Munitions

Mortar bombs, 60mm

Also known as
  • 60 mm mortar bombs
  • 60 mm mortar cartridges
  • 60 mm mortar ammunition
  • 60 mm mortar rounds
  • 60mm mortar rounds
  • 60-mm mortar bombs

60 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, 60mm, 60 mm mortar ammunition, Munitions
Image source: 60mm-Mortar-Rounds.jpg

Role in Conflicts

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

Myanmar reporting documents State Administration Council forces dropping mortar rounds from Y-12 aircraft and shelling with 60 mm rounds, while PDF groups have also reported using 60 mm mortar rounds against junta positions.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Multiple countries
Type
60 mm mortar ammunition
Service note
Contemporary light infantry mortar ammunition
Designer
Not applicable; caliber family
Designed
Varies by national model
Produced
Varies by manufacturer and model

Specifications

Caliber
60 mm
Round types
High-explosive, smoke, visible-light illumination, infrared illumination, and training/practice variants are common in modern 60 mm mortar ammunition families.
Stabilization
Fin-stabilized mortar bomb or cartridge designs, fired from 60 mm smoothbore mortar tubes unless adapted for another carrier.
Typical bomb mass
About 1.15-1.6 kg for several representative modern products, depending on effect and manufacturer.
Example HE fill
VTU lists 214 g TNT for its 60-HEF bomb; Atlas lists a 0.2 kg explosive charge for one commercial 60 mm HE bomb.
Example range class
Representative 60 mm HE products range from roughly 2.5-3.4 km in standard configurations, while extended-range families can reach farther with suitable mortars.
Packaging
Manufacturer product data commonly lists 10 bombs per transport case or box.
Adapted carriage
Public conflict reporting documents 60 mm mortar rounds adapted into air-dropped munitions in Myanmar and integrated FPV-drone warheads in Ukraine.
Family Scope

This page covers 60 mm mortar bombs as a caliber family because the conflict-use sources identify the ammunition size but usually do not identify the national model, lot, or factory. That matters for interpretation: a recovered 60 mm bomb in Nigeria, an air-dropped mortar round in Myanmar, and a 60 mm shell used as an FPV warhead in Ukraine are related by caliber and munition form, not by a single manufacturer.

Conventional use

Fired from 60 mm mortar tubes for light infantry indirect fire, illumination, smoke, training, or practice.

Recovered materiel

Boko Haram/ISWAP evidence comes from recovered bombs and IED-adaptation reporting rather than a named service round.

Adapted carriers

Myanmar and Ukraine reporting shows 60 mm mortar rounds adapted for aircraft drops or FPV drone warheads.

Variants

60 mm mortar ammunition is a caliber family rather than a single model; national product lines commonly include high-explosive, smoke, visible-light or infrared illumination, and training/practice cartridges.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
High-explosive bombsFragmentation and blast effect

Representative 60 mm HE products include VTU HEF/HEI bombs, Elbit M61/M38A1/M83/M89 family rounds, and U.S. M720/M768-series cartridges; mass, filler, and range vary by manufacturer and mortar.

Sources: 60 mm mortar rounds, Elbit Systems Land Mortar Ammunition Portfolio, Mortar Ammunition - Army.mil

Smoke bombsScreening and marking

VTU describes a 60 mm red-phosphorus smoke bomb for terrain marking, while U.S. PM CAS lists M722A1 as a 60 mm white-phosphorus smoke cartridge.

Sources: 60 mm mortar rounds, Mortar Ammunition - Army.mil

Illumination and infrared illumination bombsVisible or night-vision illumination

VTU lists visible-light and infrared 60 mm illumination bombs, and U.S. PM CAS lists M721 visible-light and M767 infrared illumination mortar cartridges.

Sources: 60 mm mortar rounds, Mortar Ammunition - Army.mil

Training and practice roundsReusable or reduced-risk training

VTU's JUMP training bomb is reusable for short-range initial training, while U.S. Army portfolio material describes M769 as a full-range practice cartridge for the M224/M224A1 family.

