Artillery

ECIA L-65 mortar

Also known as
  • ECIA L-65/81
  • ECIA L-65/120
  • L-65/81 mortar
  • L-65/120 mortar
  • Mortero ECIA L-65
  • Mortero ECIA L-65/120
  • ECIA L65 mortar

The ECIA L-65 is a Spanish mortar family from Esperanza y Cia that includes 81 mm and 120 mm models for infantry and vehicle-mounted indirect fire. Spanish and Uruguayan service reporting documents the L-65/81 and L-65/120 family, while IPIS/S4 lists an ECIA L-65 mortar among materiel in service with, or recovered from, Boko Haram factions without identifying the exact caliber or confirming present holdings.

ECIA L-65 mortar, Smoothbore mortar family, Artillery
Image source: ECIA L-65-120.JPG

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Spain
Type
Smoothbore mortar family
Service note
Cold War-era Spanish mortar family documented in post-2015 Lake Chad basin arms evidence
Designer
Esperanza y Cia
Designed
1960s L-65 generation
Produced
At least 1960s production; a Spanish Army ECIA L-65 REM museum example is described as manufactured in 1969.

Specifications

Caliber family
Documented L-65 variants include 81 mm L-65/81 and 120 mm L-65/120; the Boko Haram source does not identify the caliber.
Manufacturer
Esperanza y Cia (ECIA), Spain.
Configuration
Smoothbore indirect-fire mortar, used dismounted or vehicle-mounted depending on variant.
Ammunition role
Mortar projectiles for high-angle fire; a Spanish Army description of the 120 mm ECIA L-65 REM notes explosive or incendiary projectiles.
Interchangeability
Infodefensa reports common mounts, perpendicular goniometer, and firing mechanisms across L-65/81 and L-65/120 mortars.
Variants

Available sources treat L-65 as a Spanish ECIA mortar family rather than a single caliber; the strongest open sources identify 81 mm and 120 mm L-65 models and a 120 mm REM museum example.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
L-65/8181 mm mortar

Infodefensa identifies the L-65/81 as an 81 mm ECIA mortar model built by Esperanza y Cia and sold from Spanish stocks to Uruguay.

Sources: El Ejercito de Uruguay se apresta a recibir morteros espanoles ECIA L-6581 y L-65120

L-65/120120 mm mortar

Infodefensa identifies the L-65/120 as the 120 mm member of the same ECIA family, and Outono documents Spanish L-65/120 mortars firing 120 mm projectiles from M-113 mortar-carrier units.

Sources: El Ejercito de Uruguay se apresta a recibir morteros espanoles ECIA L-6581 y L-65120, Outono Latvia L-65 heavy mortars

ECIA L-65 REM120 mm museum example

A Spanish Army museum description identifies an ECIA L-65 REM 120 mm mortar made by ECIA in 1969.

Sources: Sala de Infanteria

Ammunition Fired

The L-65 family spans 81 mm and 120 mm mortar variants, so ammunition links are limited to sources that identify the relevant caliber or ECIA family connection.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
Mortar bombs, 120mm, Heavy mortar ammunition, MunitionsMortar bombs, 120mm120 mm mortar bomb

Outono documents Spanish soldiers loading and firing 120 mm projectiles with ECIA L-65/120 mortars.

Sources: Impresionantes imágenes de los disparos de los M-113 portamorteros del Ejército Español, Outono Latvia L-65 heavy mortars

ECIA 81 mm mortar grenade, 81 mm mortar grenade, MunitionsECIA 81 mm mortar grenade81 mm mortar grenade

RTVC identified an ECIA 81 mm mortar grenade in a Spanish EOD recovery, and Infodefensa identifies the L-65/81 as the ECIA 81 mm mortar variant.

Sources: RTVC Galdar mortar grenade disposal, El Ejercito de Uruguay se apresta a recibir morteros espanoles ECIA L-6581 y L-65120

Family And Carrier Context

The L-65 designation appears across multiple ECIA mortar calibers, so open-source claims need caliber context where the source gives it.

81 mm model

Infodefensa identifies L-65/81 mortars as 81 mm ECIA weapons in the Spanish-to-Uruguayan transfer package.

