Mortar launcher, 82mm

Conflict Usage

Boko Haram Insurgency

Side: Boko Haram and ISWAPRole: Insurgent indirect-fire supportstrike

UN-supported Lake Chad Basin research lists mortar launchers among the main manufactured light weapons used by Boko Haram, alongside 60, 81, and 82 mm mortar bombs; Nigerian defence reporting in May 2023 also recorded 82 mm mortar fuzes and mortar base plates recovered during Operation Hadin Kai clearance operations.

Mortar launcher, 82mm Images

Related Weapon Systems

Artillery60 mm mortarLight infantry mortarThe 60 mm mortar is a portable light infantry indirect-fire weapon class used for close support with high-angle fire. Yemen Civil War sourcing identifies 20 60 mm mortar tubes in a February 2016 HMAS Darwin maritime seizure that U.S. analysis later assessed as part of Iran-origin arms caches intended for Houthi forces, so this entry records attempted supply rather than a confirmed model or observed firing in Yemen.

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.

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.

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.

Artillery60 mm M57 mortar60 mm light infantry mortarThe 60 mm M57 is a Yugoslav-pattern light infantry mortar now listed by Serbian manufacturer PPT Namenska. In the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, open-source loss documentation recorded M57 mortars captured from Armenian forces, tying the portable short-range fire-support weapon to the 2020 fighting.

Artillery82 mm 2B9 Vasilek automatic mortar82 mm automatic gun-mortarThe 82 mm 2B9 Vasilek is a Soviet automatic gun-mortar that combines mortar trajectories with clip-fed rapid fire from a wheeled carriage. In the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, open-source loss documentation places captured Vasilek mortars on the Armenia / Artsakh side, making it part of the short-range indirect-fire layer around the 2020 fighting.

Sources