Munitions

Mortar bombs, 81mm

81 mm mortar bombs are fin-stabilized ammunition families made by many arsenals and defense manufacturers for medium mortars, with high-explosive, smoke, illumination, infrared-illumination, and training variants. Documented conflict use in this catalog includes Boko Haram improvised explosive devices made from captured mortar bombs, U.S. transfers of 81 mm mortar rounds to Ukraine, and Myanmar Civil War reporting of both SAC mortar fire and resistance drone drops.

Mortar bombs, 81mm, 81 mm mortar bomb, Munitions
Image source: 81mm mortar rounds.png

Role in Conflicts

2021 Myanmar Civil War
Fire SupportAsymmetric Advantage
Side
State Administration Council and allied forcesPeople's Defense Forces and ethnic armed organizations

KHRG reported SAC shelling with 81 mm mortar rounds in Mu Traw District, while Red Six reported Karenni resistance forces dropping 81 mm mortar rounds from a heavy-lift multirotor UAV in September 2024.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Multiple countries
Type
81 mm mortar bomb
Service note
20th century-present
Designer
Various
Designed
20th century
Produced
20th century-present
Number built
Not publicly stated

Specifications

Caliber
81 mm
Munition type
Fin-stabilized mortar bomb or cartridge for 81 mm smooth-bore mortars
Common roles
High explosive, smoke, visible illumination, infrared illumination, and training
Representative HE weight
4.14-4.2 kg in documented M821/M889, Atlas HE, and BAE L41 examples
Representative HE explosive content
0.75 kg explosive charge in the Atlas HE example; 0.9 kg net explosive content in the BAE L41 example
Representative HE length
About 482-490 mm depending on HE model
Representative smoke filling
Red phosphorus in documented U.S. 81 mm smoke ammunition and BAE RO 04-04
Representative illumination performance
BAE L54: one-million-candela visible light for 35 seconds; BAE L58: 120-second IR illumination
Fuzing
Model-dependent; documented examples include point-detonating, multi-option, and standard NATO fuze-cavity designs
Propelling charges
Primary cartridge with increment or secondary charges; the DDP HE bomb describes one primary and eight secondary cartridges
Representative 81 mm Round Types

Documented 81 mm mortar bombs vary by national design and role, so representative values should be tied to named examples rather than presented as universal specifications.

Round typeExampleTechnical note
High explosiveBAE L41 / M821-M889 / DDP HEHE rounds use fragmentation bodies and model-dependent fuzes; documented weights cluster around 4.14-4.2 kg, but explosive content differs by design.
Visible illuminationBAE L54 / U.S. M853A1BAE's L54 is an air-burst split-body illuminating round rated at one million candela for 35 seconds.
Infrared illuminationBAE L58 / U.S. M816BAE describes L58 as IR illumination for night-vision use, with a 120-second burn time in the brochure.
SmokeBAE RO 04-04 / U.S. M819Documented 81 mm smoke examples use red phosphorus; BAE's RO 04-04 uses 36 pellets and is listed with a 5,300 m maximum range.
TrainingU.S. M879The U.S. Army lists M879 as an 81 mm training round; training rounds are described as lower-cost rounds for realistic handling and operation.
Variants

81 mm mortar-bomb families are role and cartridge families rather than one single factory design; sources document high-explosive, smoke, visible-illumination, infrared-illumination, and training rounds with model-specific dimensions, fuzes, and fillings.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
High-explosive 81 mm bombsFragmentation HE

Representative HE examples include BAE's L41, U.S. M821/M889-series cartridges, India's 81 mm HE bomb, and commercial cast-iron HE bombs; weights and explosive fills vary by design.

Sources: 81mm Mortar Ammunition, 81mm Mortar Ammunition brochure, M821/M889 81mm HE Mortar Cartridges, Bomb 81mm Mortar HE, 81mm Mortar Bomb HE

L54 illuminating mortarVisible-light illumination

BAE describes L54 as an air-burst, split-body illuminating 81 mm round with a one-million-candela light and 35-second burn time.

Sources: 81mm Mortar Ammunition, 81mm Mortar Ammunition brochure

L58 infrared illuminating mortarIR illumination

BAE identifies L58 as an infrared illuminating 81 mm mortar round for use with night-vision equipment and states it is in British Army service.

Sources: 81mm Mortar Ammunition, 81mm Mortar Ammunition brochure

RO 04-04 red-phosphorus smoke mortarSmoke screening

BAE describes RO 04-04 as a red-phosphorus smoke round using 36 pellets, with a representative 604 mm length, 4.4 kg total weight, and 5,300 m maximum range.

