Artillery

PM-43

Also known as
  • M1943 120mm
  • M1943 120 mm mortar
  • M-43 120 mm mortar
  • M43 mortar
  • 120-PM-43
  • 120 mm PM-43
  • 120 mm mortar model 1943

The PM-43 is a Soviet 120 mm smoothbore heavy mortar, introduced in 1943 as a wartime development of the PM-38 and kept in service through exports, local copies, and legacy stocks. Direct conflict references place the M-43/PM-43 family with North Vietnamese forces in Vietnam, in Syrian Civil War mortar inventories, with Haftar-aligned forces in Libya, and in a Russian-controlled area of Luhansk during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

PM-43, 120 mm towed heavy mortar, Artillery
Image source: 120-PM-43 Mortar.jpg

Role in Conflicts

1955 Vietnam War
Fire Support
Side
North Vietnam and Viet Cong

HistoryNet's M-43 profile describes the mortar as a North Vietnamese regimental and divisional support weapon around Dak To in 1967, used against fire-support bases and special forces camps.

1979 Soviet-Afghan War
Fire Support
Side
Soviet Union and Afghan government forces

MilitaryFactory says the PM-43 saw some of its last notable combat service during the 1979 Soviet-Afghan War.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
120 mm towed heavy mortar
Service note
Introduced in 1943; exported and copied during the Cold War; retained in legacy stocks into the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Designer
Soviet ordnance design bureaus
Designed
1943
Unit cost
Not publicly available
Produced
1943 through Cold War production and exports
Number built
Not publicly available
Developed from
120-PM-38 (Model 1938) heavy mortar
Developed into
2B11 / 2S12 Sani 120 mm mortar family

Specifications

Caliber
120 mm
Crew
6
Weight
275 kg in firing position
Maximum range
5,700 m with high-explosive fragmentation bomb
Minimum range
460 m
Rate of fire
Up to 6 aimed rounds per minute, or up to 15 rounds per minute without correction
Muzzle velocity
272 m/s maximum
Elevation
+45 degrees to +80 degrees
Mobility
Towed on a two-wheel carriage or moved short distances by crew
Variants

Open references use PM-43, 120-PM-43, M-43, and M1943 for the Soviet 1943 120 mm mortar family, with later Chinese and Egyptian local-copy designations attached to the same pattern.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
120-PM-38, 120 mm towed heavy mortar, Artillery120-PM-38predecessor 120 mm mortar

MilitaryFactory and WeaponSystems.net describe the PM-43 as a wartime development of the earlier PM-38 120 mm mortar family.

Sources: M1943 120mm (120-PM 43) Heavy Field Mortar, 120mm PM-43

Type 53Chinese copy designation

WeaponSystems.net and the 120-PM-43 reference table list Type 53 as a Chinese copy designation for the PM-43 pattern.

Sources: 120mm PM-43, 120-PM-43 Mortar Wikipedia

Type 55Chinese copy designation

ODIN describes the Type 55 as a Chinese version of the Russian M1943 120 mm mortar, with a heavier, more robust carriage than the Type 53.

Sources: Type 55 Chinese 120mm Mortar

Helwan Model UK2Egyptian local variant

MilitaryFactory and the 120-PM-43 reference table list the Helwan Model UK2 as an Egyptian local PM-43 variant.

Sources: M1943 120mm (120-PM 43) Heavy Field Mortar, 120-PM-43 Mortar Wikipedia

2S12 Sani, 120 mm heavy mortar system, Artillery2B11 / 2S12 Sanisuccessor 120 mm mortar family

WeaponSystems.net describes the 2B11 Sani as a Soviet 120 mm mortar developed to replace older PM-38 and PM-43 mortars.

Sources: 120mm 2B11 Sani

Ammunition Fired

MilitaryFactory describes the PM-43 as a 120 mm heavy mortar that fired HE and HE-fragmentation projectiles, while the ammunition table links the PM-43 family to the 3OF34 HE-fragmentation mortar bomb.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
Mortar bombs, 120mm, Heavy mortar ammunition, MunitionsMortar bombs, 120mm120 mm mortar bombs

MilitaryFactory's description of HE and HE-fragmentation projectile use places the PM-43 in the standard 120 mm mortar-bomb family.

