Artillery

160mm PM-43

Also known as
  • 160-PM-43
  • 160 mm PM-43
  • 160mm PM43
  • 160 mm mortar M1943
  • M1943 160mm mortar
  • M1943 160 mm mortar
  • MT-13
  • M-43 160 mm mortar
  • 52-M-852

The 160mm PM-43, also known as the 160-PM-43 or MT-13, is a Soviet breech-loading heavy mortar developed from the idea of scaling up the 120 mm mortar family. Its hinged barrel let crews load a roughly 40 kg bomb from the rear, giving Soviet forces a short-range but very heavy indirect-fire weapon in the final stages of the Second World War before the longer-ranged M-160 replaced it in postwar Soviet service; open references also place Egyptian 160-PM-43 use in the 1967 and 1973 wars with Israel.

160mm PM-43, 160 mm towed heavy mortar, Artillery
Image source: 160mm Mortar M1943 003.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Second World War
Fire SupportArea Denial
Side
Allied Powers

WeaponSystems.net says the 160-PM-43 was adopted by the Soviet Union and used in the final stages of the Second World War; the Victory Museum describes MT-13 heavy mortar brigades in Red Army breakthrough artillery, and Military Factory specifically places M1943/MT-13 use with Soviet forces during the Berlin fighting.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
160 mm towed heavy mortar
Service note
Introduced in 1944 after 1942-1943 development; produced through August 1947 and later supplemented by the M-160
Designer
G. D. Shirenin's Soviet ordnance research group, later led by I. G. Teverovsky with prototype engineering by L. G. Shershenn
Designed
1942-1943
Produced
January 1944-August 1947
Number built
1,557 total; open sources differ on 1944 output, with National Defence University of Ukraine listing 593 by year-end and the Victory Museum listing 350 by year-end
Developed from
120-PM-38 / 120 mm Soviet mortar lineage
Developed into
M-160 160 mm heavy mortar

Specifications

Caliber
160 mm
Weapon type
Smoothbore breech-loading heavy mortar
Barrel length
3.03 m
Crew
7 in WeaponSystems.net data; NDU Ukraine lists 6
Weight
1,170 kg in firing position; 1,270 kg in travel configuration
Bomb weight
About 40.8 kg / 90 lb
Maximum range
5,150 m
Minimum range
630 m
Rate of fire
3 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity
140-245 m/s depending on charge
Elevation
+45 degrees to +80 degrees
Traverse
25 degrees
Road speed
Up to 50 km/h when towed, according to the Victory Museum
Mobility
Towed behind a truck or tracked prime mover; too heavy for infantry manhandling in the field
Carriage
Two-wheel fixed carriage with the wheels acting as a bipod in firing position
Breech-Loading Layout

The 160mm PM-43 solved the practical problem of loading a 40 kg-class mortar bomb into a long tube by hinging the barrel forward for rear loading. The Victory Museum describes the MT-13 as a rigid smoothbore mortar on a wheeled carriage, with recoil forces driven into the baseplate rather than handled like a conventional gun carriage.

Loading method

The barrel pivots forward so the crew can insert the bomb from the rear before returning the tube to firing position.

Tactical niche

Shorter-ranged than divisional guns, but capable of delivering a much heavier mortar bomb against fortified or urban positions.

Lineage

WeaponSystems.net describes the 160-PM-43 as an upscaled 120-PM-38 concept, while the Victory Museum traces the longer-ranged M-160 to the follow-on SKB-21 design selected after MT-13D modernization work.

Variants

Open sources use 160-PM-43, PM-43, M1943, M-43, and MT-13 for the wartime 160 mm breech-loading mortar; M-160 is the later longer-ranged successor rather than the same weapon.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
MT-13factory/project designation

National Defence University of Ukraine identifies MT-13 as the factory index for the 160 mm mortar of the 1943 model.

Sources: NDU Ukraine M-160 Mortar

160-PM-43service and reference designation

WeaponSystems.net lists 160-PM-43 and MT-13 as designations for the same Soviet 160 mm heavy mortar.

Sources: 160mm PM-43

MT-13D1945 experimental modernization

The Victory Museum describes the MT-13D as a summer 1945 modernization attempt with a barrel extended by 50 mm and a reported 7.4 km range, but the M-160 successor was selected instead.

Sources: Victory Museum MT-13 Mortar

160mm M160, 160 mm towed heavy mortar, Artillery160mm M160postwar successor

WeaponSystems.net describes the M-160 as the successor to the 160-PM-43, and the Victory Museum says the 1949 M-160 won the follow-on competition as a longer-ranged 160 mm divisional mortar.

Sources: 160mm PM-43, Victory Museum MT-13 Mortar

Timeline

160mm PM-43 Key Events

  1. Development begins

    National Defence University of Ukraine and the Victory Museum trace development of the 160 mm shell-firing mortar to early 1942 under Soviet ordnance research leadership.

    Sources: NDU Ukraine M-160 Mortar, Victory Museum MT-13 Mortar

  2. Adopted for service

    The Ukrainian military university account says the 160 mm mortar of the 1943 model was adopted on January 17, 1944, while the Victory Museum describes January 1944 acceptance into Red Army service.

