Slovakia debuts rapid-fire mortar at local defense show

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovakia has unveiled a 120mm self-propelled mortar advertised as firing 20 rounds of ammunition per minute, a rate that would make it one of the fastest in Europe.

Minister of Defense Robert Kalinak presented the multi-company product during the country’s flagship defense fair here, IDEB, which runs May 14-16. The AM-120, which stands for automatic mortar, melds technology from two Slovak defense firms and a Czech military vehicle manufacturer.

The turret is provided by ZTS Special, a gun producer based in the northern part of Slovakia, and was designed for 6x6-type vehicles. The Tatra 815-7 6x6 chassis is supplied by the Czech firm Excalibur Army while the Lansys fire control system is a product of the private Slovak company, Kerametal.

A ZTS Special representative told Defense News at the show that the development of the mortar began two years ago and was most recently tested a month ago.

The weapon’s main selling point, according to the manufacturer, is that it can fire approximately 20 rounds per minute, reaching distances of over eight kilometers, or five miles. It is designed to work closely with infantry units near the front lines.

The AM-120 can carry 60 rounds, meaning one full load could be blasted out within minutes before the vehicle moves on to avoid triangulation by enemy sensors. That “shoot-and-scoot” tactic has been on display in Ukraine’s defense against Russia, with both sides employing counter-fire radars that can pick up a projectile’s origin within minutes.

An analysis published earlier this year by the European Council on Foreign Relations highlighted that the Russian counter-battery fire response time is around three minutes.

Slovakia’s AM-120 will rival the Finnish NEMO 120mm self-propelled mortar, produced by Patria Group. It is the only other European system in this category advertised as reaching a maximum rate of fire of 20 shots per minute, but has a longer range than the Slovak-made mortar, capable of hitting targets located more than 10 kilometers away.

Meanwhile, neighbor Poland also produces a mortar system that can be mounted on tracked and wheeled vehicles, the M120 RAK. Designed by Polish defense company Huta Stalowa Wola, it is in service with the Ukrainian Army.

The Ministry of Defense of Slovakia has not yet announced any order for the new mortar.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

斯洛伐克布拉迪斯拉发——斯洛伐克推出了一款120毫米自行迫击炮，广告宣传其射速为每分钟20发，这一速度使其成为欧洲射速最快的迫击炮之一。

国防部长罗伯特·卡利纳克在5月14日至16日在此举行的斯洛伐克旗舰防务展IDEB上展示了这款多公司联合研发的产品。AM-120是自动迫击炮的缩写，融合了两家斯洛伐克国防公司和一家捷克军用车辆制造商的技术。

炮塔由位于斯洛伐克北部的火炮生产商ZTS Special公司提供，专为6x6型车辆设计。Tatra 815-7 6x6底盘由捷克公司Excalibur Army提供，而Lansys火控系统则出自斯洛伐克私营公司Kerametal。

ZTS 的一位特别代表在展会上告诉《防务新闻》，该迫击炮的研发始于两年前，最近一次测试是在一个月前。

据制造商称，该武器的主要卖点是其射速约为每分钟20发，射程超过8公里（5英里）。它的设计目的是与前线附近的步兵部队密切配合。

AM-120 可携带 60 发炮弹，这意味着它可以在几分钟内倾泻完一整箱弹药，然后迅速转移，以避免被敌方传感器三角定位。这种“打了就跑”的战术在乌克兰对抗俄罗斯的防御战中屡见不鲜，双方都使用了反制雷达，可以在几分钟内探测到炮弹的来源。

欧洲对外关系委员会今年早些时候发表的一项分析指出，俄罗斯的反炮兵火力反应时间约为三分钟。

斯洛伐克的AM-120将与芬兰帕特里亚集团生产的NEMO 120毫米自行迫击炮展开竞争。NEMO是同类产品中唯一一款宣称最大射速可达每分钟20发的欧洲系统，但其射程比斯洛伐克制造的迫击炮更远，能够打击10公里以外的目标。

与此同时，邻国波兰也生产一种可安装在履带式和轮式车辆上的迫击炮系统，即M120 RAK。该系统由波兰国防公司Huta Stalowa Wola设计，目前已在乌克兰军队服役。

斯洛伐克国防部尚未宣布订购新型迫击炮。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。