120 mm model

Infodefensa identifies L-65/120 mortars as the 120 mm family member, and Spanish exercise reporting shows the type firing 120 mm projectiles.

M-113 carriage

Spanish Army examples include L-65/120 mortars mounted on M-113 mortar carriers, with the mortar also removable for ground firing beside the vehicle.

Timeline

ECIA L-65 mortar Key Events

  1. L-65 REM example manufactured

    A Spanish Army museum description records a 120 mm ECIA L-65 REM mortar manufactured by ECIA in 1969.

  2. Uruguay transfer reported

    Infodefensa reported that Uruguay was preparing to receive Spanish ECIA L-65/81 and L-65/120 mortars, along with spare parts for the family.

  3. Lake Chad arms table published

    IPIS/S4 listed ECIA L-65 mortars among selected materiel in service with, or recovered from, Boko Haram in the Lake Chad basin.

  4. Spanish L-65/120 exercise in Latvia

    Outono reported Spanish L-65/120 mortars firing during a live-fire exercise at Camp Adazi, including M-113 mortar-carrier configurations.

Media

ECIA L-65 mortar Videos

ECIA L-65 mortar Images

ECIA L-65 mortar, Smoothbore mortar family, Artillery - view 1
Source: M-113 portamortero 120 mm.JPG
ECIA L-65 mortar, Smoothbore mortar family, Artillery - view 2
Source: Mortero ECIA 120mm.JPG
Related Weapon Systems
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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.
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M224, 60 mm lightweight company mortar, ArtilleryArtilleryM22460 mm lightweight company mortarThe M224 is a U.S. 60 mm lightweight company mortar built for infantry close-support fires from either a conventional bipod/baseplate setup or a lighter handheld mode. Its 70- to 3,490-meter conventional-mode range, high-angle fire, and mix of high-explosive, smoke, illumination, and training cartridges make it useful for small-unit suppression, screening, marking, and illumination; documented uses include Ukrainian front-line employment, U.S. coalition advise-and-assist fires during 2014 Operation Inherent Resolve, and U.S. Army field use in Afghanistan.
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Sources

Sala de InfanteriaPublisher: Ejercito de Tierra | Note: Supports manufacturer and background context for a 120 mm ECIA L-65 REM mortar, described as built by ECIA in 1969. | Accessed: 2026-07-04El Ejercito de Uruguay se apresta a recibir morteros espanoles ECIA L-6581 y L-65120Publisher: Infodefensa | Note: Supports L-65/81 and L-65/120 model background, Esperanza y Cia manufacture, Uruguayan Army service context, and shared components across the mortar family. | Accessed: 2026-07-04The Management of Lethal Materiel in Conflict SettingsPublisher: International Peace Information Service | Note: 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use source: lists ECIA L-65 mortars as in service with, or recovered from, Boko Haram factions, supporting a cautious fielded by or recovered from claim. | Accessed: 2026-07-04RTVC Galdar mortar grenade disposalPublisher: RTVC | Note: Reports an ECIA 81 mm mortar grenade found in a Gáldar home and later destroyed by Guardia Civil specialists. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Impresionantes imágenes de los disparos de los M-113 portamorteros del Ejército EspañolPublisher: Outono.net | Note: Reports Spanish soldiers loading a 120 mm projectile for the ECIA L-65/120 mortar. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Outono Latvia L-65 heavy mortarsPublisher: Outono.net | Note: Documents Spanish ECIA L-65/120 heavy mortars firing 120 mm projectiles during a Camp Adazi exercise, including M-113 mortar-carrier context and ground firing beside the vehicle. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Patrimonio Industrial de Euskadi Esperanza y CiaPublisher: Euskadi Industria Ondarea | Note: Supports ECIA company background, including the 1925 founding, 1932 relocation, 1940s specialization in mortars, export focus, and 1994 closure of the original facilities. | Accessed: 2026-07-04ECIA L-65-120.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for an ECIA L-65/120 mortar of the Spanish Army on an M-113, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-04M-113 portamortero 120 mm.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a Spanish Army M-113 120 mm mortar carrier, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Mortero ECIA 120mm.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a 120 mm mortar manufactured by ECIA, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-04