120 mm mortar

Conflict Usage

Kurdish-Turkish Conflict

Side: Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)Role: Cross-border indirect firestrike

Kurdish-Turkish Conflict: the PKK used 120 mm mortars from Syria against Turkish border security posts and bases, and the report says 120 mm mortar use increased after deliveries to PKK/PYD elements in Syria.

2019 India-Pakistan Border Skirmishes

Side: PakistanRole: Heavy indirect fire supportstrike

2019 India-Pakistan Border Skirmishes: Pakistani gunners used 120 mm mortars during LoC shelling near Nowshera, and AFP reported a Kalal house hit by nine rounds.

120 mm mortar Videos

120 mm mortar Images

Related Weapon Systems

Artillery81/82 mm mortar81/82 mm crew-served medium mortarThe 81/82 mm mortar family covers the standard crew-served, muzzle-loaded, high-angle indirect-fire class used by infantry and light artillery units worldwide. In the Kurdish-Turkish Conflict, a 2018 analysis of PKK tactics describes Russian-made 82 mm mortars used against Turkish security facilities in mountainous areas and later PKK use of 81 mm mortar tools as well, without identifying one specific model. In the War in Afghanistan, U.S. budget documents show Afghan Border Police 82 mm mortars sustained for patrol and border checkpoint missions, reflecting continued Afghan government fielding of the system.

Artillery120 mm M75 mortar120 mm towed smoothbore mortarThe 120 mm M75 mortar is a Yugoslav-designed towed smoothbore mortar for infantry fire support, smoke, illumination, and high-angle indirect fire in broken terrain. In the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, open-source loss documentation places M75 mortars with Armenian/Artsakh forces during the 2020 war, where several were destroyed or captured.

Artillery120 mm mortar launcherHeavy mortar launcherA 120 mm mortar launcher is a heavy crew-served indirect-fire weapon used to fire high-angle mortar bombs from a tube, baseplate, and bipod or from a vehicle mount. In the Boko Haram Insurgency, the documented case here is a Nigerien report that a 120-mm mortar was seized from Boko Haram fighters in the Lake Chad region, so the entry treats the system as an insurgent-held heavy mortar rather than a precisely identified national model.

ArtilleryECIA L-65 mortarSmoothbore mortar familyThe ECIA L-65 is a Spanish mortar family built by Esperanza y Cia for infantry and vehicle-mounted indirect fire. In the Boko Haram Insurgency, open-source arms-control research lists an ECIA L-65 mortar among materiel in service with, or recovered from, Boko Haram factions, but does not identify the recovered caliber or confirm present holdings.

ArtilleryHeavy-calibre weaponsAggregate heavy artillery and mortar categoryHeavy-calibre weapons is a conservative aggregate entry for the mortars and heavy-calibre artillery publicly cited in the 2025 India-Pakistan Conflict. Indian Ministry of Defence reporting attributed intensified Pakistani Line of Control shelling to mortars and heavy-calibre artillery, but did not identify the exact Pakistani gun or mortar models, so this record documents the sourced category rather than a specific weapon system.

ArtilleryM933-series mortar projectile120mm high-explosive mortar cartridgeThe M933-series mortar projectile is a U.S. 120mm high-explosive mortar cartridge family centered on the M933A1, a service round for M120 and M121 mortar systems. In the Israel-Hamas War, the United States approved a Foreign Military Sale to Israel for 50,400 M933A1 cartridges in August 2024.

Sources