Artillery

M224

Also known as
  • M224 60 mm mortar
  • M224 Lightweight Company Mortar System
  • M224 LWCMS
  • M224A1
  • M224A1 60 mm Lightweight Mortar System
  • 60 mm M224 mortar

The 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.

M224, 60 mm lightweight company mortar, Artillery
Image source: File:M224 mortar firing.jpg

Role in Conflicts

2014 War Against the Islamic State
Role in conflict
Advise-and-assist mortar fires

U.S. Army soldiers deployed with CJTF-OIR set up an M224 mortar near Al Tarab, Iraq, during the 2017 offensive to liberate West Mosul from ISIS; the unit's advise-and-assist mission included force protection and precision fires for Iraqi security-force partners.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Type
60 mm lightweight company mortar
Service note
Introduced in the late Cold War and still fielded in updated M224A1 form
Produced
Legacy M224 production and parts manufacture continued into the M224A1 transition

Specifications

Caliber
60 mm
Crew
3-person mortar squad
Weight
46.5 lb complete mortar in conventional mode; 18.0 lb in handheld mode
Range
70 to 3,490 m with M720/M888 high-explosive rounds in conventional mode
Rate of fire
Up to 30 rounds for the first 4 minutes; 20 rounds per minute sustained with M720/M888 ammunition
Operating modes
Conventional bipod/baseplate firing or handheld firing with the M8 baseplate
Ammunition
High explosive, smoke/white phosphorus, illumination, and training rounds
M224A1 Transition

The page covers the legacy M224 and the M224A1 lightweight successor configuration as one 60 mm company mortar family.

ConfigurationDocumented detailSource-backed significance
M224Legacy 60 mm lightweight company mortar with conventional and handheld firing modes.Defines the baseline mortar family, crew drill, range, and ammunition tables used in FM 23-90.
M224A1Lighter successor system fielded in 2011 while legacy M224 component production continued during transition.Explains why current Army material often describes M224A1 specifications and support alongside the earlier M224 designation.
M7A2 baseplateWatervliet's 2012 contract covered a lighter baseplate intended to combine conventional and handheld firing utility.Shows the transition emphasis on reducing carried load for mortar crews.
Operating Modes and 60 mm Rounds

The M224 family can be broken down by how the crew fires it and by the effect produced by the selected 60 mm cartridge.

ElementDocumented detailWhy it matters
Conventional setupBipod and baseplate firing with the complete mortar system.Provides the full 70 to 3,490 m range envelope listed for standard high-explosive ammunition.
Handheld setupM8 baseplate handheld firing mode.Reduces carried weight for close infantry support where shorter-range fires are acceptable.
High-explosive roundsM720/M720A1 and M888-family 60 mm HE cartridges.Give the mortar its primary suppression and fragmentation effect against personnel and light materiel.
Smoke and illumination roundsM722A1 white-phosphorous smoke and M721 visible-light illumination cartridges.Support marking, screening, observation, fire adjustment, and night operations.
Ammunition Fired

Army mortar ammunition references and 60 mm cartridge records identify high-explosive, illumination, smoke, and training ammunition for M224-series mortars.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
M720A1 60 mm high explosive cartridge, 60 mm high-explosive mortar cartridge, MunitionsM720A1 60 mm high explosive cartridge60 mm high-explosive cartridge

Army mortar ammunition materials list the M720A1 among 60 mm high-explosive cartridges, and the cartridge's datasheet identifies it for M224-series mortar use.

Sources: FM 23-90 Mortars, Mortar Ammunition - Army.mil

M888 60 mm high explosive cartridge, 60 mm high-explosive mortar cartridge, MunitionsM888 60 mm high explosive cartridge60 mm high-explosive cartridge

Army references identify the M888 as a 60 mm high-explosive cartridge for the M224/M224A1 Lightweight Company Mortar System.

Sources: FM 23-90 Mortars, Mortar Ammunition - Army.mil

M721 60 mm visible light illumination cartridge, 60 mm visible-light illuminating mortar cartridge, MunitionsM721 60 mm visible light illumination cartridge60 mm visible-light illumination cartridge

The M721 is documented as a visible-light illumination cartridge for the M224/M224A1 mortar family.

Sources: FM 23-90 Mortars, Mortar Ammunition - Army.mil

M722A1 60 mm white phosphorous smoke cartridge, 60 mm white phosphorous smoke mortar cartridge, MunitionsM722A1 60 mm white phosphorous smoke cartridge60 mm white phosphorous smoke cartridge

Army mortar ammunition materials identify the M722A1 as 60 mm smoke ammunition for the M224/M224A1 Lightweight Company Mortar System.

Sources: Mortar Ammunition - Army.mil

Timeline

M224 Key Events

  1. M224A1 fielding begins

    Watervliet Arsenal reporting says the Army's M224A1 lightweight 60 mm mortar system was fielded in 2011 as the service continued the transition from legacy M224 components.

