Artillery

2B14 Podnos

Also known as
  • 2B14
  • 2B14-1
  • 2Б14
  • 2Б14-1
  • Podnos
  • 2B14 Podnos 82 mm mortar
  • 82 mm mortar 2B14
  • 82mm 2B14 Podnos

The 2B14 Podnos is a Soviet 82 mm smoothbore mortar developed in the early 1980s as a lighter, longer-ranged replacement for older battalion mortars. Its barrel, baseplate, and bipod can be broken into infantry-portable loads, while OSCE and open-license Russian Ministry of Defence media document Podnos mortars on both sides of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

2B14 Podnos, 82 mm smoothbore mortar, Artillery
Image source: 2B14 Podnos at Engineering Technologies 2010 Forum

Role in Conflicts

2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Fire Support

OSCE reporting tied the 2B14 Podnos to Ukrainian storage-site monitoring in 2016, spotted 2B14 or probable 2B14 mortars in government- and non-government-controlled areas in 2019, and recorded a 2B14 in a non-government-controlled area in 2020. Open-license Russian Ministry of Defence footage hosted by Wikimedia Commons identifies Russian VDV troops using 2B14 Podnos mortar support in Ukraine on 2023-02-23; that source supports Russian-side fielding, not independent verification of the video's tactical claims.

Role details
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
82 mm smoothbore mortar
Service note
Entered Soviet service in 1984; still fielded by post-Soviet forces
Designer
Soviet design bureau associated with Gorky Engineering Plant
Designed
1983
Unit cost
About $15,000 in 1992
Produced
1984-present
Number built
Over 3,000 reported by WeaponSystems.net

Specifications

Caliber
82 mm smoothbore mortar
Crew
4-5 personnel, depending on source and operating practice
Weight
About 42 kg in firing position
Pack loads
About 16.2 kg barrel assembly, 17 kg baseplate, and 13.9 kg bipod loads
Maximum range
About 4.0-4.27 km, depending on ammunition and source
Rate of fire
Up to 24-30 rounds per minute maximum
Elevation
45 to 85 degrees
Mobility
Breaks down into barrel, baseplate, and bipod loads; optional 2F510 two-wheel carriage
Variants

The page keeps 2B14 and 2B14-1 as core Podnos designations in aliases and prose. The visible variant row is limited to an externally named production designation supported by the cited source.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
M82Bulgarian production designation

WeaponSystems.net lists M82 as a Bulgarian production designation in the 2B14 Podnos family.

Sources: 82mm 2B14 Podnos

Ammunition Fired

The 2B14 Podnos is documented by two independent product pages as a launcher for the VO-832DU 82 mm high-explosive mortar bomb.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
82mm Mortar Round VO-832DU, 82 mm high-explosive mortar bomb / mortar round, Munitions82mm Mortar Round VO-832DU82 mm high-explosive mortar bomb

Arcus and BULCOMERS both list the VO-832DU as compatible with the 2B14 Podnos and other 82 mm smooth-bore mortars.

Sources: 82mm HE Mortar Bomb VO-832DU, 82mm Mortar Round VO-832DU

Design, Ammunition, And Successor Context

The Podnos sits in the light-infantry mortar role: a smoothbore 82 mm tube, round baseplate, and bipod/sight assembly that can be broken into crew-carried loads for short moves.

ContextSourced detailCatalog treatment
Portable mortar layoutWeaponSystems.net describes the 2B14 as a lighter PM-37 replacement with a barrel, muzzle safety device, round baseplate, bipod, and sight assembly; it lists separate barrel, baseplate, and bipod pack weights.Used for the mobility and pack-load specification fields.
Firing envelopeWeaponSystems.net and Army Recognition give an 82 mm smoothbore mortar with roughly 4.0-4.27 km maximum range and up to 24-30 rounds per minute maximum fire rate.Kept as source-bounded specification ranges because ammunition and reference conventions differ.
Ammunition compatibilityArcus and BULCOMERS list the VO-832DU 82 mm high-explosive mortar bomb as compatible with the 2B14 Podnos and other smooth-bore 82 mm mortars.Rendered as a linked ammunition relationship to the published VO-832DU record.
Successor contextRosoboronexport and EDR describe the 2B24 as a newer 82 mm mortar with greater range and quick disassembly; EDR frames its 6,000 m range as nearly 50 percent more than the in-service 2B14-1.Used as lineage context, not merged into the 2B14 Podnos specifications.

Sources: 82mm 2B14 Podnos; Analysis: Russian Defense Industry Promotes Modern Artillery Systems on Global Military Market; 82mm HE Mortar Bomb VO-832DU; 82mm Mortar Round VO-832DU; Rosoboronexport 2B24 Mortar; EDR New Mortars for the Russian Army.

Timeline

2B14 Podnos Key Events

  1. 2B14 development recorded

    WeaponSystems.net places 2B14 Podnos development in 1983 as a Soviet 82 mm mortar program intended to replace older PM-37-family mortars.

    Sources: 82mm 2B14 Podnos

  2. Entered service and production

    The same reference lists 1984 as the service-entry and production-start year for the Podnos mortar, with Burevestnik production in the Soviet Union and Russia.

