Profile
- Type
- 120 mm towed heavy mortar
- Conflict side
- Russian-backed separatist forces
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Service note
- Introduced in 1943; retained in post-Soviet stocks and observed during the Russia-Ukraine War
Artillery
PM-43
The PM-43 is a Soviet 120 mm smoothbore heavy mortar, a strengthened wartime development of the PM-38 that combined a large high-explosive bomb, a two-wheel carriage, and a six-person crew for infantry fire support. OSCE monitoring documented a probable PM-43 in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk oblast during the Russia-Ukraine War, showing how legacy Soviet mortars remained present alongside newer 120 mm systems.
- Conflict side
- Russian-backed separatist forces
- Built by
- Soviet state arsenals
- Built in
- Soviet Union
Service History
- In service
- 1943 to present in legacy stocks and export users
- Used by
- Soviet Army, Russian-backed separatist forces
- Wars
- World War II, Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- Soviet ordnance design bureaus
- Designed
- 1943
- Built by
- Soviet state arsenals
- Built in
- Soviet Union
- Unit cost
- Not publicly available
- Produced
- 1943 through Cold War production and exports
- Number built
- Not publicly available
- Variants
- 120-PM-43, Type 53, Type 55, Helwan UK2
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
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Russian-backed separatist forces
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission recorded one probable PM-43 120 mm mortar in violation of withdrawal lines near Dachne, west of Luhansk, in a non-government-controlled area on 22 September 2021.
Related Weapon Systems
120-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 mortar bomb, wheeled transport arrangement, and roughly 5.7 km range made it a durable Soviet artillery design, with Ukrainian stocks still documented around the Russia-Ukraine War rather than acquired as a modern foreign transfer.
2S12 Sani120 mm heavy mortar systemThe 2S12 Sani is a Soviet/Russian 120 mm mortar system built around the 2B11 mortar, a wheeled carriage, and a transport vehicle. It gives battalion-level units a mobile indirect-fire weapon with a roughly 7 km range, and modernized 2S12A systems on Ural-based vehicles have continued to appear in Russian supply and combat reporting during the Russia-Ukraine War.
MO-120 RT120 mm rifled towed heavy mortarThe MO-120 RT is a French 120 mm rifled towed heavy mortar developed by Brandt and later associated with TDA/Thales production. Its rifled barrel, two-wheel carriage, and rocket-assisted ammunition option give it longer range than many smoothbore infantry mortars, while remaining towable by light or medium vehicles. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Ukrainian forces received Belgian MO-120 RT mortars and used the type for front-line indirect fire support.
2A36 Giatsint-B152 mm towed field gunThe 2A36 Giatsint-B is a Soviet 152 mm towed field gun built for long-range indirect fire and counter-battery work. Its 49-caliber barrel gives it greater reach than many older Soviet 152 mm systems, and Ukrainian forces have fielded the type during the Russia-Ukraine War, including likely Finnish 152 K 89 guns supplied from Finnish stocks.
2B14 Podnos82 mm smoothbore mortarThe 2B14 Podnos is a Soviet 82 mm smoothbore mortar developed in the early 1980s as a lighter, longer-ranged replacement for older battalion mortars. Its portable barrel, baseplate, and bipod loads make it suitable for light infantry fire support, and OSCE reporting documents Podnos mortars on both sides of the Donbas front during the Russia-Ukraine War.
M22460 mm lightweight company mortarThe M224 is a U.S. 60 mm lightweight company mortar built for infantry close-support fires from either a conventional bipod/baseplate setup or a lighter handheld mode. Its modest weight, 70- to 3,490-meter conventional-mode range, and high-angle fire make it useful for small-unit suppression, screening, and illumination missions; Ukrainian forces have been documented employing U.S.-made M224 mortars during the Russia-Ukraine War.Sources
120 mm Mortars Model 1943 and 1938 Service ManualPublisher: Military Publishing House of the USSR Ministry of Defense | Note: Supports technical specifications for the 120 mm mortar model 1943, including caliber, range, weight, muzzle velocity, elevation, and rate of fire. | Accessed: 2026-06-20120mm 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, and export persistence. | Accessed: 2026-06-20M1943 120mm (120-PM 43) Heavy Field MortarPublisher: Military Factory | Note: Supports manufacturer attribution to Soviet state arsenals and general background on introduction and operators. | Accessed: 2026-06-20OSCE SMM Daily Report 224/2021Publisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe | Note: Directly supports Russia-Ukraine War conflict usage by recording one probable PM-43 120 mm mortar near Dachne in a non-government-controlled area on 22 September 2021. | Accessed: 2026-06-20120-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: 2026-06-20