- Side
- Ukraine
NIN reported Ukrainian special-operations soldiers firing Krušik 60 mm mortar rounds near Moschun in March 2022 and tied 2016 Krušik 60 mm M73 deliveries to Ukrainian defense use.
Role detailsMunitions
60 mm M73 HE mortar shell
Also known as
- 60 mm, M73
- 60 mm M73
- 60mm M73
- 60 mm HE mortar shell M73
- HE mortar shell M73
- M73 HE mortar shell
- 60 mm M73 HE mortar bomb
- 60 mm M73 mortar bomb
The 60 mm M73 HE mortar shell is a Serbian high-explosive round in the Yugoimport and Krušik 60 mm mortar-shell catalogs. Beyond catalog data for M57 mortar firing, open reporting and UN monitoring have tied M73 rounds to Ukrainian use, al-Shabaab mortar attacks in Somalia, and seized ammunition after the 2023 Banjska attack.
Role in Conflicts
UN Somalia Panel reports identified 60 mm M73 HE mortar rounds connected to al-Shabaab materiel and stated that the same type was fired toward the UN compound at Aden Adde International Airport on 17 February 2020.
Kallxo/BIRN reported that 60 mm M73 mortar shells were part of the armed group's arsenal seized by Kosovo Police after the Banjska attack, with markings linking the shells to Krušik production and Serbian maintenance.
Profile / Specs
Profile
- Origin
- Serbia
- Built by
- Yugoimport SDPRKrušik
- Type
- 60 mm high-explosive mortar shell
- Service note
- Modern Yugoimport product line
- Unit cost
- Not publicly listed
- Produced
- Modern product listing; contract configuration varies
- Number built
- Not publicly listed
Specifications
- Length with fuze
- 286 mm
- Mass with fuze
- 1,350 g
- Explosive fill
- 250 g TNT
- Fuze
- UT M68P1 impact, superquick action
- Muzzle safety
- 8 m at the lowest initial velocity
- Operating temperature range
- -30 degrees C to 50 degrees C
- Smooth-bore launcher compatibility
- Can be fired from smooth-bore mortar launchers
- Fragmentation effect reference
- Yugoimport lists a 10 m radius for one penetration per square meter
- Packing
- 1 complete shell per carton; 12 cartons per wooden case or box; UN 0321; hazard class 1.2E
- Ballistic data with M57 (650 mm barrel)
- Maximum range 2,500 m; max mean operating pressure 392 bar
- Ballistic data with M57 (720 mm barrel)
- Maximum range 2,550 m; minimum range 94 m; max mean operating pressure 414 bar
Variants
Serbian catalogs use the M73 designation across several 60 mm mortar-shell configurations; the baseline M73 entry here covers the mortar-fired high-explosive shell.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| 60 mm M73PX | Adjacent high-explosive 60 mm mortar-shell designation | Krušik lists M73PX in the same 60 mm high-explosive mortar-shell group as M73. Sources: Krušik 60 mm M73 mortar shell |
| 60 mm M73P3 | Adjacent high-explosive 60 mm mortar-shell designation | Krušik lists M73P3 in the same 60 mm high-explosive mortar-shell group as M73. Sources: Krušik 60 mm M73 mortar shell |
| 60 mm M73-D | UAV-adapted high-explosive mortar shell | Yugoimport identifies M73-D as a 60 mm HE mortar shell for drone use with a UT M88-D point-detonating drone fuze, and Krušik lists M73-D HE under mortar shells for UAV drones. Sources: 60 mm, M73-D - Yugoimport, Krušik 60 mm M73 mortar shell |
Firing Weapon
Yugoimport publishes ballistic data for this shell when fired from the 60 mm Mortar M57, and PPT Namenska separately lists the M57 maximum range with the M73 shell.
| Firing weapon | Weapon type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 60 mm light infantry mortar | Yugoimport gives ballistic data for the M73 shell with the 60 mm Mortar M57. PPT Namenska independently lists the M57 as reaching 2,537 m with the M73 shell. Sources: 60 mm, M73 - HE mortar shell - Yugoimport, 60 mm, M73 - Yugoimport, PPT Namenska Mortars |
M57 Firing And Family Context
Yugoimport's M73 sheets tie the shell to the M57 light mortar rather than documenting independent conflict use for the shell itself. The two sheets also show contract-dependent configuration differences, including 286 mm and 291 mm listed fuzed lengths and 250 g or 220 g TNT fill entries.