    Sources: NDU Ukraine M-160 Mortar, Victory Museum MT-13 Mortar

  3. Production starts at Plant No. 535

    NDU Ukraine says production began at the Tula Machine-Building Plant on January 22, 1944; the Victory Museum also places MT-13 production at Tula Machine-Building Plant No. 535, though the two sources give different 1944 output totals.

    Sources: NDU Ukraine M-160 Mortar, Victory Museum MT-13 Mortar

  4. Used by Soviet forces in late-war fighting

    WeaponSystems.net, the Victory Museum, and Military Factory place the 160-PM-43/M1943 in Soviet service during late Second World War operations, including urban fighting in Military Factory's Berlin account.

    Sources: 160mm PM-43, Victory Museum MT-13 Mortar, MT-13 M1943 Long-Range Towed Heavy Mortar

  5. MT-13D modernization tested

    The Victory Museum says Teverovsky began a summer 1945 modernization effort called MT-13D that lengthened the barrel and sought a longer 7.4 km range, but the later SKB-21 M-160 was chosen for production.

    Sources: Victory Museum MT-13 Mortar

  6. Wartime-pattern production ends

    NDU Ukraine, the Victory Museum, and WeaponSystems.net describe production continuing after the war and ending in August 1947, with 1,557 total MT-13/160-PM-43 mortars produced.

    Sources: NDU Ukraine M-160 Mortar, Victory Museum MT-13 Mortar, 160mm PM-43

Media

160mm PM-43 Images

160mm PM-43, 160 mm towed heavy mortar, Artillery - view 1
Source: 160mm Mortar M1943 001.jpg
160mm PM-43, 160 mm towed heavy mortar, Artillery - view 2
Source: 160 mm mortar model 1943 in the Great Patriotic War Museum
Related Weapon Systems
120-PM-38, 120 mm towed heavy mortar, ArtilleryArtillery120-PM-38120 mm towed heavy mortarThe 120-PM-38, also known as the M1938, is a Soviet 120 mm smoothbore heavy mortar designed under B. I. Shavyrin and built for infantry fire support. Its large bomb, two-wheel transport arrangement, and roughly 5.7 km range made it a durable regimental mortar design; OSCE monitoring documented PM-38 mortars in Donbas heavy-weapons holding and storage records during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, while Oryx listed M-1938 heavy mortars in Yemen's pre-war army inventory.
120 mm mortar launcher, Heavy mortar launcher, ArtilleryArtillery120 mm mortar launcherHeavy mortar launcherA 120 mm mortar launcher is a heavy indirect-fire weapon class used to fire high-angle mortar bombs from a tube, baseplate, and bipod, a towed mount, or a vehicle system. This generic entry is for source-backed cases where public evidence identifies the caliber and mortar role but not a precise national model, including Ukrainian 120-mm mortar fire near Chasiv Yar, probable 120 mm mortar shelling in Yemen, Gaddafi-era use around Misratah, and a Nigerien seizure from Boko Haram fighters.
120 mm M1982 mortar, 120 mm towed heavy mortar, ArtilleryArtillery120 mm M1982 mortar120 mm towed heavy mortarThe 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.

Sources

160mm PM-43Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports 160-PM-43/MT-13 identity, Soviet origin, development and production timeline, Tula production attribution, specifications, relationship to 120 mm PM-series mortars and M-160, direct Second World War service with Soviet forces, direct Egyptian use in the 1967 Six-Day War, and direct Egyptian use in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Victory Museum MT-13 MortarPublisher: Victory Museum / Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 | Note: Supports MT-13 identity, specifications, breech-loading and carriage design, Tula Machine-Building Plant No. 535 production attribution, total production, MT-13D modernization context, M-160 successor context, and direct Second World War use by Red Army heavy mortar brigades. | Accessed: 2026-07-13NDU Ukraine M-160 MortarPublisher: National Defence University of Ukraine | Note: Supports the MT-13 and 52-M-852 designations, 1942-1944 development and adoption chronology, Plant No. 535 production start, production totals, and selected technical data. | Accessed: 2026-07-13MT-13 M1943 Long-Range Towed Heavy MortarPublisher: Military Factory | Note: Supports MT-13/M1943 identity, breech-loading design context, 160 mm ammunition role, postwar export context, and direct Second World War use by Soviet forces including Berlin fighting. | Accessed: 2026-07-13160 mm Mortar M1943 WikipediaPublisher: Wikipedia | Note: Baseline terminology source for the 160 mm mortar M1943 / MT-13 designation, service name, and lead references checked during initial research. | Accessed: 2026-07-13160mm Mortar M1943 003.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the primary 160 mm mortar M1943 photograph, released to the public domain by the uploader. | Accessed: 2026-07-13160mm Mortar M1943 001.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for an additional public-domain 160 mm mortar M1943 photograph. | Accessed: 2026-07-13160 mm mortar model 1943 in the Great Patriotic War MuseumPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the gallery photograph of a 160 mm mortar model 1943 in the Great Patriotic War Museum. | Accessed: 2026-07-13