ML 3-inch mortar
| Ordnance ML 3-inch mortar | |
|---|---|
Canadian 3-inch mortar team | |
| Type | Mortar |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | Second World War Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948 1948 Arab–Israeli War Korean War Suez Crisis Sino-Indian War Nigerian Civil War Soviet-Afghan War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1930s |
| Specifications | |
| Mass |
|
| Length | 4 ft 3 in (1.3 m) |
| Barrel length | 3 ft 11 in (1.19 m) |
| Shell | Bomb 10 lb (4.5 kg) |
| Calibre | 3.19 in (81.0 mm) |
| Elevation | +45° to +80° |
| Traverse | 11° |
| Muzzle velocity | 650 ft/s (200 m/s) |
| Maximum firing range | Mk.II: 1,600 yd (1,500 m) Mk.II LR: 2,800 yd (2,600 m) |
The Ordnance ML 3-inch mortar was the United Kingdom's standard mortar used by the British Army from the early 1930s to the late 1960s, superseding the Stokes mortar. Initially handicapped by its short range compared to similar Second World War mortars, improvements of the propellant charges enabled it to be used with great satisfaction by various armies of the British Empire and of the Commonwealth.