M-240 mortar in arms of Syria?

[Alex]

I found information, in Russian source, about that Syria (and Egypt) was bought soviet 240mm mortars M-240, and more of that was used it in Beirut.

Did some one know some think about this?

http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/240-мм_миномёт_М-240

[Alex]

Also I found info about numbers of Syrian "big guns":

M240 (240mm) - 8-10

M-160 (160mm) - 80-100 (not so little)

S-23 (160mm howitzer) - 10

ML-20 (М-1937) (152mm) - 50

D-20 (152mm) - 20

Maybe numbers of M240 and S23 not so big, but M-160 not a little. But however Big caliber artillery it's very powerful weapon.

For example SPA 2S4 "Tulpan" was used in "Checen wars" and it was very effective.

http://www.waronline.org/mideast/syria_army.htm

[Alex]

To bad, that nobody interesting. Of course numbers of this toys, not so big, BUT this type of 'big mortars' Syrians can use for defence of big cities.

Just for illustration firepower of 240mm:

building hit by 2 (240mm) rounds

building hit by 1 (240mm) round

[John Kettler]

Alex,

I'm interested!

See March 14, 1989 entry here, taking particular note of the 52nd Brigade's artillery "owners": Syrian special forces!

http://www.command-post.org/gwot/2_archives/008709.html

Syrian counter revolutionary warfare technique at Hama mirrors what Tacitus said of the Romans: "They make a desolation and call it peace."

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=26216

Additional Hama discussion.

http://70.85.195.205/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=26182

180mm and 240mm vs. East Beirut.

(Link wouldn't paste) 114 Statement in the Knesset by Defense Minister Rabin on the Situation in Lebanon- 29 November 1989

TIME's take. For some reason, the photos don't appear. The damage described, though, is staggering.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,953421,00.html

Also, it's S-23 gun, and its bore is 180 mm, not 160mm.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/180_mm_gun_S-23

Regards,

John Kettler

[John Kettler]

Alex,

Some additional info on the S-23, but the article incorrectly refers to 155 mm howitzers. Should be 152 mm. Super heavy artillery like this, in Russian practice at least, was under direct control of the Red Army General Staff and was allocated as needed to Fronts conducting critical operations, under direct control of the receiving Front commander.

http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=92

The ML-20, a piece developed before WW II and which saw extensive service.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/152_mm_howitzer-gun_M1937_%28ML-20%29

Here's the D-20 152 mm. An impressive piece for the time, it actually outranged the original M109 155 mm SP, which had an unassisted range of 18 km.

http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=144

M1943 160 mm Mortar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/160mm_Mortar_M1943

This should give you a good sense of the weaponry.

Regards,

John Kettler

[c3k]

Alex,

That damage is impossible. See, I've been told in another thread that CMSF's artillery damage model against buildings is quite accurate. That, indeed, 155mm rounds don't have much effect on multifloor buildings or their occupants. Now, a 240mm mortar round obviously has more explosive fill than a 155mm howitzer round, but still, CMSF tells me a single round cannot account for that kind of damage.

My point being: artillery can devastate structures. It's almost like it's designed to blow things up.

Ken

[John Kettler]

c3k,

Tres droll! Isby's Weapons and Tactics of the Soviet Army: Fully Revised Edition, p. 250. lists the 240 mm HE projectile (F-864) as weighing 100 kg. This source, though, says it's 130 kg, of which 34 kg is explosive fill.

http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/irfna/irfna_refs/n28en023/firespt.htm

The Tulpan notes here indicate that a concrete piercing round has been fielded for the 240 mm mortar. Think the Syrians used any?

http://www.warfare.ru/?lang=&catid=240&linkid=1568&linkname=2s4-Tulpan-self-propelled-mortar

When you really want to smite something--laser-guided 240 mm mortar round! Straight out of the export catalog. This is one of many such nasty items in the Cold War Russian toolbox.

http://www.warfare.ru/?lang=&linkid=1589&catid=254

Did you see what I managed to dig up on the OF-21 warhead for the 122 mm rocket? It's in the artillery vs. vehicles thread. A real find and powerfully confirmatory of what DoD was saying in Soviet Military Power and things I was aware of during my threat analyst days. I also threw in three videos covering the BM-21/BM-27/BM-30, with some great terminal effects footage for the BM-21 and Bazalt SFW firing trial footage, to name but a few of the astounding goodies therein.

Regards,

John Kettler

[c3k]

Yes: thanks for digging that up!

[John Kettler]

c3k,

Happy to oblige!

Regards,

John Kettler

[Alex]

John Kettler

Sanks, good info.

Guys how a you think had CMSF plase for it items?

---

If some one interesting video about 2S4 "tulpan":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACMcOE_LjMw