- Side
- Israel
A Six-Day War Israeli order-of-battle document lists both self-propelled and towed 120 mm Soltam M65 mortars, while GlobalSecurity describes Israeli 120 mm mortars as artillery-operated indirect-fire weapons.
Artillery
120 mm Soltam M65
Also known as
- Soltam M-65
- Soltam M65
- Soltam K5
- K5 (M65)
- 120 mm M-65 mortar
- 120mm Soltam M65
The Soltam M65 is an Israeli-produced 120 mm heavy mortar derived from Finnish Tampella mortar design work and adapted for towed, vehicle-carried, and APC-supported fire support. Public references use M65 and K5 terminology unevenly, but they consistently place the weapon in the Soltam 120 mm mortar line that led to the K6/M120 and A7 derivatives.
Role in Conflicts
- Side
- Israel
Balagan identifies Israeli M9 half-tracks with Soltam 120 mm mortars as used in the 1967 and 1973 wars, and an archived Soldier of Fortune article describes Israeli Yom Kippur War light armored crews using 120 mm Soltam mortars.
Profile / Specs
Profile
- Origin
- Finland / Israel
- Built by
- Soltam Systems
- Built in
- Israel
- Type
- 120 mm towed heavy mortar
- Service note
- Cold War 120 mm mortar family
- Designer
- Tampella design lineage; Soltam Systems Israeli production
- Designed
- 1953 Finnish baseplate development; Israeli Soltam production in the 1960s
- Produced
- 1960s onward
Specifications
- Caliber
- 120 mm
- Crew
- Seven-person crew for the M65/K5 in GlobalSecurity; four-person crew for the later A7 derivative
- Maximum range
- About 6,200-6,500 m for the M65/K5 baseline in public references; A7 derivative cited to 8,500-9,500 m depending bomb
- Mobility
- Two-wheeled towed carriage; vehicle towing, APC carriage, helicopter sling-load, parachute drop, mule transport, or manhandling described
- Towing speed
- Up to 80 km/h in GlobalSecurity's M65/K5 description
- Carriage
- M151 Jeep-style carriage wheels with handling rings
- Baseplate
- Circular baseplate identified by GlobalSecurity as a distinguishing M65 feature compared with K6
- Ammunition
- Qualified 120 mm mortar bombs; GlobalSecurity describes smoke and illumination battlefield uses
- Construction
- Chrome-plated or stainless-steel components described for wear and corrosion resistance
Design And Mobility
The M65 sits between conventional towed artillery and infantry mortars. Sources describe a two-wheeled carriage, M151-style wheels, helicopter sling-load or parachute transport options, APC carriage for mobile artillery roles, and vehicle towing at up to 80 km/h.
Fire role
Battalion and company indirect-fire support, including battlefield smoke and illumination missions.
Source: GlobalSecurity Soltam K5 M65.
Identity detail
GlobalSecurity distinguishes the M65 from K6 by the M65 circular baseplate; Weaponsystems.net treats M65 as the baseline for later Soltam 120 mm branches.
Sources: GlobalSecurity Soltam K5 M65; Weaponsystems.net 120mm Soltam M65.
Design branch
M65 standard heavy mortar, lighter K5 branch, reinforced K6/M120 family, and A7 long-range development.
Sources: GlobalSecurity Soltam K5 M65; Archived Israeli-Weapons M65.
Variants
Public sources use M65, K5, and K5 (M65) terminology unevenly. The clearest pattern is an M65 standard heavy mortar tied to a lighter K5 branch, followed by the reinforced K6/M120 family and the A7 long-range development.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard M65 | Baseline 120 mm heavy mortar | Weaponsystems.net treats the M65 as the baseline Soltam 120 mm mortar from which later light and long-range models were derived; GlobalSecurity identifies a circular baseplate as an M65 feature. Sources: Weaponsystems.net 120mm Soltam M65, GlobalSecurity Soltam K5 M65 |
| Soltam K5 | Light 120 mm mortar branch | GlobalSecurity describes K6 as an updated version of the older K5 light mortar, while Weaponsystems.net describes K5 as a lightweight 120 mm mortar developed to supplement M65. Sources: GlobalSecurity Soltam K5 M65, Weaponsystems.net 120mm Soltam M65 |
 | Updated K6 / M120 derivative | GlobalSecurity describes the K6 as an updated version of the older K5 light mortar with a longer stated range and U.S. M120/M121 adoption. Sources: GlobalSecurity Soltam K5 M65 |
| A7 long-range mortar | Long-range derivative | The archived Israeli-Weapons page describes the A7 as a longer-range development of earlier Soltam M65 and A4 models for rapid-deployment units. Sources: Archived Israeli-Weapons M65 |
Carrier Vehicles
The M65 could be moved as a towed mortar or carried by armored vehicles when used as mobile artillery.
