Direct proof of use
XM395 Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative cartridges were fielded to U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom in March 2011. The Army's ammunition organization describes APMI as a GPS-guided 120 mm mortar cartridge developed in response to an operational need from theater and compatible with ground-mounted and Stryker-mounted 120 mm mortar systems.
A separate Army field report gives the first documented Afghanistan firing as March 26, 2011, at Forward Operating Base Kushamond in Paktika Province. Mortarmen from Company C, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division fired the round, which the report says landed within four meters of its target.
Sources: Army APMI Product Page, Army First Firing Report
Fielding timeline
The Afghanistan fielding followed a February 2009 operational request for a precision 120 mm mortar capability and pre-fielding tests at Yuma Proving Ground. Army reporting in February 2011 said U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan were expected to receive the munition early the next month and that the Army planned to deliver 5,480 APMI rounds.
By late March 2011, PEO Ammunition had fielded APMI cartridges to one infantry brigade combat team in Afghanistan, with additional Afghanistan infantry brigade combat teams scheduled to receive them within six months. Inside GNSS reported the same fielding and identified ATK as the XM395 APMI supplier under an expedited urgent materiel release program.
Sources: Army Pre-Fielding Report, Army Afghanistan Fielding Report, Inside GNSS Afghanistan Fielding
Role in Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, the weapon's documented role was precision indirect fire support for U.S. and coalition-aligned ground forces. Army reporting described the capability as a battalion-level precision munition that could give infantry commanders a more accurate fire option than conventional 120 mm mortar rounds, especially when targets were near friendly forces, civilians, or urban terrain.
The system remained tied to standard 120 mm mortar forces rather than replacing conventional mortar ammunition. Army reporting said infantry units would carry a mix of standard high-explosive and APMI rounds, using APMI when a precision first-round effect was needed.
Sources: Army Afghanistan Fielding Report, Army First Firing Report, Inside GNSS Afghanistan Fielding
Stryker mortar carrier use
In 2012 the Army reported the first APMI round fired from a Stryker vehicle in Afghanistan and said PEO Ammunition was fielding the precision rounds to Stryker Brigade Combat Teams after first fielding them to dismounted troops. The Stryker Double-V Hull Mortar Carrier Vehicle gave the APMI round a mobile firing platform while retaining the same precision-mortar role.
The same report described a June 2012 combined training and live-fire exercise involving 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team elements supporting an airborne brigade combat team in Afghanistan. It also stated that APMI combat rounds fired in Afghanistan were exceeding the 10-meter circular error probable requirement.
Sources: Army Stryker Afghanistan Report