Sources: M1943 120mm (120-PM 43) Heavy Field Mortar

3OF34, 120 mm high-explosive fragmentation mortar bomb, Munitions3OF34HE-fragmentation mortar bomb

The 120-PM-43 ammunition table lists 3VOF53 / 3OF34 as a 16.1 kg high-explosive fragmentation round for the PM-43, with a 5.7 km maximum range.

Sources: 120-PM-43 Mortar Wikipedia

Series And Local Designations

PM-43, 120-PM-43, M-43, and M1943 identify the Soviet 1943 mortar family, while Type 53, Type 55, and Helwan UK2 mark national copy or local-variant names.

DesignationRelationshipCatalog note
120-PM-38, 120 mm towed heavy mortar, Artillery120-PM-38Predecessor familyReference sources describe the PM-43 as a wartime development from the PM-38 120 mm mortar line.
Type 53 / Type 55Chinese copy designationsOpen reference tables list these as Chinese PM-43-pattern mortar designations, with Type 55 treated as the later heavier version.
Helwan Model UK2Egyptian local variantReference sources list UK2 as an Egyptian local PM-43 variant rather than a separate Soviet model.
2S12 Sani, 120 mm heavy mortar system, Artillery2B11 / 2S12 SaniLater Soviet 120 mm mortar familyThe later 2B11/Sani line is best handled as a linked successor family, not as another PM-43 alias.
Timeline

PM-43 Key Events

  1. Introduced in wartime service

    MilitaryFactory dates the PM-43 to 1943 and describes it as a wartime development based on the PM-38.

    Sources: M1943 120mm (120-PM 43) Heavy Field Mortar

  2. Documented in North Vietnamese service

    HistoryNet's M-43 profile describes the 120 mm mortar as the most powerful North Vietnamese support arm around Dak To in 1967.

    Sources: HistoryNet M-43 Vietnam

  3. Listed in Syrian mortar inventories

    AOAV's Syria wide-area impact report included M-1943/M43 120 mm heavy mortars among explosive weapons documented in the Syrian Civil War.

    Sources: AOAV Syria Wide-Area Impact Report

  4. Listed with Haftar-affiliated forces

    The UN Libya Panel of Experts table listed a 120mm 120-PM-43 M1943 mortar with HAF as end user.

    Sources: UN Libya Panel S/2022/427

  5. Observed near Dachne in Luhansk

    OSCE SMM Daily Report 224/2021 recorded a probable PM-43 120 mm mortar near Dachne, west of Luhansk, in a non-government-controlled area.

