Infantry Weapons

120mm L2 BAT

Also known as
  • L2 BAT
  • L1 BAT
  • BAT recoilless rifle
  • Battalion Anti-Tank gun
  • 120 mm BAT recoilless rifle
  • 120mm BAT
  • L4 MOBAT
  • L6 WOMBAT
  • L7 CONBAT

The 120mm L2 BAT was the British Battalion Anti-Tank recoilless rifle, a heavy towed 120 mm HESH-firing weapon introduced in 1953 as a postwar infantry anti-armor system. Its same-family L4 MOBAT, L7 CONBAT, and L6 WOMBAT variants traded the shielded L2 carriage for lighter or better-sighted configurations; Australian War Memorial records place an L4 MOBAT/BAT gun with Commonwealth forces in Malacca during the Indonesian Confrontation.

120mm L2 BAT, 120 mm recoilless anti-tank rifle, Infantry Weapons
Image source: Commons L2 BAT Maroubra Image

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United Kingdom
Type
120 mm recoilless anti-tank rifle
Service note
Cold War British and Commonwealth anti-tank weapon family, introduced in the early 1950s and succeeded in many units by lighter BAT variants and anti-tank guided missiles.
Designer
British state ordnance design lineage
Designed
Early 1950s development
Produced
Production reported from 1953

Specifications

Caliber
120 mm
Weapon type
Breech-loaded recoilless rifle
Crew
3 for L2 BAT and L6 WOMBAT references
L2 BAT weight
About 1 tonne
L4 MOBAT weight
766 kg
L2 BAT length
4.02 m overall with a 2.34 m barrel
L4 MOBAT length
4.04 m overall with a 2.34 m barrel
Muzzle velocity
463 m/s
Rate of fire
4 rounds per minute
L2 BAT range
450 m effective and 1.6 km maximum reported by WeaponSystems.net
L4 MOBAT range
825 m effective and 1.6 km maximum reported by WeaponSystems.net
L6 WOMBAT weight
308 kg (680 lb)
L6 WOMBAT length
3.86 m
L6 WOMBAT sighting
.50 caliber spotting rifle with optical sighting support
L6 WOMBAT range
Airborne Assault Museum describes target engagement out to 2,000 m with the spotting rifle
L4 MOBAT sighting
Optical sight with 7.62 mm Bren spotting rifle
Ammunition
120 mm HESH; Australian War Memorial record notes BAT HESH ammunition tubes with the L4 MOBAT
Carriage
Two-wheel carriage with shield on L2 BAT; lightweight carriage on L6 WOMBAT
BAT Family Design

The L2 BAT was heavy for an infantry anti-tank weapon, so the family evolved through lighter and better-sighted versions while retaining the 120 mm recoilless anti-armor role.

Original BAT

The L2 used a two-wheel carriage, gun shield, optical sight, and 120 mm breech-loaded recoilless barrel.

Source: WeaponSystems.net 120mm L2 BAT.

MOBAT

The L4 MOBAT removed the BAT gun shield, used a Bren spotting rifle, and reduced the system to about 766 kg for light-vehicle towing.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net 120mm L4 MOBAT; Australian War Memorial L4 MOBAT Malacca.

WOMBAT

The L6 WOMBAT put an L12A3 BAT gun on a lightweight carriage and added .50 caliber spotting-rifle support for longer practical engagement.

Source: Airborne Assault Museum L6 WOMBAT.

Variants

The BAT family used the same British 120 mm recoilless anti-tank concept across shielded, lightened, and spotting-rifle-equipped versions.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
L1/L2 BATOriginal shielded towed BAT gun

WeaponSystems.net lists L1 and L2 as the BAT designations in UK service, with a two-wheel carriage, gun shield, optical sight, and no spotting rifle.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net 120mm L2 BAT

L4 MOBATLighter mobile BAT variant

WeaponSystems.net identifies the L4 MOBAT as the Mobile Battalion Anti-Tank version with the shield removed, 7.62 mm Bren spotting rifle, 766 kg weight, and 825 m effective range; the Australian War Memorial documents one in Malacca during the Indonesian Confrontation.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net 120mm L4 MOBAT, Australian War Memorial L4 MOBAT Malacca

L6 WOMBATLightweight airborne and mobile variant

Airborne Assault Museum identifies the L6 WOMBAT as an L12A3 120 mm BAT gun on a lightweight carriage, towable by or mountable on a Land Rover and used by airborne units.

