160 mm mortar M1943

The Soviet 160 mm mortar M1943 is a smoothbore breech loading heavy mortar which fired a 160 mm (6.3 in) bomb. The M1943 (also called the MT-13) was one of the heaviest mortar used by Soviet troops in World War II. Around 535 of these weapons were fielded with Soviet forces during the war. It was replaced in Soviet service after World War II by the M-160 mortar of the same caliber.

160 mm mortar M1943
The 160 mm mortar M1943 at Memorial Complex in Nizhny Novgorod
Type	Heavy mortar
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1943–present
Wars	World War II Korean War Six-Day War Vietnam War Yom Kippur War Lebanese Civil War 1978 South Lebanon conflict South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000)
Specifications
Mass	1,170 kg (2,580 lb)
Barrel length	3.03 m (9.9 ft)
Shell	40.8 kg (90 lb) bomb
Caliber	160 mm (6.3 in)
Elevation	+45° to +80°
Traverse	25°
Rate of fire	3 rounds/minute
Muzzle velocity	245 m/s (800 ft/s)
Effective firing range	5,150 m (16,900 ft)

Description

Originally a simple scaling-up of the 120 mm (4.7 in) M1938 mortar, it soon became apparent that drop-loading a 40.8 kg (90 lb) bomb into a 3.03 m (9.9 ft) long tube would be too difficult for any man to do. It was redesigned into a breech loading weapon, and contains a substantial recoil system to soak up the massive shock of firing a 160 mm (6.3 in) bomb and prevent the baseplate from burying itself too deeply.

The barrel sits in a cradle which is attached to a baseplate and tripod. To load the weapon, the barrel is hinged forward, which exposes the rear end of the tube. The bomb is then loaded, retained in place by a catch, and the barrel is swung back into the cradle, which in effect closes the breech.

Because of the heavy weight of the mortar, it is equipped with a wheeled carriage and is designed to be towed by a motor-driven vehicle.

Service

Users

•  Algeria: 60 as of 2016^[update][1]
•  Egypt: 30 as of 2016^[update][2]
•  Guinea^[3]
•  Hezbollah^{[citation needed]}
•  North Korea^[4][5]
•  Vietnam^[6]

Former users

•  Afghanistan ^[7]
•  Albania^[8]
•  Bulgaria^[9]
•  Cambodia^[10]
•  China^[9]
•  Cuba^[11]
•  Czechoslovakia^[9]
•  Czech Republic^[9]
•  Finland^[12]
•  India^[13][14]
•  Iraq^[15]
•  Libya^[16]
•  Poland^[9]
•  Romania^[9]
•  Slovakia^[9]
•  Soviet Union^[9]
•  Syria^[17]
•  Yemen^[18]