TURKEY DEVELOPS NEW 81 mm MORTAR

The first customer for the new 81 mm mortar is expected to be the Turkish Land Forces Command. An order is expected to be issued by the end of 2003.

The mortar was developed by the state-owned Turkey’s Scientific and Technical Research Council, known as TUBITAK, and the Defense Industries Research and Development Council. The London-based Jane’s Defence Weekly reported that the BHM mortar contains 2,750 steel balls and has a lethal area of between 2.9 and 4.4 times that of Turkey’s standard 81 mm mortar.