| Compatible item | Item type | Compatibility evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Armored personnel carrier | GlobalSecurity and the archived Israeli-Weapons page both describe the M65 as light enough to be carried in an M113-family APC. Sources: GlobalSecurity Soltam K5 M65, Archived Israeli-Weapons M65 |
Timeline
120 mm Soltam M65 Key Events
Finnish design basis
Sources trace the M65 lineage to Tampella's postwar 120 Krh/40-related work, including a 1953 baseplate development attributed to Hans Otto Donner; GlobalSecurity identifies the M65 by its circular baseplate.
Sources: GlobalSecurity Soltam K5 M65, Weaponsystems.net 120mm Soltam M65
Israeli Soltam production era
Soltam Systems bought a license in the 1960s and produced the Israeli 120 mm M65/K5-family mortar line.
Sources: GlobalSecurity Soltam K5 M65
Israeli 120 mm mortar force in the Six-Day War period
GlobalSecurity reports that nearly half of Israel's artillery battalions were equipped with 120 mm mortars in 1967, supporting this entry's conservative Six-Day War conflict row.
Sources: GlobalSecurity Soltam K5 M65, IDF Structure During the Six Day War
Soltam 120 mm mortars in Yom Kippur War fire support
Balagan identifies Israeli M9 half-tracks with Soltam 120 mm mortars as systems used in the 1973 war, and an archived Soldier of Fortune article describes Israeli light-armored crews using 120 mm Soltam mortars during the same conflict.
Sources: Weapons and Vehicles of the Arab-Israeli Wars, Soldier of Fortune July 1986
Media
120 mm Soltam M65 Images
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
Weaponsystems.net 120mm Soltam M65Publisher: Weaponsystems.net | Note: Supports M65 identity, Finnish/Israeli origin, baseline Soltam 120 mm mortar family context, 1960s service era, and derivative-family summary. | Accessed: 2026-07-13GlobalSecurity Soltam K5 M65Publisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports M65/K5 specifications, Soltam license-production background, mobility details, Israeli 1967 120 mm mortar artillery context, and direct 1967 Six-Day War period use by Israeli artillery. | Accessed: 2026-07-13IDF Structure During the Six Day WarPublisher: Scribd | Note: Supports 1967 Six-Day War direct conflict-use context by listing Israeli self-propelled and towed 120 mm Soltam M65 mortars in the IDF order of battle. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Weapons and Vehicles of the Arab-Israeli WarsPublisher: Steven's Balagan | Note: Supports direct 1967 Six-Day War and 1973 Yom Kippur War use by stating Israeli M9 half-tracks with Soltam 120 mm mortars were used in the 1967 and 1973 wars. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Soldier of Fortune July 1986Publisher: Internet Archive | Note: Supports 1973 Yom Kippur War direct use by describing Israeli troops in BTR-152s or half-tracks during the war as armed with 120 mm Soltam mortars. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Archived Israeli-Weapons M65Publisher: Israeli-Weapons.com via Internet Archive | Note: Supports M65/A7 family distinction, APC and air-mobility statements, carriage details, A7 crew and range figures, and Soltam manufacturer attribution. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Wikimedia Commons M65 Museum PhotoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the 120 mm mortar photographed at Beyt ha-Totchan, including Bukvoed attribution and reusable licensing. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Wikimedia Commons M65 Action PhotoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports secondary gallery image provenance for a 120 mm mortar action photo in the Soltam M-65 Commons category, including Smikect attribution and CC BY-SA 3.0 licensing. | Accessed: 2026-07-13