Mortar shell

Also known as

Drone-dropped mortar shell

Mortar shell is an unidentified mortar projectile documented in Myanmar Civil War drone footage, where a larger hexacopter dropped the munition on junta troops. Public reporting does not identify the shell's caliber, maker, or exact model.

Mortar shell, Mortar projectile, Munitions

Image source: Wikimedia mortar shells photo

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Not publicly identified
Built by: Not publicly identified
Type: Mortar projectile

mortar indirect fire strike

Specifications

Weapon type: Mortar projectile
Reported delivery: Dropped from a larger hexacopter UAV in Myanmar
Identification: Exact caliber and model not publicly identified
Observed role: Short-range aerial strike munition

Carrier UAVs

Fulcrum reported mortar shells being dropped from a larger hexacopter drone on junta troops in Myanmar.

Carrier

Carrier type

Carriage evidence

Chinese commercial UAVs, Commercial quadcopter UAV, Aircraft & UAVs

Chinese commercial UAVs

Commercial hexacopter UAV

Fulcrum reported drone footage showing mortar shells being dropped from a larger hexacopter drone on junta troops.

Sources: Resistance Forces in Myanmar: Changing the State of Play with Weaponised Drones

Timeline

Mortar shell Key Events

Feb 10, 2023
Fulcrum reports drone-dropped mortar shells in Myanmar
Fulcrum described footage of mortar shells being dropped from a larger hexacopter drone onto junta troops in Myanmar.
Sources: Resistance Forces in Myanmar: Changing the State of Play with Weaponised Drones

Media

Mortar shell Images

Mortar shell, Mortar projectile, Munitions - view 1 — Source: Wikimedia mortar round photo

Mortar shell, Mortar projectile, Munitions - view 2 — Source: Wikimedia 81mm mortar rounds

Related Weapon Systems

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

MunitionsMortar bombs, 60mm60 mm mortar ammunition60 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.

Mortar shells, Unguided mortar projectile, Munitions

MunitionsMortar shellsUnguided mortar projectileMortar shells are fin-stabilized, unguided projectiles used by mortar crews for high-angle indirect fire in light, medium, and heavy calibers. AP reporting on Myanmar described gyrocopters carrying 30 to 40 mortar shells for hand release, showing how the ammunition can also be repurposed as an improvised airborne payload.

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 modern crew-served, muzzle-loaded, smoothbore indirect-fire class descended from the Stokes mortar lineage and still fielded worldwide in variant-specific forms. Representative 81 mm and 82 mm systems such as the British L16A2, U.S. M252, and Russian 2B14/2B24 families show the same basic battlefield role but different national service lines, weights, ranges, and equipment fits. 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 Mali War, French military reporting documents Chadian soldiers training on in-service 82 mm mortars before deployment to operations in Mali. 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.

120 mm HAL-20 mortar shell with fuze UT M88 P2, 120 mm thermobaric mortar shell, Munitions

Munitions120 mm HAL-20 mortar shell with fuze UT M88 P2120 mm thermobaric mortar shellThe 120 mm HAL-20 mortar shell with fuze UT M88 P2 is a Serbian thermobaric mortar round in Yugoimport's 120 mm ammunition line. Yugoimport's brochures describe it as a UT M88 P2-fuzed shell with M74 ignition, six increment charges, thermobaric PBX fill, and ballistic data for the 120 mm M75 mortar.

120 mm HE M62P8 mortar shell, 120 mm high-explosive mortar shell, Munitions

Munitions120 mm HE M62P8 mortar shell120 mm high-explosive mortar shellThe 120 mm HE M62P8 is a Yugoslav-origin high-explosive mortar shell for 120 mm mortars, documented by Yugoimport with 606 mm overall length, 12.6 kg mass, TNT fill, and a UTU/M93P1 point-detonating fuze. Yugoimport's datasheet also ties the shell to the 120 mm M75 mortar, and ARES documents the M62P8 in Syrian reporting as a Serbian-made 120 mm mortar projectile.

Sources

Resistance Forces in Myanmar: Changing the State of Play with Weaponised DronesPublisher: Fulcrum | Note: Supports background for the Myanmar drone-drop reporting that described mortar shells being dropped from a larger hexacopter on junta troops. | Accessed: 2026-06-27 MortarPublisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica | Note: Supports background for mortars as short-barreled, high-angle indirect-fire weapons that fire explosive projectiles. | Accessed: 2026-06-27 Army Mortar AmmunitionPublisher: U.S. Army | Note: Supports mortar ammunition background and common mortar-round class context. | Accessed: 2026-06-27 Wikimedia mortar shells photoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image licensing and provenance page for the primary mortar-shell image used on this entry. | Accessed: 2026-06-27 Wikimedia mortar round photoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image licensing and provenance page for a secondary mortar-round image used on this entry. | Accessed: 2026-06-27 Wikimedia 81mm mortar roundsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image licensing and provenance page for a secondary mortar-round image used on this entry. | Accessed: 2026-06-27