Sources: 60 mm mortar rounds, PEO Ammunition Portfolio Book

Firing Weapons

The conflict-use reports identify 60 mm mortar bombs or rounds, but not a single recovered tube model. The linked launcher page tracks the same caliber class.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
Mortar launcher, 60mm, 60 mm light mortar launcher, ArtilleryMortar launcher, 60mm60 mm light mortar launcher

Nigerian reporting on the Boko Haram/ISWAP context separately documents recovered 60 mm mortar tubes and 60 mm bombs, so this link should remain caliber-class rather than model-specific.

Sources: Clearance Operations Against Boko Haram Terrorists Heat Up, Military Kills Terrorists, Rescue Hostages, Recover Explosives in N'East Operations

Carrier Aircraft And Drones

Recent conflict reporting also documents 60 mm mortar rounds adapted for carriers outside conventional mortar tubes.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
Harbin Y-12 transport aircraft, Twin-engine turboprop utility transport aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsHarbin Y-12 transport aircraftTwin-engine turboprop transport aircraft

Mizzima reported Y-12 aircraft dropping mortar rounds in Myanmar, including reported 60 mm and 81 mm mortar-based munitions.

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

FPV drones, First-person-view small UAV / one-way attack drone, Aircraft & UAVsFPV dronesFPV strike drone class

Oboronka reported the UB60D as a pre-equipped FPV drone built around a 60 mm fragmentation mortar shell warhead for Ukrainian forces.

Sources: Ukrainian Armor codified its own FPV drone based on a 60-mm fragmentation mine

Timeline

Mortar bombs, 60mm Key Events

  1. U.S. FM 23-90 documents M224 ammunition classes

    The mortar manual describes 60 mm high-explosive, white-phosphorus smoke, illumination, and training-practice ammunition used with the M224 lightweight company mortar.

    Sources: FM 23-90 Mortars

  2. Pulka recovery documents Boko Haram/ISWAP possession

    Channels Television reported Nigerian troops recovered six 60 mm mortar bombs after repelling suspected Boko Haram fighters near Pulka.

    Sources: Clearance Operations Against Boko Haram Terrorists Heat Up

  3. Myanmar resistance and junta 60 mm use reported

    The Irrawaddy reported SAC shelling of Myinmu with 60 mm mortar rounds and PDF use of six 60 mm mortar rounds against junta battalion headquarters in Tanintharyi Region.

    Sources: Myanmar Junta Loses Over a Dozen Troops in Four Days of Clashes With Resistance

  4. Y-12 air-dropped mortar-round tactic reported

    Mizzima reported that Myanmar junta Y-12 aircraft were being used to drop mortar rounds, including reported 60 mm and 81 mm mortar-based cluster or manually dropped munitions.

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

  5. UB60D FPV drone publicized

    Oboronka reported that Ukrainian Armor's UB60D FPV drone uses a 60 mm fragmentation mortar shell warhead and was being supplied to units in the Zaporizhia direction.

    Sources: Ukrainian Armor codified its own FPV drone based on a 60-mm fragmentation mine

Media

Mortar bombs, 60mm Videos

Mortar bombs, 60mm Images

Mortar bombs, 60mm, 60 mm mortar ammunition, Munitions - view 1
Source: M49A2 High Explosive 60 mm Mortar Round
Mortar bombs, 60mm, 60 mm mortar ammunition, Munitions - view 2
Source: MSPO2007-37-01.jpg
Mortar bombs, 60mm, 60 mm mortar ammunition, Munitions - view 3
Source: 60mm mortar round being launch (crop).jpg
Related Weapon Systems
Mortar bombs, 81mm, 81 mm mortar bomb, MunitionsMunitionsMortar bombs, 81mm81 mm mortar bomb81 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 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.
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 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.
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