Sources: Airborne Assault Museum L6 WOMBAT

L7 CONBATConverted BAT/MOBAT with spotting rifle

Specialist summaries identify CONBAT as a BAT-family conversion with a spotting-rifle attachment, bridging the earlier BAT/MOBAT guns and the later WOMBAT configuration.

Sources: The Armourers Bench L2 BAT

Timeline

120mm L2 BAT Key Events

  1. L2 BAT enters service

    WeaponSystems.net reports the 120 mm L2 BAT entered service in 1953 after early-1950s development.

    Sources: WeaponSystems.net 120mm L2 BAT

  2. L6 WOMBAT appears in airborne trials

    Airborne Assault Museum collection data identifies an L6 WOMBAT taking part in Army Air Transport Training and Development Centre trials at Old Sarum and Salisbury Plain in July 1959.

    Sources: Airborne Assault Museum L6 WOMBAT Trials

  3. L4 MOBAT documented in Malacca

    Australian War Memorial collection record P04762.016 places a 120 mm L4 MOBAT/BAT gun at Sunggi Linggi, Malacca, during the Indonesian Confrontation.

    Sources: Australian War Memorial L4 MOBAT Malacca

  4. 8 RAR trains on WOMBAT in Malaysia

    Australian War Memorial film metadata records 8th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment anti-tank troops running through the 120 mm Wombat at Terendak Garrison and the nearby Asahan field firing range in Malaysia.

    Sources: Australian War Memorial 8 RAR Wombat Malaysia

  5. WOMBAT photographed beside MILAN

    A National Army Museum photograph of the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment shows a Wombat anti-tank recoilless rifle with a MILAN missile, illustrating the overlap between the older recoilless rifle and the missile that replaced it.

    Sources: National Army Museum Wombat and Milan

  6. WOMBAT embarked but not fought in the Falklands

    Airborne Assault Museum records WOMBATs as embarked for the Falklands but not deployed in combat, a useful boundary for excluding a Falklands conflict-use row.

    Sources: Airborne Assault Museum L6 WOMBAT

L6 WOMBAT Service Context

The L6 WOMBAT was the late lightweight BAT-family service weapon. Museum records connect it to airborne trials, British airborne service, Malaysia-based training, and the transition from recoilless anti-tank rifles to guided missiles.

Air transportable role

Airborne Assault Museum describes the L6 as a lightweight-carriage 120 mm recoilless rifle that could be towed by or mounted on a Land Rover and was used by airborne units.

Source: Airborne Assault Museum L6 WOMBAT.

Malaysia training

Australian War Memorial footage metadata places 8 RAR anti-tank troops training on the 120 mm Wombat at Terendak and Asahan in February 1969, noting that the British Army used the weapon in Malaysia.

Source: Australian War Memorial 8 RAR Wombat Malaysia.

Missile replacement

National Army Museum and Airborne Assault Museum records frame WOMBAT as a legacy recoilless anti-tank rifle that overlapped with, then gave way to, guided anti-tank missiles such as MILAN.

Sources: National Army Museum Wombat and Milan; Airborne Assault Museum L6 WOMBAT.

