Mortar bombs, 60mm

60 mm mortar bombs are fin-stabilized light mortar rounds made in high-explosive, smoke, illuminating, and training variants for portable 60 mm mortar tubes. In the Boko Haram Insurgency, Nigerian military reporting has repeatedly listed 60 mm mortar bombs among weapons and explosive materiel recovered from Boko Haram or Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters, so this entry represents the caliber family rather than one traced manufacturer or lot.

Boko Haram InsurgencyBoko Haram and ISWAP

Conflict side: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Built by: Various manufacturers
Built in: Multiple countries

Mortar bombs, 60mm, 60 mm mortar ammunition, Munitions

Image source: 60mm-Mortar-Rounds.jpg

Profile

Type: 60 mm mortar ammunition
Conflict side: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Origin: Multiple countries
Service note: Contemporary light infantry mortar ammunition

mortarammunitionindirect fire portable strike

Service History

In service: Documented in Boko Haram Insurgency recoveries from 2016 onward
Used by: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Wars: Boko Haram Insurgency

Production History

Designer: Not applicable; caliber family
Designed: Varies by national model
Built by: Various manufacturers
Built in: Multiple countries
Produced: Varies by manufacturer and model
Variants: High explosive, Smoke, Illuminating, Training/practice

Specifications

Caliber: 60 mm
Round types: High-explosive, smoke, illuminating, and training variants are common in modern 60 mm mortar ammunition families.
Typical bomb mass: About 1.15-1.6 kg depending on variant and manufacturer.
Example HE fill: About 0.2 kg explosive charge in one commercial 60 mm HE bomb; VTU lists 214 g TNT for its 60-HEF bomb.
Example maximum range: About 3,130 m for one commercial 60 mm HE bomb, with actual range dependent on the mortar and charge configuration.
Packaging: Often packed 10 bombs per case in manufacturer product data.

Conflict Usage

Boko Haram Insurgency: Side: Boko Haram and ISWAPRole: Insurgent indirect-fire ammunitionstrike
Nigerian military reporting documented 60 mm mortar bombs among weapons recovered from suspected Boko Haram or Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters in the northeast, indicating insurgent fielding of light mortar ammunition without identifying a single national model.

Mortar bombs, 60mm Images

Mortar bombs, 60mm, 60 mm mortar ammunition, Munitions - view 1 — Source: 60mm-Mortar-Rounds.jpg

Mortar bombs, 60mm, 60 mm mortar ammunition, Munitions - view 2 — Source: M49A2 High Explosive 60 mm Mortar Round

Mortar bombs, 60mm, 60 mm mortar ammunition, Munitions - view 3 — Source: MSPO2007-37-01.jpg

Mortar bombs, 60mm, 60 mm mortar ammunition, Munitions - view 4 — Source: 60mm mortar round being launch (crop).jpg

Related Weapon Systems

Mortar bombs, 120mm, Heavy mortar ammunition, Munitions

MunitionsMortar bombs, 120mmHeavy mortar ammunition120 mm mortar bombs are fin-stabilized heavy mortar projectiles fired from 120 mm mortar systems for indirect fire. In the Boko Haram Insurgency, Nigerian Army reporting documented two unspecified 120 mm mortar bombs recovered from Boko Haram terrorists during December 2017 Lake Chad basin clearance operations, indicating insurgent access to heavy mortar ammunition even when the exact model and supply path were not publicly identified.

81/82 mm mortar, 81/82 mm crew-served medium mortar, Artillery

Artillery81/82 mm mortar81/82 mm crew-served medium mortarThe 81/82 mm mortar family covers the standard crew-served, muzzle-loaded, high-angle indirect-fire class used by infantry and light artillery units worldwide. In the Kurdish-Turkish Conflict, a 2018 analysis of PKK tactics describes Russian-made 82 mm mortars used against Turkish security facilities in mountainous areas and later PKK use of 81 mm mortar tools as well, without identifying one specific model. In the War in Afghanistan, U.S. budget documents show Afghan Border Police 82 mm mortars sustained for patrol and border checkpoint missions, reflecting continued Afghan government fielding of the system.

Mortars, Infantry and artillery mortar class, Artillery

ArtilleryMortarsInfantry and artillery mortar classMortars are short-barreled, high-angle indirect-fire weapons used by infantry, artillery units, and armed groups for close support, harassment, and attacks on positions behind cover. The catalog entry treats mortars as a broad weapon class because the direct conflict sources usually document mortar use without identifying exact calibers or models, including Philippine government support fires at Marawi, Hezbollah fire at Mount Dov, jihadist attacks in Mali and Sinai, FARC dissident improvised mortars in Colombia, Sudan War battlefield use, and Cambodia-accused cross-border fire.

ECIA L-65 mortar, Smoothbore mortar family, Artillery

ArtilleryECIA L-65 mortarSmoothbore mortar familyThe ECIA L-65 is a Spanish mortar family built by Esperanza y Cia for infantry and vehicle-mounted indirect fire. In the Boko Haram Insurgency, open-source arms-control research lists an ECIA L-65 mortar among materiel in service with, or recovered from, Boko Haram factions, but does not identify the recovered caliber or confirm present holdings.

Mortar launcher, 60mm, 60 mm light mortar launcher, Artillery

ArtilleryMortar launcher, 60mm60 mm light mortar launcherA 60 mm mortar launcher is a light, crew-served indirect-fire weapon built around a smoothbore tube, baseplate, sight, and often a bipod. In the Boko Haram Insurgency, Nigerian military reporting has documented 60 mm mortar tubes recovered from ISWAP fighters, 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 launcher, 82mm, Portable smoothbore mortar launcher, Artillery

ArtilleryMortar launcher, 82mmPortable smoothbore mortar launcherThis entry covers the 82 mm mortar-launcher caliber class rather than a single factory model. In the Boko Haram Insurgency, UN-supported Lake Chad Basin research identifies mortar launchers among Boko Haram-used manufactured light weapons, with 82 mm mortar ammunition documented in the same typology and components recovered during Nigerian clearance operations.

Sources

Clearance Operations Against Boko Haram Terrorists Heat UpPublisher: Channels Television | Note: Supports Boko Haram Insurgency direct conflict use: 60 mm mortar bombs were fielded by suspected Boko Haram terrorists, with Nigerian troops recovering six pieces after repelling an attack near Pulka. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Military Kills Terrorists, Rescue Hostages, Recover Explosives in N'East OperationsPublisher: PRNigeria | Note: Supports 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: 2026-06-21 60 mm mortar roundsPublisher: VTU s.p. | Note: Supports manufacturer background and specifications for a modern 60 mm mortar-bomb family, including HE, smoke, illuminating, and training variants. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 60mm Mortar Bomb HEPublisher: Atlas Internazionale Ltd. | Note: Supports manufacturer background and example specifications for a commercial 60 mm high-explosive mortar bomb. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 60mm-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: 2026-06-21 M49A2 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: 2026-06-21 MSPO2007-37-01.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: 2026-06-21 60mm 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: 2026-06-21