Sources: 81mm Mortar Ammunition, 81mm Mortar Ammunition brochure

M879Training cartridge

The U.S. Army lists M879 as an 81 mm training mortar ammunition product.

Sources: Mortar Ammunition

Firing Weapons

This 81 mm mortar-bomb family is documented as ammunition designed for use with the M252 81 mm mortar system.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
81/82 mm mortar, 81/82 mm crew-served medium mortar, Artillery81/82 mm mortar81 mm crew-served medium mortar

The British Army identifies the 81 mm mortar as firing high explosive, smoke, and illuminating rounds, and U.S. Army ammunition references identify the M821 and M889 81 mm cartridges as designed for the M252 81 mm mortar system; this relationship refers to the 81 mm branch of the 81/82 mm mortar family page.

Sources: 81mm Mortar, M821/M889 81mm HE Mortar Cartridges, Mortar Ammunition

Reported Aerial Drop Platform

Myanmar reporting describes 81 mm mortar rounds being dropped from Y-12 aircraft as improvised aerial attack payloads, not as designed aircraft stores.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
Harbin Y-12 transport aircraft, Twin-engine turboprop utility transport aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsHarbin Y-12 transport aircraftTransport aircraft used for improvised aerial drops

Mizzima reports Y-12 aircraft were observed dropping 81 mm mortar rounds during aerial attacks in Myanmar.

Sources: Mizzima: Myanmar junta deploys Y-12 aircraft for aerial bombing campaigns

Timeline

Mortar bombs, 81mm Key Events

  1. M821A1 and M889A1 type classified

    FAS records July 1991 type classification for the U.S. M821A1 and M889A1 81 mm HE mortar cartridges.

    Sources: M821/M889 81mm HE Mortar Cartridges

  2. M821A2 type classified

    FAS records May 1996 type classification for the M821A2 81 mm HE mortar cartridge.

    Sources: M821/M889 81mm HE Mortar Cartridges

  3. BAE brochure documents current 81 mm family

    BAE's 2023 brochure describes L41 HE, L54 visible illumination, L58 IR illumination, and RO 04-04 red-phosphorus smoke rounds with representative specifications.

    Sources: 81mm Mortar Ammunition brochure

Media

Mortar bombs, 81mm Videos

Mortar bombs, 81mm Images

Mortar bombs, 81mm, 81 mm mortar bomb, Munitions - view 1
Source: Lt. Col. Andrew Kostic shows an 81mm round
Mortar bombs, 81mm, 81 mm mortar bomb, Munitions - view 2
Source: USMC 81 mm Mortar Platoon at Townshend Island
Related Weapon Systems
Mortar bombs, 60mm, 60 mm mortar ammunition, MunitionsMunitionsMortar bombs, 60mm60 mm mortar ammunition60 mm mortar bombs are fin-stabilized light mortar rounds made in high-explosive, smoke, illumination, infrared-illumination, and training variants for portable 60 mm mortar tubes. This entry treats the caliber as a family rather than a single national model: Boko Haram/ISWAP evidence is based on recovered rounds and IED adaptation, Myanmar evidence includes both fired and air-dropped mortar rounds, and Ukrainian evidence covers 60 mm mortar shells integrated into FPV strike drones.
Mortar bombs, 120mm, Heavy mortar ammunition, MunitionsMunitionsMortar bombs, 120mmHeavy mortar ammunition120 mm mortar bombs are fin-stabilized heavy mortar projectiles for compatible 120 mm mortar launchers, covering high-explosive, smoke, illumination, training, extended-range, and guided families. Published examples vary sharply by manufacturer and launcher qualification: conventional HE rounds commonly list 13-16 kg class masses, product-specific explosive fillings, point-detonating or proximity fuzes, and range limits tied to barrel length, pressure limits, smoothbore qualification, or turreted-system requirements. In the Boko Haram insurgency, Nigerian Army reporting documented recovered 120 mm mortar bombs as insurgent materiel rather than confirmed firing use.
Mortar launcher, 81mm, 81 mm crew-served medium mortar, ArtilleryArtilleryMortar launcher, 81mm81 mm crew-served medium mortarThe 81 mm mortar launcher is a crew-served medium-mortar class for high-angle indirect fire with high-explosive, smoke, illumination, and training ammunition. This entry treats the L16/M252/M252A1 line as representative of modern 81 mm launchers while keeping conflict-use claims model-specific where sources allow: Boko Haram/ISWAP reporting identifies recovered 81 mm mortar equipment without a model, CJTF-OIR imagery identifies Iraqi M252 training at Camp Taji, and Task Force Southwest imagery identifies U.S. Marine M252 use at Camp Shorab in Afghanistan.
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.
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.

