120 Krh/40
Finnish 120 mm heavy mortar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
120 Krh/40 is a 120 mm mortar developed by the Finnish company Tampella (now Patria Vammas).
| 120 Krh/40 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Heavy mortar |
| Place of origin | Finland |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1940âpresent |
| Used by | Finnish army Swedish army Estonian army German army Latvian army Lithuanian army Portuguese army |
| Wars | Continuation War Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Tampella |
| Manufacturer | Tampella |
| No. built | 596 by Tampella[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 260 kg (570 lb) |
| Barrel length | 189 cm (74 in) |
| Caliber | 120 mm (4.7 in) |
| Rate of fire | up to 20 rounds/minute[1] |
| Muzzle velocity | 116â290 m/s (380â950 ft/s)[1] |
| Maximum firing range | 7,200 metres (7,900 yd) |
Use in Sweden
The 120 Krh/40 first entered service in 1940 after being ordered the previous year by Finland. It was exported to Sweden between 1941 and 1944 and later produced under license there. A total of 219 were exported by Tampella.[1] The Swedish military calls them 12 cm granatkastare m/41 and they have continued to serve as the standard heavy mortar of the Swedish Army. In 1956, their base-plates were replaced by Swedish-manufactured Hotchkiss-Brandt M-56 baseplates.[2] As of 2016[update], 165 m/41D are still in service in the Estonian Land Forces[3] and 22 are held by the Lithuanian Armed Forces.[4]
They got a major increase in lethality when the STRIX top attack anti armour round was introduced in the 1990s; it is a smart weapon that homes in on the IR signature of armoured vehicles.
See also
- Soltam M-65 â an Israeli copy of Krh/40 using a new base plate
- Soltam K6 â further development of M-65