    Sources: U.S. Army awards Watervliet $4.2M contract for new mortar baseplate

  2. Watervliet receives baseplate contract

    The U.S. Army awarded Watervliet Arsenal a $4.2 million contract for a new lightweight 60 mm mortar baseplate intended to reduce the carried burden for M224A1 crews.

    Sources: U.S. Army awards Watervliet $4.2M contract for new mortar baseplate

  3. M224 fired in Afghanistan

    DVIDS imagery documents a U.S. Army soldier firing an M224 Lightweight Company Mortar System at Panjwai, Afghanistan, during an Operation Enduring Freedom range mission.

    Sources: Mortar fire

  4. CJTF-OIR Mosul support image

    DVIDS documented U.S. Army troops setting up an M224 mortar near Al Tarab, Iraq, during the West Mosul offensive under 2014 Operation Inherent Resolve.

    Sources: U.S. Army mortars support Iraqi security forces in Mosul fight

  5. Ukrainian front-line use reported

    Voice of America reported Ukrainian front-line use of U.S.-made M224 60 mm mortars during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

    Sources: Ukrainian fighter finds US-made M224 mortar effective on front lines

Media

M224 Videos

M224 Images

M224, 60 mm lightweight company mortar, Artillery - view 1
Source: U.S. Army mortars support Iraqi security forces in Mosul fight
M224, 60 mm lightweight company mortar, Artillery - view 2
Source: U.S. Army mortars support Iraqi security forces in Mosul fight
Related Weapon Systems
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.
Mortar launcher, 60mm, 60 mm light mortar launcher, ArtilleryArtilleryMortar launcher, 60mm60 mm light mortar launcherA 60 mm mortar launcher is a light infantry indirect-fire system built around a smoothbore, muzzle-loaded tube that can be used in conventional bipod-and-baseplate form or, on some modern systems, in reduced handheld or commando configurations. In the 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency, Nigerian reporting has documented 60 mm mortar tubes recovered from ISWAP fighters around Marte, Gajiram, Mandara Mountain, and the Timbuktu Triangle, while Conflict Armament Research has separately documented mortar materiel and captured 60 mm rounds among JAS/Boko Haram and ISWAP-linked seizures around Lake Chad. The recovered launcher models are not publicly identified, so this entry treats the item as a caliber-class system rather than a specific national model.
M888 60 mm high explosive cartridge, 60 mm high-explosive mortar cartridge, MunitionsMunitionsM888 60 mm high explosive cartridge60 mm high-explosive mortar cartridgeThe M888 is a U.S. 60 mm high-explosive mortar cartridge for the M224/M224A1 Lightweight Company Mortar System. Army and environmental ordnance references identify it as DODIC B643 with an M935 point-detonating fuze, Composition B fill, 67- to 3,490-meter range, and fragmentation/blast effects against personnel and light materiel. Public conflict-specific evidence for this cartridge currently comes from Afghan National Army and Iraq Train and Equip Fund supply records, so the conflict rows document transfer and delivery context rather than confirmed battlefield firing.

Sources

FM 23-90 MortarsPublisher: U.S. Marine Corps | Note: Provides M224 configuration, crew, weights, operating modes, range, rate of fire, and ammunition data. | Accessed: 2026-06-3060MM M224A1Publisher: U.S. Army Capability Program Executive Office Ammunition & Energetics | Note: Supports M224A1 background as a lighter successor that maintains the legacy M224 range, rates of fire, and barrel life. | Accessed: 2026-06-30U.S. Army awards Watervliet $4.2M contract for new mortar baseplatePublisher: U.S. Army | Note: Supports Watervliet Arsenal production background for M224 and M224A1 mortar components. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Ukrainian fighter finds US-made M224 mortar effective on front linesPublisher: Voice of America | Note: Directly documents Ukrainian front-line use of U.S.-made M224 60 mm mortars during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance to UkrainePublisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct transfer context by documenting U.S. provision of 58 60 mm mortar systems and more than 400,000 mortar rounds to Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-06-30U.S. Army mortars support Iraqi security forces in Mosul fightPublisher: DVIDS | Note: Supports 2014 War Against the Islamic State direct conflict use under Operation Inherent Resolve: Supports 2014 Operation Inherent Resolve direct conflict use and image provenance by documenting an M224 mortar used by U.S. Army forces deployed with CJTF-OIR during the West Mosul offensive. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Mortar firePublisher: DVIDS | Note: Supports 2001 War in Afghanistan direct conflict-use and image provenance by documenting a U.S. Army soldier firing an M224 Lightweight Company Mortar System during an Operation Enduring Freedom range mission in Afghanistan. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Mortar Ammunition - Army.milPublisher: U.S. Army Capability Program Executive Ammunition & Energetics | Note: Supports the Army's identification of 60 mm mortar ammunition used with the M224/M224A1 Lightweight Company Mortar System, including high-explosive, smoke, illumination, and training cartridge families. | Accessed: 2026-06-30File:M224 mortar firing.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the selected M224 mortar photograph, identifying U.S. Army/Flickr source context and Commons license metadata. | Accessed: 2026-06-20