GIAT AMX VTT/PM
Notes: Like many
countries in the 1960s and 1970s, the French produced a version of one of their
standard APCs, the AMX-VCI, for use as a mortar carrier.
The AMX VTT/PM entered service shortly after the AMX-VCI in 1968, and was
produced in four variants – one with an 81mm mortar, one with a 120mm mortar,
with each being initially equipped with gasoline engines and later retrofitted
with diesel engines (and other improvements).
The broad vehicle designation was the AMX VTT/PM, but the exact
designation for the 81mm mortar carrier version was the AMX VCPM de 81, and for
the 120mm mortar carrier version, the AMX VCPM de 120.
Though 10 countries used the AMX VCI APC or variants of it, only France
employed the AMX VTT/PM, and a good number of these vehicles still serve in the
French Army, despite being a bit long in the tooth.
The AMX VTT/PM
is largely built the same as the AMX VCI APC, with a relatively long chassis, a
steeply-sloped glacis with a flat front deck for the driver and engine, and a
pulpit-type position behind the driver, in the case of the AMX VTT/PM being
manned by the commander instead of a dedicated gunner.
The driver has three vision blocks to the front and the middle block can be
removed and replaced by a night vision block.
The glacis has a splashboard to help protect the driver when fording deep
water or from mud, and like many APCs of the time, mounts a spare set of three
treads and a roadwheel. The commander has a pintle mount for a medium or heavy
machinegun (or other weapon which can fit on the same mount); his position is
actually a manually-rotating cupola with all-around vision blocks.
The former commander’s position remains to the right and rear of the
gunner, along with the overhead hatch and vision blocks to the front and right,
but is normally occupied by one of the mortar crew.
The AMX VCI’s slide-open firing ports have been welded shut on the AMX
VTT/PM. The AMX VTT/PM has the same
dual long overhead hatches in the fighting compartment; unusually, the mortar
fires through right-hand hatch, and the mortar fires
forward over the vehicle instead of
over the rear like almost all such mortar carriers.
The mortar, however, has limited traverse – 15 degrees to the right and
30 to the left. Larger deflection
changes require quick pivot steering by the driver.
Early AMX VTT/PMs made the crew rely on their protective masks and
chemical protective suits in a chemical warfare environment, but in 1987, they
were fitted with a collective NBC system (of course, if the hatches are open,
like when the mortar is being fired, chemical protective suites must still be
used, and having their masks plugged into a collective NBC system while the crew
is rapidly moving about to use the mortar could be problematic).
The original
engine of the AMX VTT/PM was a SOFAM 8Gxb 250-horsepower gasoline engine, with a
manual transmission. In the 1980s,
this was replaced by 280-horsepower Baudouin 6F11SRY turbocharged engine and a
semiautomatic transmission. (These
diesel-powered versions are sometimes referred to as AMX VTT/PM 1987s.) At about
the same time, radios were updated and the driver’s night vision block was also
updated. The suspension is unusual in that it the line of the tracks is not
level; it is noticeably lower at the rear of the vehicle.
It is based on conventional torsion bars with shock absorbers at the
front and rear of the five roadwheels.
Early examples have four return rollers, but later production reduced
this to three return rollers. Most
tracks for the AMX VTT/PM are steel, but rubber track pads can be retrofitted.
The AMX VTT/PM is not amphibious, though fording of up to 1 meter is
possible.
The two versions
of the AMX VTT/PM are almost identical in weight (negligible for game purposes)
and with the mortar down, are externally identical except for the baseplates and
bipods carried externally to allow ground-mounting of the mortar if necessary.
It is not included here, but in the mid- to late-1990s hand-held mortar
fire control computers were issued to the crews of these vehicles, and add-on
GPS units were added. The AMX VCPM
de 81 carries 128 81mm mortar shells with a full load, but only 88 of these can
be more modern mortar shells, WP shells, or illumination shells, which are
generally longer than older mortar shells.