    Sources: OSCE SMM Daily Report 224/2021

Media

PM-43 Videos

PM-43 Images

PM-43, 120 mm towed heavy mortar, Artillery - view 1
Source: File:120-millimetre calibre mortar 001.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
120-PM-38, 120 mm towed heavy mortar, ArtilleryArtillery120-PM-38120 mm towed heavy mortarThe 120-PM-38, also known as the M1938, is a Soviet 120 mm smoothbore heavy mortar designed under B. I. Shavyrin and built for infantry fire support. Its large bomb, two-wheel transport arrangement, and roughly 5.7 km range made it a durable regimental mortar design; OSCE monitoring documented PM-38 mortars in Donbas heavy-weapons holding and storage records during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, while Oryx listed M-1938 heavy mortars in Yemen's pre-war army inventory.
160mm PM-43, 160 mm towed heavy mortar, ArtilleryArtillery160mm PM-43160 mm towed heavy mortarThe 160mm PM-43, also known as the 160-PM-43 or MT-13, is a Soviet breech-loading heavy mortar developed from the idea of scaling up the 120 mm mortar family. Its hinged barrel let crews load a roughly 40 kg bomb from the rear, giving Soviet forces a short-range but very heavy indirect-fire weapon in the final stages of the Second World War before the longer-ranged M-160 replaced it in postwar Soviet service; open references also place Egyptian 160-PM-43 use in the 1967 and 1973 wars with Israel.
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T-54/T-55, Main battle tank / medium tank family, TanksTanksT-54/T-55Main battle tank / medium tank familyThe T-54/T-55 is a Soviet tank family built around a low-profile tracked hull, four-person crew, and 100 mm D-10-series gun. It became one of the most widely produced tank families of the Cold War, with Soviet and licensed production spreading across Warsaw Pact and partner states. Direct conflict sourcing traces the family from North Vietnamese T-54 use in the 1975 fall of Saigon and Iraqi T-55s in the Gulf War to recent secondary fire-support, capture, and loss contexts in Ukraine, Yemen, Libya, Syria, Nagorno-Karabakh, Nigeria, and Sudan.
120 mm M1982 mortar, 120 mm towed heavy mortar, ArtilleryArtillery120 mm M1982 mortar120 mm towed heavy mortarThe 120 mm M1982 mortar is a Romanian smoothbore heavy mortar built as a late Cold War replacement for older Reșița and Soviet PM-43-pattern 120 mm mortars. It combines a conventional tube, bipod, triangular baseplate, and two-wheel transport carriage with Romanian service adaptations for truck towing, short-distance crew movement, and mountain-troop pack transport. Direct conflict evidence is narrow but usable: Romanian troops are documented firing the M1982 in Afghanistan in 2008.

Sources

120 mm Mortars Model 1943 and 1938 Service ManualPublisher: Military Publishing House of the USSR Ministry of Armed Forces | Note: Supports technical specifications for the 120 mm mortar model 1943, including caliber, range, weight, muzzle velocity, elevation, and rate of fire. | Accessed: 2026-07-06120mm PM-43Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports general background on the PM-43 as a Soviet-origin 120 mm smoothbore mortar, its crew, carriage, fire-support role, export persistence, and copy designations. | Accessed: 2026-07-06M1943 120mm (120-PM 43) Heavy Field MortarPublisher: Military Factory | Note: Supports manufacturer attribution, the PM-43's 1943 introduction, PM-38-derived background, local copy designations, operators, and 1979 Soviet-Afghan War combat service. | Accessed: 2026-07-06HistoryNet M-43 VietnamPublisher: HistoryNet | Note: Directly supports 1955 Vietnam War conflict usage by identifying the M-43 120 mm mortar as a North Vietnamese support weapon around Dak To and describing its employment against fixed positions. | Accessed: 2026-07-06AOAV Syria Wide-Area Impact ReportPublisher: Action on Armed Violence | Note: Directly supports 2011 Syrian Civil War conflict usage by identifying M-1943/M43 120 mm heavy mortars in Syria and describing mortar use by Syrian army forces and Islamic State-aligned fighters. | Accessed: 2026-07-06OSCE SMM Daily Report 224/2021Publisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War conflict usage by documenting a probable PM-43 120 mm mortar fielded by Russian-backed separatist forces near Dachne in a non-government-controlled area on 22 September 2021. | Accessed: 2026-07-06UN Libya Panel S/2022/427Publisher: United Nations Security Council | Note: Directly supports 2014 Second Libyan Civil War conflict usage by listing a 120mm 120-PM-43 M1943 mortar with HAF as end user on 15 November 2020. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Type 55 Chinese 120mm MortarPublisher: U.S. Army ODIN Worldwide Equipment Guide | Note: Supports Type 55 as a Chinese version of the Russian M1943 120 mm mortar and a heavier, more robust development. | Accessed: 2026-07-06120mm 2B11 SaniPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports 2B11/Sani as the later Soviet 120 mm mortar family that replaced the PM-43 line. | Accessed: 2026-07-06120-PM-43 Mortar WikipediaPublisher: Wikipedia | Note: Supports the PM-43 variant/designation table and ammunition relationship to 3VOF53 / 3OF34. | Accessed: 2026-07-06120-PM-43 Mortar.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the PM-43 mortar photograph, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-06File:120-millimetre calibre mortar 001.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for a Commons photograph identified as a 120 mm regimental mortar model 1943 image. | Accessed: 2026-07-06