The M1129 Mortar Carrier is an 8×8 wheeled armored
mortar carrier
A mortar carrier, or self-propelled mortar, is a self-propelled artillery piece in which a mortar is the primary weapon. Simpler vehicles carry a standard infantry mortar while in more complex vehicles the mortar is fully integrated into the ...
of the
Stryker family of combat vehicles produced by
General Dynamics Land Systems
General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) is a manufacturer of military vehicles such as tanks and lighter armored fighting vehicles.
History
In February 1982 Chrysler announced the sale of Chrysler Defense, its profitable defense subsidiary, to G ...
. It is in use with the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
. Models with the double
V-hull
The V-hull is a type of vehicle armor design used on wheeled armored personnel carriers (APCs), infantry mobility vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and MRAPs. The design originated in the 1970s with vehicles such as the iconic Cassp ...
upgrade are known as the M1252 MCVV.
Description
The M1129 Mortar Carrier, also known as MCV-B (Mortar Carrier Vehicle version B), is based on the Stryker infantry carrier vehicle, which is itself a descendant of the Swiss
Mowag Piranha III.
The precursor of the M1129, the MCV-A, carried a mortar that could only be used dismounted, whereas the M1129B is only capable of firing its weapon from the mounted position within the vehicle.
The M1129 is used in the US Army Stryker
Brigade Combat Team
The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the U.S. Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver brigade, and its assigned support and fire units. A brigade is normally commanded by ...
s, where it is part of each Brigade's maneuver infantry battalion's and
Reconnaissance, Surveillance & Target Acquisition (RSTA) squadron's Modified Table of Organization & Equipment (MTOE). The vehicles are either organically subordinated to battalion level or company level. The battalion level vehicles are armed with the RMS6L 120MM mortar system, which is the vehicle mounted version of the
RMS6L 120MM mortar. Additionally, they carry the 81mm
M252 mortar that can only be used in a dismounted capacity. The company level vehicles also carry a vehicle-mounted 120mm mortar, which is augmented by the 60mm
M224 mortar for dismounted use. The RSTA squadron only receives the 120mm mounted mortar, there is no augmentation dismounted maneuvers. Each Stryker infantry battalion thus has a total number of 10 mortar carriers, all of which are equipped with the 120mm system. Each Stryker RSTA battalion has a total of 6 mortar carriers, all of which are also equipped with the 120mm system.
[''"Pocket Artillery"'' by Ian Kemp, in Armada International, Apr 2006](_blank)
/ref>
The first M1129 vehicles were put into service in Spring 2005 with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team
The 172nd Infantry Brigade was a light infantry brigade of the United States Army stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska and later moved its headquarters to Grafenwöhr, Germany. An active duty separate brigade, it was part of V Corps and was one ...
. The 172nd Stryker Brigade deployed to Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
in August 2005 being the first unit to fire the M1129/MCV-B in theatre.
Gallery
Image:Stryker MC unloading from C130.jpg, The M1129 being unloaded from a C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desi ...
aircraft.
Image:Stryker_fie_120.jpg, A close-up of the Cardom
The ''Cardom'' () is an Israeli 81 mm/120 mm Recoil Mortar System (RMS), manufactured by Soltam Systems. It is used by the US Army, the Israel Defence Forces, NATO countries, and others. The Cardom is an autonomous, computerized system ...
120mm Recoil Mortar System firing at night.
Image:Illuminationflare.jpg, The M1129 being fired at night.
See also
* Cardom
The ''Cardom'' () is an Israeli 81 mm/120 mm Recoil Mortar System (RMS), manufactured by Soltam Systems. It is used by the US Army, the Israel Defence Forces, NATO countries, and others. The Cardom is an autonomous, computerized system ...
– the Soltam Systems
Soltam Systems ( he, סולתם מערכות) is an Israeli defense contractor located in Yokneam, Israel. The company has been developing and manufacturing advanced artillery systems, mortars, ammunition and peripheral equipment since 1952. ...
recoil mortar system
* Dragon Fire – a similar project by the US Marines
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through comb ...
, also known as ''Expeditionary Fire Support System'' (EFSS).
* M1064 mortar carrier
The M1064 mortar carrier is an American vehicle, consisting of the M121 mortar – a version of the M120 mortar – mounted on an M113 chassis. The M1287 Mortar Carrier Vehicle will replace the M1064 in U.S. Army service.
Design
The design ...
– in use with the Army, based on the M113 tracked vehicle.
* XM1204 Non-Line-of-Sight Mortar, U.S. Army Future Combat Systems mortar carrier canceled in 2009
* Light-weight Combat Vehicle (LCV) System
The is a wheeled self-propelled artillery vehicle under development by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.
Overview
Many armies are looking into lighter, air-transportable vehicles that can perform many of the functions of tanks or medium art ...
* Amored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, a development of the Bradley fighting vehicle
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle platform of the United States developed by FMC Corporation and manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments, formerly United Defense. It is named after U.S. General Om ...
with a mortar carrier variant, the XM1287, to replace the M1064 mortar carrier
The M1064 mortar carrier is an American vehicle, consisting of the M121 mortar – a version of the M120 mortar – mounted on an M113 chassis. The M1287 Mortar Carrier Vehicle will replace the M1064 in U.S. Army service.
Design
The design ...
References
External links
The M1129 at globalsecurity.org
*
{{stryker
Self-propelled artillery of the United States
Mortar carriers
Post–Cold War armored fighting vehicles of the United States
General Dynamics land vehicles
Wheeled self-propelled artillery
Mowag Piranha