A mortar is a muzzle-loading indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It typically has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber.
A mortar is relatively simple and easy to operate. A modern mortar consists of a tube into which gunners drop a shell. A firing pin at the base of the tube detonates the propellant and fires the shell. The tube is generally set at between 45 an...
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A mortar is a muzzle-loading indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It typically has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber.
A mortar is relatively simple and easy to operate. A modern mortar consists of a tube into which gunners drop a shell. A firing pin at the base of the tube detonates the propellant and fires the shell. The tube is generally set at between 45 and 85 degrees angle to the ground, with the higher angle giving shorter firing distances.
These attributes contrast with the mortar's larger siblings; howitzers and field guns, which fire at higher velocities, longer ranges, flatter arcs, and sometimes using direct fire.
From the 18th to the early 20th century very heavy, relatively immobile siege mortars were used, of up to one metre calibre, often made of cast iron and with outside barrel diameter many times that of the bore diameter.
A mortar can also be a launcher for fireworks, a hand-held...
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