They took up the old: Britain and Singapore are establishing the production of 120-mm self-propelled mortar systems

The British company Babcock and the Singaporean ST Engineering have started the production of 120-mm mortars on the territory of the United Kingdom.

According to information of the official portal of the Babcock International Group PLC company, the start of production of 120-mm self-propelled mortar systems is a historic step for the defense-industrial complex of the United Kingdom, which did not manufacture weapons of this caliber from the last century, focusing exclusively on 81-mm mortars, reports ArmiyaInform.

The basic requirement for the creation of production facilities for the assembly of 120-mm mortar systems directly on the British Isles is related to the program of increasing the firepower of the new combat battalions of the country's army on the battlefield.

The GDAMS system is planned to be produced in the Devonport area of ​​Plymouth, in south-west England. And the assembly of new weapons was entrusted to the specialists of the company Perfect Bore Manufacturing, which works in various sectors, including oil and gas, automotive, nuclear, aerospace and, of course – defense, and has the most modern fleet of machines and appropriate equipment.

The 120mm GDAMS (in the name “Sewed'', an acronym for “Advanced Ground Deployment Mortar System'') can be operated by a crew of two and boasts a rapid deployment and stacking time of just 15 seconds, providing unmatched mobility and agility in high-tempo operations. Its articulated mortar system does not depend on the vehicle, which allows you to install weapons on various platforms, including already  vehicles used in the British military, such as Jackal, Coyote and Foxhound.

GDAMS is compatible with a wide range of standard smoothbore munitions, including high-explosive, illumination, infrared (IR), illumination mines and smoke rounds. It also has the accuracy and extended range capabilities of reaching targets up to 9km away, and supports manual, electronic and "smart" fuzes, making it a versatile choice for various combat mission profiles.

As for the subtleties of managing mortar systems, the 120mm GDAMS are additionally equipped with advanced fire control and targeting aids that increase accuracy and efficiency, and also reduces the time to hit targets. The patented diffuser minimizes the noise level, improving stealth and ensuring the safety of the crew.

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The system’s fully digitized communications scheme speeds up operations and reduces the risk of human error when entering coordinates, enabling faster deployment and more accurate setup.

Tom Newman, Babcock’s Land Sector Executive, highlighted the importance of GDAMS, saying : "Babcock's 120mm GDAMS can help support the modernization of the British Army by increasing firepower and improving the availability and combat capability of critical equipment.

For his part, Brigadier General (retd) Jin Kiat Chua, head of ST Engineering's international business, described GDAMS as "an outstanding tactical fire control solution that pushes power to the limit and increases firepower".

Representative of the Singapore manufacturer emphasized the role of partnership in the development of a sovereign solution that is in line with the UK Industrial Strategy.

An interesting feature of this project is the fact that when assembling the GDAMS mortar systems in Singapore, the ST Engineering company preferred to install the weapons complex on the base of commercial 4×4 pickups. At the same time, during transportation, the mortar barrel was placed almost horizontally in the trunk of an ordinary car, and the cartridges were fixed in containers on both sides of the trunk or in its front part.

The weapon is loaded manually and can fire 16 mines in 3 minutes: then the barrel must be cooled. This, however, according to the Singaporean developers, is not a problem, because the fire calculation needs to be redeployed to avoid any possible counter-battery fire. Therefore, in less than a minute, a vehicle equipped with GDAMS quickly leaves the pre-deployment area and will be ready to repeat its fire actions from another position.

It should be noted that the GDAMS system can also be equipped with an 81 mm medium caliber barrel. In the 120 mm configuration, the GDAMS weighs 700 kg. After deployment on the ground, it can be used  in the firing sector ±90°, and the elevation angle is from 45° up to 80°.

In its turn, the British version of the self-propelled mortar is planned to be mounted on the highly mobile Supacat HMT 6×6 platform, which, according to local experts, offers unparalleled versatility on the battlefield. And the deployment of production facilities in Devonport also opens up future export opportunities, strengthening defense cooperation with allied countries, while developing the UK's defense industry.