    Sources: 82mm 2B14 Podnos

  3. OSCE storage-site record names Podnos

    OSCE monitoring reported a 2B14 Podnos 82 mm mortar in Ukrainian Armed Forces permanent storage-site monitoring during the Donbas phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

    Sources: Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, 9 September 2016

  4. OSCE reports Podnos sightings on both sides

    An OSCE daily report described probable or confirmed 2B14 Podnos mortars in both government-controlled and non-government-controlled areas of Donbas.

    Sources: Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, 15 April 2019

  5. Russian VDV footage identifies 2B14 support

    A Wikimedia Commons-hosted Russian Ministry of Defence video file identifies Russian VDV troops using 2B14 Podnos mortar support in northeastern Ukraine.

    Sources: Russian VDV 2B14 Podnos Mortar Footage

Media

2B14 Podnos Images

2B14 Podnos, 82 mm smoothbore mortar, Artillery - view 1
Source: 2B14 Podnos at Engineering Technologies 2010 Forum
Related Weapon Systems
82 mm M69 mortar, 82 mm smoothbore infantry mortar, ArtilleryArtillery82 mm M69 mortar82 mm smoothbore infantry mortarThe 82 mm M69 is a Yugoslav-designed smoothbore infantry mortar family that remains in Serbian and former Yugoslav production and service channels, with the M69A variant using a four-person crew, NSB-3 sight, and high-angle fire out to roughly 4.9-6.25 km depending on ammunition. Direct open-source documentation links the family to Afghan government losses in 2021, Syrian opposition use near Aleppo, Armenian and Artsakh losses in Nagorno-Karabakh, and Ukrainian wartime receipt of BNT-marked M69A mortars.
81/82 mm mortar, 81/82 mm crew-served medium mortar, ArtilleryArtillery81/82 mm mortar81/82 mm crew-served medium mortarThe 81/82 mm mortar family covers the modern crew-served, muzzle-loaded, smoothbore indirect-fire class descended from the Stokes mortar lineage and still fielded worldwide in variant-specific forms. This is a family-level page: 81 mm L16/M252/M252A1/F2-type systems and 82 mm Soviet/Russian-pattern systems such as 2B14 and 2B24 share a medium-mortar battlefield role but are not interchangeable hardware. Conflict rows stay at the caliber or named-system level supported by the source, including Boko Haram/ISWAP recovered 81 mm equipment, Iraqi M252 training under Operation Inherent Resolve, U.S. Marine M252 use and Afghan Border Police 82 mm sustainment in Afghanistan, PKK 81/82 mm mortar use where no single model is identified, and Chadian 82 mm mortar training before operations in Mali.
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 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

82mm 2B14 PodnosPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports background, development, producer, service-entry, production, user, mobility, and technical specification context. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Analysis: Russian Defense Industry Promotes Modern Artillery Systems on Global Military MarketPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports Podnos role and Rosoboronexport-reported specifications including range, rate of fire, elevation, traverse, weight, and crew. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, 9 September 2016Publisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe | Note: Directly documents a 2B14 Podnos mortar in Ukrainian Armed Forces permanent storage-site monitoring during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, 15 April 2019Publisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe | Note: Directly documents probable and confirmed 2B14 Podnos 82 mm mortars in government- and non-government-controlled areas of Donbas during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War. | Accessed: 2026-06-30OSCE SMM Daily Report, 19 October 2020Publisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe | Note: Directly documents a 2B14 Podnos 82 mm mortar near Peremozhne in a non-government-controlled area during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Russian VDV 2B14 Podnos Mortar FootagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War Russian-side fielding context: the file description identifies Russian VDV troops in Ukraine using support from a 2B14 Podnos mortar on 2023-02-23; because the underlying source is Russian Ministry of Defence media, it is not used for independent tactical-outcome claims. | Accessed: 2026-06-302B14 Podnos at Engineering Technologies 2010 ForumPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Primary image provenance; the file page lists James Robert Nockson as author and Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported licensing. | Accessed: 2026-06-302B14 Podnos at Engineering Technologies 2010 Forum (2)Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Gallery image provenance; the file page lists James Robert Nockson as author and Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported licensing. | Accessed: 2026-06-3082mm HE Mortar Bomb VO-832DUPublisher: Arcus JSC | Note: Supports the VO-832DU compatibility listing for the 2B14 Podnos and other 82 mm smooth-bore mortars. | Accessed: 2026-06-3082mm Mortar Round VO-832DUPublisher: BULCOMERS KS Ltd. | Note: Supports the VO-832DU compatibility listing for the 2B14 Podnos and other 82 mm smooth-bore mortars. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Rosoboronexport 2B24 MortarPublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Supports successor-system context for the 2B24 82 mm mortar, including range, crew, rate of fire, disassembly, and traverse data used only for contrast with the 2B14 family. | Accessed: 2026-06-30EDR New Mortars for the Russian ArmyPublisher: EDR Magazine | Note: Supports Burevestnik 2B24 successor context and the comparison that its 6,000 m maximum range is nearly 50 percent more than the in-service 2B14-1. | Accessed: 2026-06-30