2001 War in Afghanistan

MO-120 RT in the 2001 War in Afghanistan

U.S. Marine Corps reporting documents the MO-120 RT-derived M327 Expeditionary Fire Support System firing 120 mm mortar rounds in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in early 2011.

Weapon profileMO-120 RT
SideUnited States, NATO, and Afghan government forcesRoleFire SupportForce Protection
MO-120 RT, 120 mm rifled towed heavy mortar, Artillery - 2001 War in Afghanistan
Image source: Mortar 120mm F1.jpg

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
U.S. Marines fired the M327 Expeditionary Fire Support System, a 120 mm rifled mortar package connected to the MO-120 RT family, in Helmand Province on January 29, 2011.

Sources: 26th MEU EFSS First Combat Rounds, GD-OTS EFSS Ammunition

The documented side was United States, NATO, and Afghan government forces, with the direct operator identified as U.S. Marines from F Battery, BLT 3/8, 26th MEU.

Sources: 26th MEU EFSS First Combat Rounds

The first reported combat round was an M1105 illumination projectile used to support Marines in the field at night.

Sources: 26th MEU EFSS First Combat Rounds

Further March 2011 DVIDS material places 120 mm mortar and EFSS activity in Helmand Province during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sources: DVIDS Operation Enduring Freedom Mortars, DVIDS EFSS 120mm Mortar Package

The available public sources used here document U.S. Marine use; they do not document Taliban or allied militant use of the MO-120 RT/M327 EFSS in Afghanistan.

Sources: 26th MEU EFSS First Combat Rounds, DVIDS EFSS 120mm Mortar Package

Timeline

MO-120 RT In 2001 War in Afghanistan

  1. First EFSS combat rounds fired in Afghanistan

    F Battery, BLT 3/8, 26th MEU fired the Expeditionary Fire Support System from Combat Outpost Ouellette in Helmand Province; Marine Corps reporting identified the first round as M1105 illumination.

    Sources: 26th MEU EFSS First Combat Rounds

  2. 120 mm mortar firing documented at Combat Outpost Ouellette

    DVIDS imagery showed a Battery F Marine firing a 120 mm mortar at Combat Outpost Ouellette during Operation Enduring Freedom.

    Sources: DVIDS Operation Enduring Freedom Mortars

  3. EFSS mortar package filmed in Helmand Province

    A DVIDS video package reported that Fox Battery 2/12 Marines were using EFSS 120 mm mortars in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

    Sources: DVIDS EFSS 120mm Mortar Package

  4. BLT 3/8 deployment summary repeats first combat use

    A 26th MEU deployment wrap-up stated that BLT 3/8's Afghanistan deployment included the first combat use of EFSS 120 mm mortars, with F Battery firing the first rounds on January 29.

    Sources: 26th MEU BLT 3/8 Deployment Ends

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The MO-120 RT appears in the 2001 War in Afghanistan through the U.S. Marine Corps M327 Expeditionary Fire Support System, a 120 mm rifled towed mortar package derived from the French MO-120 RT. Marine Corps reporting from February 2011 states that U.S. Marines fired the first Expeditionary Fire Support System rounds in combat operations on January 29, 2011, from Combat Outpost Ouellette in Helmand Province.

The documented unit was F Battery, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, attached to Regimental Combat Team 2 in support of the International Security Assistance Force. The first reported round was an M1105 illumination projectile fired to light an area occupied by snipers attached to Company I, BLT 3/8.

Sources: 26th MEU EFSS First Combat Rounds, GD-OTS EFSS Ammunition

Timeline

On January 29, 2011, Marines from F Battery, BLT 3/8 fired the first combat rounds from the Expeditionary Fire Support System at Combat Outpost Ouellette. A 26th MEU follow-up account in April 2011 repeated that BLT 3/8's Afghanistan deployment included the first combat use of the EFSS 120 mm mortars.

On March 6, 2011, DVIDS imagery documented a Battery F Marine firing a 120 mm mortar at Combat Outpost Ouellette during Operation Enduring Freedom. On March 30, 2011, a DVIDS video package from Helmand Province described Fox Battery 2/12 using EFSS 120 mm mortars in Afghanistan.

Sources: 26th MEU EFSS First Combat Rounds, 26th MEU BLT 3/8 Deployment Ends, DVIDS Operation Enduring Freedom Mortars, DVIDS EFSS 120mm Mortar Package

Role in Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, the system's documented role was expeditionary indirect fire support for Marine ground operations in Helmand Province. The Marine Corps described EFSS as the third element of its land-based expeditionary fire-support triad alongside the lightweight 155 mm howitzer and HIMARS, with the mortar system able to move by ground vehicle or be transported by MV-22 and CH-53E aircraft.

The January 2011 combat-use account identifies illumination as the first recorded munition role: the M1105 round was used to light terrain around friendly snipers and deter nighttime improvised explosive device emplacement. The GD-OTS EFSS ammunition sheet supports the system background, identifying the M327 as a 120 mm towed rifled mortar and listing high explosive, smoke, illumination, and practice rounds in the EFSS ammunition suite.

The supported catalog side is United States, NATO, and Afghan government forces. The sources used here document U.S. Marine Corps employment of the M327 EFSS/MO-120 RT-derived mortar package; they do not document Taliban or allied militant use of this weapon in the conflict.

Sources: 26th MEU EFSS First Combat Rounds, GD-OTS EFSS Ammunition, DVIDS EFSS 120mm Mortar Package

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Sources