L16 81mm mortar
| L16 81mm mortar | |
|---|---|
81mm mortar L16 | |
| Type | Mortar |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom Canada |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars |
|
| Production history | |
| Designer | Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment, Fort Halstead (barrel and bipod) |
| Designed | 1956 |
| Manufacturer | Royal Ordnance (barrel and bipod) |
| Produced | 1965 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 35.3 kg (78 lb) |
| Barrel length | 1,280 millimetres (50 in) |
| Crew | 3 |
| Shell weight | 4.2 kilograms (9.3 lb) (L3682). |
| Calibre | 81 millimetres (3.2 in) |
| Action | muzzle loading |
| Breech | none |
| Recoil | baseplate and spring buffered mounting clamp |
| Rate of fire | 15 rpm, 1–12 rpm sustained, 20 rpm for short periods |
| Muzzle velocity | 225 m/s (740 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | HE: 100–5,675 m (109–6,206 yd) Smoke: 100–5,675 m (109–6,206 yd) Illumination: 400–4,800 m (437–5,249 yd) |
| Maximum firing range | 5,650 m (6,180 yd) |
| Feed system | Manual |
| Sights | Optical (C2) with Trilux illumination |
The L16 81mm mortar is a British and Canadian standard mortar used by the Canadian Army, British Army, and many other armed forces. It originated as a joint design by the UK and Canada. The version produced and used by Australia is named the F2 81mm Mortar; the U.S. armed forces version is the M252.