SB-80 Type 2
| Type 2 80mm mortar (SB-80 Type 2) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Mortar |
| Place of origin | Menghe |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | Innominadan Crisis Innominadan Uprising |
| Production history | |
| Produced | 2002-present |
| Specifications | |
| Barrel length | 1.4 m (55 in) |
| Crew | 4 |
| Elevation | 45° to 85° |
| Traverse | 16° (without bipod repositioning) |
| Rate of fire | 10-30 rounds/min |
| Effective firing range | 4,000 m (5,800 m with extended-range grenades) |
| Sights | Telescopic sight |
The SB-80 Type 2 (formal designation: 02식 80밀리메테르 수류탄 발사기, ryong-i-sik pal-sib millimeterŭ suryutan balsagi, "Type 02 80-millimeter mortar"; short designation: 수발-80/02 Subal palsib-ryong'i) is an 80mm infantry mortar developed in Menghe in the early 2000s. Though originally intended as a special-purpose weapon for light infantry and airborne units, it was later adopted as a standard company-level mortar in motorized and mechanized infantry formations. Though its performance is unremarkable, it is lighweight, inexpensive, and easy to handle.
Development
The main medium-caliber mortar of the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe was the SB-80 Type 62, itself a derivative of the Type 43 80mm mortar used during the Pan-Septentrion War. The Type 62 mortar was easy to use, and could be broken down into three loads for easy transport on foot. In the Menghean People's Army, it was typically used as a battalion-level weapon in light infantry units, much like the Type 43 mortar before it. Motorized and mechanized units, by contrast, typically used heavier 120mm mortars.
Following its intervention in the Polvokian Civil War, the Menghean Army began a series of reform initiatives which aimed to pivot from large-scale conventional warfare to limited fighting in expeditionary conflicts. One of the associated changes was the development of a new 80mm mortar system, which would be lighter, more reliable, and more accurate than the SB-80 Type 62. At the time, the Ministry of National Defense anticipated that the weapon would be issued mainly to expeditionary units, Marine Infantry units, and airborne forces, with SB-120 mortars issued to mechanized and motorized formations and legacy SB-80 Type 62 mortars issued to reservist light infantry units.
After the Ummayan Civil War and the breakdown of relations with Maverica, Menghe faced an urgent pivot back to large-scale conventional warfare, this time against a numerically comparable force. As part of the 2005 Menghean military reforms, doctrinal planners decided to issue more organic heavy weapons to Menghean motorized and mechanized companies, giving company commanders more autonomy and firepower. The SB-80 Type 2 already met all of the Army's requirements for a company-level mortar system: it was lighter than the battalion-level 120mm mortars, but also heavier than squad-level under-barrel grenade launchers and rifle grenades. Most importantly, because it was lightened for easy pack transport and airborne deployment, the SB-80 Type 2 weighed just over 40 kilograms, meaning that a well-trained four-man crew could easily lift a fully assembled mortar from the back of a lorry onto the ground or vice versa. On this basis, the General Directorate for Procurement of the MoND selected it as the new standard company-level mortar.
Description
The SB-80 Type 2 is a fairly conventional muzzle-loading mortar, consisting of a 1.4-meter-long tube, a circular baseplate, and an adjustable bipod with a telescopic sight. The mortar can be broken down into these three pieces for long-distance transport; each component weighs roughly 15 kilograms. It is also possible to move the weapon short distances without disassembling it.
The weapon's rate of fire depends on the loading speed. The safe sustained rate of fire is 10 rounds per minute, but a well-trained loading team can achieve 30 rounds per minute for short periods. This capability is useful when softening up an enemy position immediately ahead of an assault.
According to official Menghean sources, the mortar's maximum range with standard 80mm mortar grenades is 4,000 meters, but it can reach ranges of 5,800 meters with special extended-range ammunition. Its practical range, however, may be lower, as the Menghean Army prefers to aim and correct 80mm mortar fire from the firing point. The Menghean Army typically does not issue extended-range 80mm mortar grenades to company-level mortars, instead reserving this ammunition type for battalion-level 80mm mortars in airborne units.
Organization and employment
In the 3rd Generation version of the Mechanized Division organization, each Mechanized or Motorized Company has a single 80mm mortar platoon. This platoon contains four 80mm mortars, usually SB-80 Type 02s. The mortars are transported in two Samsan S9151 soft-skinned utility lorries, with each lorry carrying two mortar teams. The driver, section sergeant, and platoon CO/XO sit in the cab of the lorry, while the two mortar teams sit in the back with two mortars and crates of ammunition. The mortar platoon dismounts outside the range of enemy small arms, lifts the fully assembled mortars out of the vehicle, and sets them up in a firing position. Alternatively, if the infantry component needs to march a long distance without their vehicles, the mortar team can break the SB-80 Type 2 into three loads: barrel, baseplate, and tripod with optics. The fourth mortar team member carries a crate of ammunition.
The SB-80 Type 2's fire control is fairly rudimentary, consisting of a simple telescopic sight. While battalion-level mortar platoons have a fire-control section, company-level mortar platoons issue the mortar section sergeant a radio and a simple firing table, later upgraded to a fire direction tablet. There is also no dedicated forward observer unit; instead, maneuver platoon commanders would issue fire correction instructions. Wherever possible, the gunner would attempt to directly aim and correct the weapon by using its telescopic sight. While lacking in pinpoint accuracy, the SB-80 Type 2 has a good rate of fire and a fast setup time, useful when laying a smokescreen or suppressing a dug-in position.
