Posted on 11/26/2003 4:14:38 AM PST by Cannoneer No. 4
November 26, 2003: The armed opposition in Iraq are taking advantage of speed and rules of engagement to defeat America's high tech weapons. Several teams of Iraqis are moving around near coalition bases at night and firing a few mortar shells, then slinking away and hiding their mortar and ammunition. The weapon used is usually a Russian made 82mm mortar. This weapon weighs about 80 pounds, but can be broken down into three pieces (the heaviest weighing 29 pounds, the lightest 22). Each 82mm mortar shell weighs about seven pounds (and contains about 14 ounces of explosives). The mortar has a maximum range of about 8,000 meters. The U.S. has a Firefinder radar which, when it spots an incoming shell, calculates where it came from and transmits the location to a nearby artillery unit, which then fires on where the mortar is (or was). This process takes 3-4 minutes (or less, for experienced troops.) But there are rules of engagement to deal with. You cannot fire your artillery into a populated area. And this is where the Iraqis usually fire their mortar from; some civilians back yard. As a result, Firefinder knows where the Iraqi mortar is, but the American artillery can't fire because of the nearby civilians. However, the location of the mortar is also sent to a nearby infantry unit, which now has troops standing by to rush to the location. But the Iraqis know how this works (some got caught and the word got around.) So the Iraqi teams fire a few shells, then take their mortar apart and move away. This process takes a minute or so. Some Iraqi gunners have fired from uninhabited areas (sometimes because there were no civilian neighborhoods within range) and got blasted. But the Iraqis eventually realized that their best bet was to fire from a civilian area and then run. Fortunately, the Iraqi mortarmen have not been very skillful, and often miss large targets (covering several acres). This cat and mouse game continues, apparently with UAVs and gunships getting involved as well. So while the Iraqi "shoot and run" tactics have been fairly successful, there is still a risk, and a growing one at that, for the midnight mortar operators.
They're doing some things right. Shooting and scooting is something an American mortar section would do as well- particularly against the Soviets who had good counter battery systems.
What they're lacking is a good FDC and perhaps some good crew training. The most effective method of employing a mortar (supposedly) is the direct lay. It's as simple as it gets. You lay your gun in directly on the target using the gun's sight to look directly at the target. You estimate the range as best you can, set your charge and elevation accordingly and drop a round. You see where the round lands, adjust the sight to that point and then T and E the gun system back to the target- which should bring your round on line. You make your range adjustment and that next round should land very close to the target.
A skilled mortar crew (without an FDC) should be able to put at least the third round on the target and the second round very close. This could be done in a matter of a couple of minutes- the longest bit being the time of flight for the round. But let's say the time of flight is about 30 seconds (for a good round number) and we'll give the gun crew twenty seconds to make adjustments (which is a piece of cake for a good gunner). You fire your first round, 50 seconds later, you should be dropping your second adjusted round. If you care to stick around another 50 seconds you can drop a third and even more accurate round- you wouldn't have to wait to see where that one lands. So we're talking two minutes here. You take that mortar out of action in a matter of seconds and you're hauling a$$ hoping the Americans haven't fired off a shot yet- maybe three, three and half minutes. But this is keeping in mind you have to get well out of the area. An artillery round has a nice little kill radius and after three successive shots that counter battery would have you pegged pretty good.
If it were my crew, I'd hang around long enough to adjust one round but I'd fire off multiple rounds with that data- ie my second shot would be my fire for effect. You could get some reasonable accuracy and get a few rounds on that spot as well very quickly while keeping your survivability to a calculated risk that would be acceptable vs the enhanced likelihood of inflicting casualties.
Of course, for direct lay the gunner needs a clear line of sight to the target. Failing that, they need a good FDC and FO. They'd be much better off keeping their powder dry until they got their sh!t together than exposing themselves to this willy nilly round lobbing. A mortar crew can be drilled to a very high standard without ever firing a shot. They can be drilled inside a house even. The only thing different from a real fire mission is actually dropping that round down the tube. A good FDC can be drilled in like fashion.
These guys are just sloppy. If they cared enough to be more effective, they could be. It seems to me like a jihadi mortar crew is more a way for them to "count coup" and do something manly (that is less dangerous than a direct attack) than anything else.
It's working for them. The slimy American media is a fifth column for these pukes.
Smile when you say that. :)
At least we sold ice-cold pop and provided free icewater from the back of our M-577 in the summer.
While other tricks should be tried, too, announce that some enemy mortar attacks will be answered by old-time counterbattery fire. Let the locals know that allowing attacks in their neighborhood is not risk-free for them.
Not if they're in Strykers. They've got to set up and break down outside the vehicles with every mission. IMHO, the Stryker 120mm mortar version that can'r be fired from the vehicle is the most questionable weak reed of the bunch.
-archy-.-
Care to bet on the chance he's set up in the back of a little Toyota or Nissan ½-ton mini-pickup. Probably with a real handy tarp to toss over the *tools* he's got in thevback bed?
D/319th AFAR
The attack happened at noon Tuesday when a mortar exploded inside a National Guard compound at Camp Warhorse north of Baghdad.
Both are members of the 200th Engineer Company, which is based in Pierre.
Does the name John Sedgewick mean anything to you?
Happy Thanksgiving, and don't walk under anything that goes boom.
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