A further 40 short mortar shells (primarily smoke and HE rounds) can also
be carried in addition to those 88 rounds.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
AMX VCPM de 81 |
$122,542 |
G, A |
450 kg |
16 tons |
6 |
13 |
Passive IR (D) |
Enclosed |
AMX VCPM de 81 1987 |
$98,967 |
D, A |
450 kg |
16 tons |
6 |
13 |
Passive IR (D) |
Enclosed |
AMX VCPM de 120 |
$111,541 |
G, A |
450 kg |
16 tons |
6 |
13 |
Passive IR (D) |
Enclosed |
AMX VCPM de 120 1987 |
$90,082 |
D, A |
450 kg |
16 tons |
6 |
13 |
Passive IR (D) |
Enclosed |
AMX VCPM de 81 1990s |
$178,509 |
D, A |
450 kg |
16 tons |
6 |
14 |
Passive IR (D) |
Enclosed |
AMX VCPM de 120 1990s |
$169,624 |
D, A |
450 kg |
16 tons |
6 |
14 |
Passive IR (D) |
Enclosed |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
AMX VCPM de 81/120 |
118/82 |
33/23 |
410 |
111 |
Stnd |
T3 |
HF8 HS4
HR4 |
AMX VCPM de 81/120 1987/1990s |
128/90 |
36/25 |
410 |
104 |
Stnd |
T3 |
HF8 HS4
HR4 |
Vehicle |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
AMX VCPM de 81 |
None |
None |
81mm Mortar, M-2HB (C) |
128x81mm*, 2000x.50 |
AMX VCPM de 120 |
None |
None |
120mm Mortar, M-2HB (C) |
60x120mm, 2000x.50 |
*See Notes above for special rules about 81mm ammunition carriage.
LOHR 120mm SP Mortar System
Notes: Despite
the fancy name, this is little more than a 120mm rifled mortar mounted in the
back of the High-Mobility version of the Renault TRM 2000 truck, with racks
added for the ammunition and the cab expanded to carry the mortar crew and a
couple of extra ammunition handlers (to allow the mortar to be fed from
ammunition on the ground around the truck or in an accompanying vehicle).
Despite being on the market since 1990, and being demonstrated to various
countries, no sales have been generated by this system; nonetheless, it is still
offered for sale, and LOHR is still ready to start up production should the need
arise. (I have not been able to
discover if such production would require Renault to manufacture new TRM 2000
trucks, as Renault stopped making them in 2002, or LOHR would license-produce
the trucks, or LOHR would simply modify existing TRM 2000s.)
The mortar is
mounted on a conventional bipod and baseplate which are attached to the
heavily-modified truck bed using quick-release/attach clamps and fittings.
The mount is a standard towed-mortar mount, and the wheels remain
attached to the mount and the tow bar used to help secure the mortar in the
vehicle, also using quick-release/attach fittings.
Ammunition racks are mounted at the front of the truck bed and down
one-quarter of each side. Before
firing, a large spade is lowered at the rear to help stabilize the vehicle as a
firing platform; in addition, the suspension is greatly beefed-up, with special
extra-heavy-duty shock absorbers, also to take up the shock of firing.
While traveling, the mortar is lowered almost flat and locked down, with
the mortar sight being removed and stored in a compartment in the ammunition
racks; tarps are also carried to protect the mortar and ammunition during
movement in inclement weather. 30 seconds are required to bring the mortar into
firing position and 20 seconds are required to stow the mortar for movement. The
mortar fires forward over the vehicle, with a limited amount of movement being
allowed by the mountings to allow large deflection changes. The truck bed is
essentially removed, replaced by small platforms for the crew to fire the
mortar. The primary advantage of the LOHR 120mm SP Mortar System is that it is
more mobile and quicker to bring into action than a towed mortar system, and it
can be easily carried by aircraft and helicopters; the system offers little or
nothing in the way of protection.
The vehicle can also be air-dropped or delivered via LAPES.
The LOHR 120mm
retains most of the features of its Renault TRM 2000 chassis, except for the
special suspension and larger cab and modified rear. The vehicle is powered by a
Renault Type 720S supercharged diesel developing 115 horsepower; at the buyer’s
option, this may be coupled to an automatic or manual transmission and the
vehicle can be supplied with right-side or left-side driver positions.
The suspension is 4x4 and the vehicle has run-flat tires. Opposite the
driver’s side of the cab, the commander’s position has a roof hatch with a
pintle mount for a light or medium weapon (it is not stressed for heavier
weapons such as heavy machineguns or automatic grenade launchers); the pintle is
attached to a mount which manually rotates.
Since the system uses the High-Mobility version of the TRM 2000 as a
base, the ground clearance of the truck is relatively high at 0.425 meters, and
the enhanced suspension gives the system good off-road performance and a good
ride even over rough terrain. In addition to the hydraulically-operated spade at
the rear, the truck has a tow hook at the rear allowing it to tow a trailer with
a load of 2 tons. The crew enters
the cab through two doors on either side.
