Project news mortar LMP-2017
Mortars LMP-2017 and their ammunition. From left to right: export LMP-2017 caliber 60,4 mm and fragmentation cartridge O-LM60, LMP-2017 caliber 59,4 mm and lighting cartridge S-LM60-IK and LMP-2017 caliber 59,4 mm and cartridge O-LM60 of this caliber.
More than a year has passed since we presented on the pages of Wojska i Technika SA the then latest 60 mm infantry mortar LMP-2017, manufactured by Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów SA, part of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA. The mortar entered serial production, it was ordered by the Ministry of National Defense, and also passed the necessary tests to obtain the necessary certificate according to the XNUMXth National Defense and Security Products Conformity Assessment Act.
Recall that in December 2018, the Ministry of National Defense (MON) ordered 780 LMP-2017 mortars for the Territorial Defense Troops (Territorial Defense Troops). The first 150 will be delivered later this year. We published the history of LMP-2017 and its detailed technical description in the issue of WiT 3/2018. However, now we will discuss how the path to ordering the TDF goes and what weapons the LMP-2017 is at the moment. By the way, as a recognition of the results of their work, it is necessary to present the team of developers of the LMP-2017 mortar, i.e. Director of the Research Center, Doctor of English Tadeusz Swiatek, M.Sc. English Adam Henzel, M.Sc. English Zbigniew Panek and M.Sc. English Maciej Boruch.
Research LMP-2017
The first stage of serial testing of the mortar under the leadership of the 79th regional military representation was the acceptance tests, which began on June 28, 2019. They used LMZ-2017 of the first production batch. The study was completed with a positive result.
According to the contract, the new Tarnów mortars had to pass - and successfully passed - all the tests necessary for certification. We are talking about tests confirming the compliance of the product with all the tactical and technical requirements that were carried out by the Military Institute of Weapons Technology (VITV) from Zielonka. The tests themselves were carried out at the range and in the fire departments of the Dynamic Research Center (OBD) WITU in Stalowa Wola using three LMP-2017 mortars randomly selected from the batch after transmission tests. One of them was used for reliability and durability tests with a large number of shots, and the other two were used for tests for resistance and durability to mechanical and external factors, including testing the effect of salt fog, immersion in water, low and high ambient temperatures, and also drops of mortar from a height of 0,75 m onto a concrete and steel base.
During life tests from August 3 to October 8, 2019, 2017 shots were fired from the LMP-1500, which is a total of three tons of spent 60-mm mortar rounds. It is worth noting that all shots were fired "manually" by OBD WITU specialists trained by ZM Tarnów SA. Thus, the correctness of the adopted design decisions was confirmed in terms of the location of the trigger and the grip of the other hand, which leans on the mortar during firing. The thrust plate also performed well, the blades of which provided stability when firing at various surfaces.
On the last day of field tests, October 8, 500 O-LM60 missiles were fired from a test mortar without any maintenance. These 500 shots in practice translate into a hundred so-called. fire missions when firing indirect fire with visibility of the target.
The next stage of testing required for certification, also conducted by WITU after strength testing, was to confirm the required range of the mortar when firing extended range cartridges. Of course, Polish O-LM60M ammunition supplied by Zakłady Metalowe DEZAMET SA in New Demba was used. The required firing range of such a missile is 1300 m, while the average distance obtained by LMP-2017 was significantly higher than this range.