Clearance Operations Against Boko Haram Terrorists Heat UpPublisher: Channels Television | Note: Supports 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct conflict use: 60 mm mortar bombs were fielded by suspected Boko Haram fighters, with Nigerian troops recovering six pieces after repelling an attack near Pulka. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Military Kills Terrorists, Rescue Hostages, Recover Explosives in N'East OperationsPublisher: PRNigeria | Note: Supports 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct conflict use: 60 mm mortar bombs were fielded by Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters and recovered from a cache of explosives abandoned by fleeing terrorists. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Known perpetrators of IED incidents in the past five years: Boko HaramPublisher: Action on Armed Violence | Note: Supports 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct conflict use: AOAV reported Boko Haram use of captured 60 mm and 81 mm mortar bombs to devise IEDs. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Mizzima: Myanmar junta deploys Y-12 aircraft for aerial bombing campaignsPublisher: Mizzima | Note: Supports 2021 Myanmar Civil War direct conflict use: SAC forces used Y-12 aircraft to drop mortar rounds, including reported 60 mm and 81 mm mortar-based munitions. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Myanmar Junta Loses Over a Dozen Troops in Four Days of Clashes With ResistancePublisher: The Irrawaddy | Note: Supports 2021 Myanmar Civil War direct conflict use: reporting describes SAC shelling with 60 mm mortar rounds and PDF use of six 60 mm mortar rounds against junta battalion headquarters. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Ukrainian Armor codified its own FPV drone based on a 60-mm fragmentation minePublisher: Oboronka | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict use: Ukrainian Armor's UB60D FPV drone uses a 60 mm fragmentation mortar shell warhead, was tested in the Pokrovsk direction, and was being supplied to Ukrainian units in the Zaporizhia direction. | Accessed: 2026-07-0460 mm mortar roundsPublisher: VTU s.p. | Note: Supports manufacturer background and specifications for a modern 60 mm mortar-bomb family, including HE, smoke, illumination, infrared illumination, and training variants. | Accessed: 2026-07-0460mm Mortar Bomb HEPublisher: Atlas Internazionale Ltd. | Note: Supports manufacturer background and example specifications for a commercial 60 mm high-explosive mortar bomb. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Mortar Ammunition - Army.milPublisher: U.S. Army Capability Program Executive Office Ammunition & Energetics | Note: Supports U.S. 60 mm mortar ammunition family context, including HE, visible-light illumination, infrared illumination, smoke, and training cartridges. | Accessed: 2026-07-04PEO Ammunition Portfolio BookPublisher: U.S. Army Program Executive Office Ammunition | Note: Supports U.S. 60 mm cartridge context, including M769 full-range practice and M1061 enhanced-fragmentation cartridge details. | Accessed: 2026-07-04FM 23-90 MortarsPublisher: U.S. Army / U.S. Marine Corps | Note: Supports background and representative 60 mm mortar ammunition classes for the M224, including high-explosive, smoke, illumination, and training-practice rounds. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Elbit Systems Land Mortar Ammunition PortfolioPublisher: Elbit Systems | Note: Supports manufacturer background and representative 60 mm mortar ammunition family examples, including HE, smoke, illumination, and training products. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Call for fire! Task Force Southwest Marines hone mortar skillsPublisher: DVIDS | Note: Supports the selected official Marines video metadata and visible M224 60 mm mortar live-fire context. | Accessed: 2026-07-0460mm-Mortar-Rounds.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the primary gallery image of 60 mm mortar rounds; Commons lists own work by Curiosandrelics under CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL. | Accessed: 2026-07-04M49A2 High Explosive 60 mm Mortar RoundPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a museum-displayed 60 mm high-explosive mortar round; Commons lists Daderot's photograph under CC0. | Accessed: 2026-07-04MSPO2007-37-01.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a 60 mm mortar bomb photographed at MSPO 2007; Commons lists own work by Spike78 under GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-0460mm mortar round being launch (crop).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a U.S. Army public-domain photograph showing a 60 mm mortar round being fired. | Accessed: 2026-07-04