L16 81mm mortar

L16 81mm mortar
81mm mortar L16
Type	Mortar
Place of origin	United Kingdom Canada
Service history
Used by	See Users
Wars	Nepalese civil war Borneo, South Arabia, Oman Vietnam War Falklands War Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Balkans, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Mali. Syrian Civil War
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).[1]
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.