Sources

81mm MortarPublisher: British Army | Note: Supports 81 mm mortar firing capability and representative ammunition types for the 81 mm mortar family. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Known perpetrators of IED incidents in the past five years: Boko HaramPublisher: Action on Armed Violence | Note: In the 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency, AOAV reports 60 mm and 81 mm mortar bombs used by Boko Haram to devise IEDs and links these improvised munitions to 2015-2016 attacks. | Accessed: 2026-07-0481mm Mortar AmmunitionPublisher: BAE Systems | Note: Supports current manufacturer background for 81 mm mortar ammunition families, including L41 HE, L58 IR illuminating, L54 illuminating, and RO 04-04 red-phosphorus smoke rounds. | Accessed: 2026-07-0481mm Mortar Ammunition brochurePublisher: BAE Systems | Note: Supports representative BAE round specifications for L41 HE, L54 visible illuminating, L58 IR illuminating, and RO 04-04 red-phosphorus smoke rounds. | Accessed: 2026-07-04M821/M889 81mm HE Mortar CartridgesPublisher: Federation of American Scientists | Note: Supports representative M821/M889 HE cartridge design, fuze differences, M252 compatibility, range charge table, cartridge weight, and type-classification dates. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Mortar AmmunitionPublisher: U.S. Army | Note: Supports U.S. 81 mm mortar ammunition classes and representative HE, illumination, smoke, and training product designations. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Bomb 81mm Mortar HEPublisher: Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, Government of India | Note: Supports official 81 mm HE bomb construction details: fin stabilization, forward fuze, rear tail unit, steel body, primary and secondary cartridges, and 0-8 charges. | Accessed: 2026-07-0481mm Mortar Bomb HEPublisher: Atlas Internazionale Ltd | Note: Supports representative HE mortar-bomb specifications such as caliber, body material, length, weight, explosive charge, fragmentation role, and compatible 81 mm mortars. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Biden Administration Announces Additional Security Assistance for UkrainePublisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: In the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, supports U.S. transfer of 81 mm mortar rounds to Ukraine through a September 2023 security-assistance package. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Norway donates mortar ammunition to UkrainePublisher: Government of Norway | Note: In the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, supports Norway's donation of 81 mm mortar ammunition to Ukraine and states that it could be used in existing Ukrainian weapons. | Accessed: 2026-07-14Canadian military support to UkrainePublisher: Government of Canada | Note: In the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, supports Canada's donation and September 2024 delivery of over 2,000 rounds of 81 mm mortar smoke to Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-07-14Mu Traw District Situation Update: SAC air strikes, arrest of villagers, and indiscriminate shelling causing casualties, and landmine explosionPublisher: Karen Human Rights Group | Note: In the 2021 Myanmar Civil War, supports SAC use of 81 mm mortar rounds in shelling incidents in Mu Traw District. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Red Six Monthly Roll Up #MR071Publisher: Red Six Solutions | Note: In the 2021 Myanmar Civil War, supports Karenni resistance forces dropping 81 mm mortar rounds from a heavy-lift multirotor UAV in September 2024. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Weapon Supplies Fuelling Terrorism in the Lake Chad CrisisPublisher: Conflict Armament Research | Note: Supports Boko Haram and ISWAP weapons-supply background in the Lake Chad basin, including CAR field documentation of weapons and ammunition seized from terrorist groups in Niger's Diffa region. | Accessed: 2026-07-0481mm mortar rounds.pngPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain U.S. Army status for the primary 81 mm mortar-round diagram. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Lt. Col. Andrew Kostic shows an 81mm roundPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain U.S. Marine Corps status for a photo showing an 81 mm mortar round. | Accessed: 2026-07-04USMC 81 mm Mortar Platoon at Townshend IslandPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY 2.0 licensing for a photo of an 81 mm mortar round being loaded. | Accessed: 2026-06-21FM 23-90 W CH 1 MORTARSPublisher: U.S. Marine Corps | Note: Supports 81 mm mortar ammunition being fired by the 81 mm mortar family and lists authorized 81 mm cartridges. | Accessed: 2026-07-04U.S. Central Command Video Gallery | Official VideosPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: Supports 81 mm mortar ammunition being used with the 81 mm mortar family in official video material. | Accessed: 2026-07-0481mm M252A1Publisher: Capability Program Executive Ammunition & Energetics | Note: Supports representative 81 mm mortar-system specifications and compatibility with 81 mm ammunition. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Mizzima: Myanmar junta deploys Y-12 aircraft for aerial bombing campaignsPublisher: Mizzima | Note: In the 2021 Myanmar Civil War, supports 81 mm mortar rounds used by Myanmar junta forces as improvised aerial-drop munitions from Y-12 aircraft during aerial attacks. | Accessed: 2026-07-04