Artillery

60 mm M57 mortar

Also known as
  • M57 60 mm mortar
  • M57 60mm mortar
  • Mortar 60 mm M57
  • 60mm M57

The 60 mm M57 is a Yugoslav-pattern smoothbore light infantry mortar now listed by Serbian manufacturer PPT Namenska and in Yugoimport export material. Its official sheets describe a high-angle fire-support weapon built around barrel, base plate, bipod, sight, tools, spares, and accessories; post-Yugoslav records also show Serbian surplus stocks and Balkan export activity. In the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, open-source loss documentation recorded M57 mortars captured from Armenian forces.

60 mm M57 mortar, 60 mm light infantry mortar, Artillery
Image source: Commons M57 60 mm Mortar Image

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Yugoslavia / Serbia
Built by
PPT Namenska
Built in
Serbia
Type
60 mm light infantry mortar
Service note
Cold War design still offered in modern Serbian mortar catalogs
Designer
Yugoslav military design lineage
Designed
1957
Unit cost
Not publicly listed
Produced
1957 design lineage; current product listing by PPT Namenska
Number built
Not publicly listed

Specifications

Caliber
60.75 mm
Combat weight
18.5 kg listed by PPT Namenska; Yugoimport export sheet lists 19.7 kg
Barrel length
725 mm with breech piece or tube with stand, depending on source wording
Elevation
45 to 85 degrees
Traverse
3 degrees left and right without moving the bipod; 360 degrees with bipod displacement
Rate of fire
20 to 25 rounds per minute
Maximum range
2,537 m with M73 shell
Minimum range
74 m
Sight
NSB-3 or NSB-1
Crew
3 to 4 operators listed by PPT Namenska
Ammunition Fired

Yugoimport ammunition sheets publish M57 ballistic data for high-explosive, practice, illumination, and smoke rounds in the Serbian 60 mm mortar family.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
60 mm M73 HE mortar shell, 60 mm high-explosive mortar shell, Munitions60 mm M73 HE mortar shell60 mm high-explosive mortar shell

Yugoimport gives ballistic data for the M73 shell when used with the 60 mm Mortar M57, including the 650 mm and 720 mm barrel-length variants.

Sources: 60 mm M57 Mortar Export Sheet, 60 mm, M73 - Yugoimport

60 mm M62 practice shell, 60 mm practice mortar shell, Munitions60 mm M62 practice shellPractice mortar shell

Yugoimport states that the 60 mm M57 mortar is ballistically configured for the 60 mm M62 practice shell.

Sources: 60 mm, M62 - Yugoimport

60 mm M08 illuminating shell, 60 mm illuminating mortar shell, Munitions60 mm M08 illuminating shell60 mm illuminating mortar shell

Yugoimport lists the M08 illuminating shell's ballistic data for the 60 mm Mortar M57 with a 720 mm barrel.

Sources: 60 mm, M08 - Yugoimport

60 mm Mk10 smoke shell, 60 mm smoke mortar shell, Munitions60 mm Mk10 smoke shell60 mm smoke mortar shell

Yugoimport lists the Mk10 smoke shell's ballistic data for the 60 mm Mortar M57.

Sources: 60 mm, Mk10 - Yugoimport

Timeline

60 mm M57 mortar Key Events

  1. Serbian surplus declaration

    Small Arms Survey reported that Serbian MoD-declared surplus small arms and light weapons as of May 2011 included 1,400 60 mm M57 mortars.

  2. Macedonian export to Iraq

    The Republic of Macedonia's 2014 annual arms export report listed 200 MF 60 mm M57 mortars exported to Iraq from a Ministry of Defence donation.

  3. Yugoimport export sheet

    Yugoimport's M57 export sheet described the mortar as a smoothbore infantry fire-support weapon with 45 to 85 degree elevation and a 2,537 m maximum range with the M73 shell.

