1970s light-mortar generation that followed the M52 and preceded the longer-range M95.

Sources: VTI Mortar History

Ammunition Fired

PPT Namenska and Yugoimport list the M74 mortar with the 120 mm M62P3 mine or ammunition as its maximum-range round, and ITC catalogs the same designation as a 120 mm HE mortar bomb.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
120 mm HE mortar bomb M62P3, 120 mm high-explosive mortar bomb, Munitions120 mm HE mortar bomb M62P3120 mm high-explosive mortar bomb

PPT Namenska and Yugoimport list the M74's 6,440 m maximum range with 120 mm M62P3 ammunition, and ITC catalogs the 120 mm HE mortar bomb M62P3 as a standard round in the same caliber.

Sources: PPT Namenska Mortars, 120 mm M74 Product Sheet, ITC Mortar Ammunition

Timeline

120 mm M74 mortar Key Events

  1. Developed and introduced into service

    An official VTI history says the light M74 and M75 mortars were developed and introduced into service in the middle of the 1970s.

    Sources: VTI Mortar History

  2. Captured examples documented in Nagorno-Karabakh

    Oryx's 27 September 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh roundup lists four captured 120 mm M74 mortars on the Armenian / Artsakh side.

    Sources: Oryx Nagorno-Karabakh Losses

  3. M74 mortar identified at El Fasher

    Conflict Insights Group reported that a geolocated video from El Fasher showed apparent Colombian fighters supporting the Rapid Support Forces siege with a Serbian M74 mortar and M62P10 shell.

    Sources: Conflict Insights Blood Money Report

  4. M74 mortars recorded in Ukraine transfer reporting

    Polish export reporting and SIPRI transfer-register data both record 2023 deliveries of 22 M74 / M-74 120 mm mortars to Ukraine, supporting a wartime transfer context rather than confirmed battlefield firing.

    Sources: Polish 2023 Arms Export Report, SIPRI Arms Transfers Database

Media

120 mm M74 mortar Videos

120 mm M74 mortar Images

120 mm M74 mortar, 120 mm smoothbore towed mortar, Artillery - view 1
Source: PPT Namenska Mortars
Related Weapon Systems
120 mm M75 mortar, 120 mm towed smoothbore mortar, ArtilleryArtillery120 mm M75 mortar120 mm towed smoothbore mortarThe 120 mm M75 mortar is a Yugoslav-designed towed smoothbore mortar associated with the M74/M75 light-mortar family and post-Yugoslav export literature. Yugoimport describes it as infantry close-support artillery for high-angle fire, smoke, illumination, and difficult terrain, while Serbian sources and later defense reporting show the legacy weapon being paired with modern fire-control equipment. Direct records place M75 mortars in JNA fire support around Dubrovnik in 1991 and in Armenian/Artsakh losses during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
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60 mm M57 mortar, 60 mm light infantry mortar, ArtilleryArtillery60 mm M57 mortar60 mm light infantry mortarThe 60 mm M57 is a Yugoslav-pattern smoothbore light infantry mortar now listed by Serbian manufacturer PPT Namenska and in Yugoimport export material. Its official sheets describe a high-angle fire-support weapon built around barrel, base plate, bipod, sight, tools, spares, and accessories; post-Yugoslav records also show Serbian surplus stocks and Balkan export activity. In the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, open-source loss documentation recorded M57 mortars captured from Armenian forces.
1L271 Aistyonok, Portable mortar locating reconnaissance radar, Electronic WarfareElectronic Warfare1L271 AistyonokPortable mortar locating reconnaissance radarThe 1L271 Aistyonok is a Russian portable mortar-locating and artillery-reconnaissance radar associated with NPO Strela inside the Almaz-Antey industrial group. Rosoboronexport describes the export system as a modular radar for battalion-to-brigade fire support: detecting 81-120 mm mortar positions, tracking shell bursts for artillery correction, and observing moving ground targets out to 20 km. Specialist radar references describe a 135 kg J-band set, while open-source conflict reporting documents Russian-linked use in Syria and Ukraine plus Armenian/Artsakh wartime fielding problems in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Sources

PPT Namenska MortarsPublisher: PPT Namenska | Note: Supports manufacturer background, image provenance, and published specifications for the 120 mm M74 mortar and its product-page photo set, including the M62P3-linked 6,440 m maximum range. | Accessed: 2026-07-07Yugoimport 120 mm MortarsPublisher: Yugoimport-SDPR | Note: Supports background context by listing the 120 mm M74 mortar among Serbian export mortar documents. | Accessed: 2026-07-07VTI Mortar HistoryPublisher: Scientific Technical Review | Note: Supports the mid-1970s development, introduction into service, and infantry-battalion fire-support role for the M74 and M75 light mortar family. | Accessed: 2026-07-07120 mm M74 Product SheetPublisher: Yugoimport-SDPR | Note: Supports technical background, export-product context, M62P3 ammunition compatibility, and detailed specifications for the 120 mm M74 mortar. | Accessed: 2026-07-07ITC Mortar AmmunitionPublisher: ITC Ltd. Zenica | Note: Supports the M62P3 identity as a 120 mm high-explosive mortar bomb compatible with the M74-linked ammunition designation. | Accessed: 2026-07-07UnisGroup Weapons ProfilePublisher: UnisGroup | Note: Supports BNT Novi Travnik manufacturer context and a Bosnian product listing for the 120mm M74 mortar. | Accessed: 2026-07-07Oryx Nagorno-Karabakh LossesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict direct conflict-use evidence: fielded by Armenian / Artsakh forces and captured by Azerbaijan as 120 mm M74 mortars. | Accessed: 2026-07-07Conflict Insights Blood Money ReportPublisher: Conflict Insights Group | Note: Supports 2023 Sudan War direct conflict-use evidence: apparent Colombian fighters supporting the Rapid Support Forces siege at El Fasher used a Serbian M74 mortar and M62P10 shell in a geolocated January 2025 video. | Accessed: 2026-07-07Polish 2023 Arms Export ReportPublisher: Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct transfer evidence: Poland's 2023 arms-export report lists an actual export to Ukraine of 22 M74 120 mm mortars. | Accessed: 2026-07-07Polish Aid to Ukraine 2022-2023Publisher: Polish Institute Kyiv | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct transfer context: the report says Ukraine purchased 22 120 mm M74 mortars from Poland during the 2022-2023 aid and export period. | Accessed: 2026-07-07SIPRI Arms Transfers DatabasePublisher: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct transfer evidence: the SIPRI transfer-register export generated on 2026-07-07 lists Ukraine as recipient, Bosnia-Herzegovina as supplier, 22 M-74 120mm mortars ordered in 2022 and delivered in 2023. | Accessed: 2026-07-07