Media

120mm L2 BAT Videos

120mm L2 BAT Images

120mm L2 BAT, 120 mm recoilless anti-tank rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 1
Source: Commons Puckapunyal L4 MOBAT Image
120mm L2 BAT, 120 mm recoilless anti-tank rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 2
Source: Commons Wombat Recoilless Weapon Image
Related Weapon Systems
120 mm L2 HESH, 120 mm high-explosive squash-head recoilless-rifle ammunition, MunitionsMunitions120 mm L2 HESH120 mm high-explosive squash-head recoilless-rifle ammunitionThe 120 mm L2 HESH round was the high-explosive squash-head ammunition for Britain's BAT-family recoilless anti-tank rifles, pairing a separate-loaded 120 mm projectile and propellant case with the L2 BAT, L4 MOBAT, and L6 WOMBAT family. A 1964 joint-services ammunition-marking handbook identifies the service store as 120 mm B.A.T. H.E.S.H. L19A3, while specialist sources use the L2 HESH label for the BAT-family round. Australian War Memorial collection data documents BAT HESH ammunition tubes with an L4 MOBAT in Malacca during the Indonesian Confrontation, giving the round a direct source-backed conflict context without implying that the specific photographed rounds were fired.
140mm BL 5.5-inch gun, Towed medium gun-howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery140mm BL 5.5-inch gunTowed medium gun-howitzerThe 140mm BL 5.5-inch gun was a British towed medium artillery piece built around a split-trail carriage, separate-loading ammunition, and a 10-person detachment. British units received the gun in 1941, Australian War Memorial and Royal Artillery sources place its first operational service in May 1942, and the type served with British and Commonwealth forces in North Africa, Italy, and northwest Europe before later South African G2 use in the Border War.

Sources

WeaponSystems.net 120mm L2 BATPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports L2 BAT identity, origin, entered-service date, early-1950s development, production country/date, designations, core L2 specifications, and related BAT-family variant context. | Accessed: 2026-07-06WeaponSystems.net 120mm L4 MOBATPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports L4 MOBAT identity, Mobile Battalion Anti-Tank designation, mid-1950s development context, BAT-derived shieldless design, Bren spotting rifle, light-vehicle towing, L4 dimensions, weight, range, rate of fire, and ConBAT variant relationship. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Australian War Memorial L4 MOBAT MalaccaPublisher: Australian War Memorial | Note: Supports Indonesian Confrontation 1962-1966 direct use: AWM identifies a 120 mm L4 MOBAT/BAT gun prepared by soldiers at Sunggi Linggi, Malacca, in November 1964 and links the item to the Indonesian Confrontation. Also supports L4 MOBAT variant and BAT HESH ammunition context. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Airborne Assault Museum L6 WOMBATPublisher: Airborne Assault Museum | Note: Supports L6 WOMBAT variant background, L12A3 BAT gun/lightweight carriage configuration, Land Rover mobility, spotting rifle, HESH round, 4 rpm rate, crew, dimensions, armor effect, and the Falklands non-use boundary. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Airborne Assault Museum L6 WOMBAT TrialsPublisher: Airborne Assault Museum | Note: Supports L6 WOMBAT airborne trial context: the collection record identifies an L6 Wombat taking part in Army Air Transport Training and Development Centre trials at Old Sarum and Salisbury Plain in July 1959. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Australian War Memorial 8 RAR Wombat MalaysiaPublisher: Australian War Memorial | Note: Supports L6 WOMBAT service and training context: AWM film metadata records 8th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment anti-tank troops training with the 120 mm Wombat at Terendak Garrison and Asahan field firing range in Malaysia in February 1969. | Accessed: 2026-07-06National Army Museum Wombat and MilanPublisher: National Army Museum | Note: Supports L6 WOMBAT British Army service context and replacement by MILAN through a 1980 photograph record showing a Wombat anti-tank recoilless rifle with a MILAN anti-tank missile. | Accessed: 2026-07-06The Armourers Bench L2 BATPublisher: The Armourer's Bench | Note: Supports L2 BAT historical context from a specialist article/video summary: development to replace the 17-pounder anti-tank gun and Cold War service of BAT-family successors. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Commons L2 BAT Maroubra ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports primary image provenance and reuse terms for an L2 BAT photographed at Maroubra Junction, Sydney, reviewed from Flickr and licensed CC BY 2.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Commons Puckapunyal L4 MOBAT ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance and reuse terms for a BAT-series L4 MOBAT recoilless rifle at the Royal Australian Armoured Corps Tank Museum, licensed under GFDL / CC BY 2.5 terms. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Commons Wombat Recoilless Weapon ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance and reuse terms for a British Wombat recoilless rifle at RAF Duxford, released to the public domain. | Accessed: 2026-07-06