Firing weapon
Ballistic data is published for the 60 mm Mortar M57 with 650 mm and 720 mm barrel configurations.
Source context: 60 mm, M73 - HE mortar shell - Yugoimport; 60 mm, M73 - Yugoimport.
Charge and packaging
The shell is listed with an ignition cartridge and increment charges, one complete shell per carton, and 12 cartons per wooden case or box.
Yugoimport states that final configuration is contract-defined.
Family labels
Krušik groups M73 with M73PX, M73P3, Mk10, and related smoke, illuminating, and UAV-drone mortar-shell listings.
The M73-D sheet identifies a separate drone-fuzed HE member, not the baseline mortar-fired M73 shell.
Media
60 mm M73 HE mortar shell Videos
60 mm M73 HE mortar shell Images
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
Yugoimport 60 mm mortar-shell product pagePublisher: Yugoimport-SDPR | Note: Supports Yugoimport 60 mm mortar-shell product-line context and image provenance for the gallery images shown on the product page. | Accessed: 2026-07-0160 mm, M73 - HE mortar shell - YugoimportPublisher: Yugoimport-SDPR | Note: Supports the 60 mm M73 HE mortar shell's technical data, packing data, operating temperature range, M57 650 mm-barrel ballistic data, and smooth-bore mortar compatibility statement. | Accessed: 2026-07-0160 mm, M73 - YugoimportPublisher: Yugoimport-SDPR | Note: Supports the 60 mm M73 shell's alternate brochure data, including technical data, four-increment charge configuration, packing data, and ballistic data for use with the 60 mm Mortar M57 720 mm barrel. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Krušik 60 mm M73 mortar shellPublisher: Krušik | Note: Supports Krušik manufacturer attribution and catalog-family context for the 60 mm M73, M73PX, M73P3, M73-D HE, smoke, and illuminating 60 mm mortar-shell listings. | Accessed: 2026-07-0160 mm, M73-D - YugoimportPublisher: Yugoimport-SDPR | Note: Supports adjacent-family context for the M73-D drone-adapted 60 mm HE mortar shell and its UT M88-D point-detonating fuze. | Accessed: 2026-07-01PPT Namenska MortarsPublisher: PPT Namenska | Note: Supports independent M57 compatibility context: PPT lists the 60 mm M57 mortar maximum range with shell M73. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Srpske mine na ukrajinskom frontuPublisher: NIN | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context: Ukrainian forces used Krušik 60 mm mortar rounds, and NIN reported 60 mm M73 deliveries to Ukraine for defense use. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Posao ugovarao i član Glavnog odbora SNS-aPublisher: NIN | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context: NIN reported Ukrainian special-operations soldiers firing 60 mm Krušik mortar rounds near Moschun and documented 2016/2018 Krušik export records tied to Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Journalist: Serbia's mortars seen in Ukraine can bear consequencesPublisher: N1 Belgrade | Note: Corroborates 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context by reporting NIN's finding that Ukrainian special forces used Krušik ammunition shown in Ukrainian Ministry of Defense footage. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Final report of the Panel of Experts on Somalia, S/2020/949Publisher: United Nations Security Council | Note: Supports 1991 Somali Civil War post-2006 al-Shabaab phase direct-use context: the Panel identified an unexploded round from the 17 February 2020 AAIA attack as consistent with a 60 mm HE M73 mortar round. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Final report of the Panel of Experts on Somalia, S/2021/849Publisher: United Nations Security Council | Note: Supports 1991 Somali Civil War post-2006 al-Shabaab phase direct-use context: the Panel identified a 60 mm M73 HE round made by Krušik in 2016 and stated that the same type was fired by al-Shabaab toward the UN compound at Aden Adde International Airport. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Kallxo/BIRN Banjska Weapons AnalysisPublisher: Kallxo / BIRN | Note: Supports 2023 Banjska Attack direct-use context: 60 mm M73 mortar shells were documented in the armed group's seized arsenal after the Banjska attack. | Accessed: 2026-07-01PR-DC IKA-BOMBERPublisher: PR-DC | Note: Supports variant-context media selection: PR-DC describes the IKA-BOMBER payload as 60 mm aerial bombs based on Krušik M73 mortar shells with a drone-use fuze. | Accessed: 2026-07-01