The impressive shots of the L-65 heavy mortars of the Spanish Army in Latvia

@DefAviation ES 4·21·2023 · 20:49 0

Among the military units deployed by Spain in Latvia in support of this allied country, there has been a mortar unit for years.

The shots of the M-109 howitzers of the Spanish Army in Latvia seen from inside
The excellent images of the Latvian Army on an exercise with the Spanish military

Of all the mortars that the Spanish Army has, the largest caliber are the ECIA L-65/120 , which fire 120 mm projectiles. Of the 389 heavy mortars of this type that the Spanish Army has, 110 of them are mounted on M-113 armored tracked transports, which gives them greater mobility, making them ideal for providing fire support to mechanized infantry units.

The Spanish contingent in Latvia has several M-113 mortar carriers. On April 5 they carried out a live fire exercise at Camp Adazi. The Youtube channel of NATO's eFP Battle Group Latvia published on Tuesday the images of this exercise:

The eFP Battle Group Latvia posted the photos from this exercise the next day. You can see them here, with some notes.

A synchronized shot from three mortars, one located on the ground and two self-propelled in Spanish M-113s. In the latter, the safety distance left by the soldiers is striking, something that is explained by the power of the shot and the pressure wave it generates.

A Spanish soldier with an M-AE-85 HE (high explosive) blaster grenade for a 120 mm mortar. Next to him we see the red flag used in NATO exercises to indicate that a military unit is ready to open fire.

An impressive photo of a shot from a Spanish L-65/120 mortar at Camp Adazi. The mortar shell is clearly seen being fired. At the moment of firing, the soldiers lower their heads to mitigate the effects of the pressure wave.

A Spanish soldier carrying a 120mm mortar shell. In the background we see one of the M-113 mortar carriers.

A Spanish soldier carrying a 120mm M-AE-85 HE breakthrough mortar shell, moments before loading it into the mortar for firing.

Two Spanish soldiers with a heavy L-65/120 mortar. The M-113 mortar carriers of the Army have a base on one of their sides to be able to fire these mortars from outside the vehicle. In the image we see the sandbags that are placed on the base to prevent it from moving due to the shots.

Two Spanish soldiers during the firing exercise. Despite being in the computer age, there is never a lack of traditional Bic pens and Staedler pencils and markers to make calculations and notes.

An infantry sergeant of the Spanish Army transmitting orders by radio during the mortar fire exercise, next to one of the TOA M-113s.

The spectacular complete photo that heads these lines: a Spanish M-113 mortar carrier firing a 120 mm grenade.