Munitions

53-F-864 / F-864 240 mm mortar bomb

Also known as
  • F-864
  • 53-F-864
  • 3OF-864
  • 240 mm F-864 high explosive mortar bomb
  • Soviet 240 mm mortar shell

The 53-F-864, commonly cited as F-864 and also rendered 3OF-864 in Tyulpan references, is a Soviet 240 mm high-explosive fragmentation mortar bomb for the M-240 / 2S4 Tyulpan heavy-mortar family. It is notable as a very heavy conventional mortar round: Human Rights Watch documented F-864 bombs in Syrian army shelling of Homs, and technical references report a projectile mass of about 130 kg and a maximum Tyulpan range of about 9.65 km.

53-F-864 / F-864 240 mm mortar bomb, 240 mm high-explosive fragmentation mortar bomb, Munitions
Image source: File:Soviet 240mm mortar shell.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
240 mm high-explosive fragmentation mortar bomb
Service note
Soviet-era ammunition for the 240 mm M240 / 2B8 mortar family
Designer
Soviet artillery design establishment
Designed
Soviet period
Produced
Soviet-era production

Specifications

Caliber
240 mm
Projectile type
High-explosive fragmentation mortar bomb
Projectile mass
About 130 kg
Explosive charge
31.93 kg TNT
Maximum range from 2S4 Tyulpan
About 9,650 m
Associated mortar family
M240 / 2B8 heavy mortar
Firing Weapons

The F-864 family is documented as 240 mm mortar ammunition for Soviet heavy-mortar systems rather than as a stand-alone weapon.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
2S4 Tyulpan, 240 mm self-propelled heavy mortar, Artillery2S4 Tyulpan240 mm self-propelled heavy mortar

Army Recognition identifies the 2S4 as firing the conventional high-explosive fragmentation bomb 3OF-864 / 53-F-864, described as one of its basic 240 mm mortar bombs.

Sources: Army Recognition 2S4 Tyulpan M-1975

Why the shell matters

The shell's conflict relevance comes from direct munition identification in Syria, while the launcher relationship explains how the round fits the M-240 / 2S4 heavy-mortar family.

Sources: Human Rights Watch Homs F-864, AOAV Syria Dirty Dozen M-240

Designation And Firing Context

Sources use several close designations for the same 240 mm high-explosive mortar bomb. The conflict-specific record is strongest where sources identify F-864 in Homs; broader Tyulpan references connect the 53-F-864 / 3OF-864 designation to the 2S4 ammunition set.

DesignationWhere it appearsCatalog treatment
F-864Human Rights Watch and AOAV Syria reportingUsed for the directly sourced 2011 Syrian Civil War conflict-use row.
53-F-864Tyulpan ammunition references and Commons image identificationPrimary catalog designation for the Soviet 240 mm HE fragmentation bomb.
3OF-864Army Recognition Tyulpan ammunition descriptionListed as an alias because the source ties it to the same conventional HE fragmentation round.
Timeline

53-F-864 / F-864 240 mm mortar bomb Key Events

  1. F-864 bombs documented in Homs footage

    Human Rights Watch said Homs residents posted footage that documented 240 mm F-864 high-explosive mortar bombs used by the Syrian army in the city.

    Sources: Human Rights Watch Homs F-864

  2. Human Rights Watch reports 240 mm mortar use

    Human Rights Watch reported that reviewed Homs footage indicated Russian-made 240 mm mortar systems and F-864 bombs had been used during the shelling of Baba Amr.

    Sources: Human Rights Watch Homs F-864

  3. AOAV profiles the M-240 in Syria

    Action on Armed Violence described the 53-F-864 240 mm bomb as the heavy mortar munition associated with the M-240 system seen in Syria.

    Sources: AOAV Syria Dirty Dozen M-240

Media

53-F-864 / F-864 240 mm mortar bomb Videos

Related Weapon Systems
2S4 Tyulpan, 240 mm self-propelled heavy mortar, ArtilleryArtillery2S4 Tyulpan240 mm self-propelled heavy mortarThe 2S4 Tyulpan is a Soviet 240 mm self-propelled heavy mortar built around a large breech-loaded 2B8 mortar on a tracked chassis. Its unusually heavy bombs, guided and special-purpose ammunition options, and low rate of fire make it a siege and bunker-attack weapon rather than a conventional rapid-fire howitzer. Soviet and Russian forces used it in Afghanistan and Chechnya, and Russian forces have fielded or lost examples in Ukraine, where its size and firing signature make it a high-value counter-battery target.
Mortar bombs, 82 mm, 82 mm high-explosive mortar bomb, MunitionsMunitionsMortar bombs, 82 mm82 mm high-explosive mortar bombThis entry covers the 82 mm mortar-bomb caliber class rather than a single factory model. Sources document the class in insurgent and paramilitary materiel from Boko Haram-linked forces in the Lake Chad Basin, Islamic State stocks in Syria and Iraq, and RSF-associated PP87 mortar ammunition in Sudan, while manufacturer and ordnance references show that model-specific weight, filling, fuze, and range figures vary across O-832, PP87, HE, smoke, illumination, and extended-range families.

Sources

Human Rights Watch Homs F-864Publisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Directly supports 2011 Syrian Civil War use by identifying 240 mm F-864 high-explosive mortar bombs in Syrian army shelling of Homs, and supports projectile mass and TNT charge figures. | Accessed: 2026-06-29AOAV Syria Dirty Dozen M-240Publisher: Action on Armed Violence | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War context by describing the 53-F-864 240 mm bomb and the M-240 system seen in Syria, with an embedded directly relevant AOAV video. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Army Recognition 2S4 Tyulpan M-1975Publisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports the 53-F-864 / 3OF-864 bomb as the conventional high-explosive fragmentation round fired by the 2S4 Tyulpan, including its reported mass and range. | Accessed: 2026-06-29File:Soviet 240mm mortar shell.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the 53-F-864 / F-864 shell image; the file page identifies the round and subject matter. | Accessed: 2026-06-29CAT-UXO MortarsPublisher: CAT-UXO | Note: Supports the designation F-864 / 240 mm mortar bomb as a Russian/Soviet high-explosive-fragmentation mortar bomb. | Accessed: 2026-06-29