Media

60 mm M57 mortar Videos

60 mm M57 mortar Images

60 mm M57 mortar, 60 mm light infantry mortar, Artillery - view 1
Source: Commons 2013 GAF M57 Image
60 mm M57 mortar, 60 mm light infantry mortar, Artillery - view 2
Source: Commons Georgian Soldier M57 Fire Mission Image
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.
120 mm M75 mortar, 120 mm towed smoothbore mortar, ArtilleryArtillery120 mm M75 mortar120 mm towed smoothbore mortarThe 120 mm M75 mortar is a Yugoslav-designed towed smoothbore mortar associated with the M74/M75 light-mortar family and post-Yugoslav export literature. Yugoimport describes it as infantry close-support artillery for high-angle fire, smoke, illumination, and difficult terrain, while Serbian sources and later defense reporting show the legacy weapon being paired with modern fire-control equipment. Direct records place M75 mortars in JNA fire support around Dubrovnik in 1991 and in Armenian/Artsakh losses during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
60 mm mortar, Light infantry mortar, ArtilleryArtillery60 mm mortarLight infantry mortarThe 60 mm mortar is a portable light-infantry indirect-fire class used for close support where crews need high-angle fire from a weapon lighter than larger battalion mortars. The caliber family spans many national models: direct conflict sourcing documents PKK 60 mm mortar use and recovered ammunition in the Kurdish-Turkish conflict, disputed Thai 60 mm mortar fire claims in the 2025 Thailand-Cambodia border fighting, and Yemen-linked interdiction of 60 mm mortar tubes assessed by the United States as intended for Houthi forces rather than confirmed battlefield firing.

Sources

PPT Namenska MortarsPublisher: PPT Namenska | Note: Supports manufacturer listing and M57 mortar specifications including caliber, weight, range, sight, and crew. | Accessed: 2026-07-0360 mm M57 Mortar Export SheetPublisher: Yugoimport-SDPR | Note: Supports background and specifications for the 60 mm M57 mortar, including role, components, elevation, range, and export-sheet combat weight. | Accessed: 2026-07-0360 mm, M73 - YugoimportPublisher: Yugoimport-SDPR | Note: Supports the 60 mm M73 shell's ballistic data when used with the 60 mm Mortar M57, including the 720 mm barrel-length variant. | Accessed: 2026-07-0360 mm, M62 - YugoimportPublisher: Yugoimport-SDPR | Note: Supports the M57 mortar as a ballistic launcher for the 60 mm M62 practice shell. | Accessed: 2026-07-03The Fight For Nagorno-KarabakhPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict direct-use context: 60 mm M57 mortars were documented as captured Armenian-side battlefield materiel in the 2020 war. | Accessed: 2026-07-0360 mm, M08 - YugoimportPublisher: Yugoimport-SDPR | Note: Supports ballistic data for the 60 mm M57 mortar when firing the M08 illuminating shell. | Accessed: 2026-07-0360 mm, Mk10 - YugoimportPublisher: Yugoimport-SDPR | Note: Supports ballistic data for the 60 mm M57 mortar when firing the Mk10 smoke shell. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Significant SurplusesPublisher: Small Arms Survey | Note: Supports post-Yugoslav service context by reporting Serbian MoD-declared surplus holdings of 1,400 60 mm M57 mortars as of May 2011. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Macedonia Annual Arms Export Report 2014Publisher: Republic of Macedonia / SIPRI | Note: Supports export/service context by listing 200 MF 60 mm M57 mortars exported to Iraq in 2014 from a Ministry of Defence donation. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Commons M57 60 mm Mortar ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary M57 mortar image, released into the public domain by the original uploader. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Commons 2013 GAF M57 ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a U.S. Army public-domain photograph of a Georgian soldier with an M57 mortar. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Commons M57 60 mm Mortar CategoryPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports additional gallery selection context for M57 60 mm mortar images and links to file-level licensing pages. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Commons Georgian Soldier M57 Fire Mission ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the gallery photograph of a Georgian soldier preparing an M57 mortar fire mission; the file page identifies it as a U.S. Army public-domain image. | Accessed: 2026-07-03