At the front of the vehicle is winch with a capacity of 2.5 tons.
Twilight 2000
Notes: In the Twilight 2000 timeline, the LOHR 120mm SP Mortar System was often
found in French airborne units, and extensively utilized by Foreign Legion
units.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
$89,527 |
D, A |
580 kg |
6.3 tons |
6 |
5 |
Headlights |
Open |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
258/73 |
85/24 |
130 |
37 |
Stnd |
W(2) |
HF1 HS1
HR1 |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
None |
None |
120mm TDA MO-120-RT-61 mortar, AAT-F1 or MAG |
40x120mm, 2000x7.62mm |
TPK VBL Mortar Carrier
Notes:
This is an open-topped version of the TPK 4.20 VBL APC with drop sides
and rear, allowing the mounting of an 81mm mortar and ammunition racks in the
rear. However, the VBL Mortar
Carrier does not have a roof over the rear area; only the cab has overhead
armor. The mortar can be one of a
number of standard 81mm mortars; the mortar is locked down in its standard
configuration with clamps mounted on the floor of the carrier.
The mortar fires over the rear of the vehicle; it has very limited
traverse, however, other than that provided by manipulating mortar controls. The
cab has the driver on the right side; on the left is the commander, who has an
overhead hatch with a weapon mount.
Like the VBL APC, the cab has a large two-piece bullet-resistant windshield to
the front, with armored shutters that can be lowered over the windshield.
The shutters have vision slits in them.
The cab also has a small bullet-resistant on each side in the door, and a
sliding panel can be slid over these windows. The rear area has no windows,
vision blocks, or firing ports; defenders simply fire over the open top.
The VBL Mortar
Carrier has a 4x4 suspension with run-flat tires; puncture-resistant tires are
optional. The standard transmission
is manual, though an automatic transmission can be provided at buyer request.
The engine is a Perkins diesel engine developing 135 horsepower engine.
Twilight 2000
Notes: Though at the beginning of the 1990s, only the Central African Republic,
Gabon, and the Ivory Coast had any VBL Mortar Carriers, the French manufactured
a batch of about 50 and supplied them to their Army, and especially, to the
Foreign Legion.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
$58,313 |
D, A |
700 kg |
7.8 tons |
5 |
7 |
Headlights |
Enclosed |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
154/78 |
43/22 |
360 |
50 |
Stnd |
W(3) |
HF5 HS3
HR3 |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
None |
None |
81mm mortar, AAT-F1 (C) |
40x81mm, 800x7.62mm |
VAB PM 120R 2M
Notes: Before we
begin, I should note that the designation I have given this vehicle is probably
not the right one. It is based on
the designations of other vehicles in similar roles, and I have not been able to
discover the actual designation of this mortar carrier.
This mortar carrier consists of a VAB VTT APC which has been modified to
carry the TDA 120R 2M recoiling rifled 120mm mortar, but the recoil-dampening
system of the mortar allows is to be carried by much lighter vehicles and
reduces considerably the wear on the vehicle’s shock absorbers.
This VAB-based version of this 120R 2M mortar carrier began testing by
the French Army in 2003, and has since gone into production and service; the
mortar itself has since gone onto ground- and trailer-mounted versions and
mounting into a variety of vehicles, which have been marketed since 1994 or have
actually sold on the international market.
Readers can seen the stats on the TDA 120R 2M in the appropriate section,
French Mortars (though I’ll admit it is not there yet, and will be a future
addition to these pages. I’m quite
remiss in the area of large-caliber guns and mortars.)
To make a long
story short, the mortar can be rotated through 110-degrees on either side of
facing to the rear and fired in that direction, another thing that the 120R 2M’s
shock-absorbing system allows.
Instead of the manual manipulation that must rear-mounted mortars require,
elevation, traverse, and leveling of the mortar (to an extent) are handled
hydraulically by the 120R 2M’s system through the use by the gunner of a
joystick and small LCD screen (about the size of a modern iPhone) and an
integrated mortar fire control computer.
The same system allows the mortar to be lowered enough for the VAB PM
120R 2M to close its roof hatches, making the VAB PM 120R 2M look pretty much
like any other VAB VTT (though seemingly lightly armed).
Most countries opt for their 120R 2M mortars to be equipped with an
automatic loading system, as do the French; the 120R 2M is still breech-loaded,
but the rounds are but on a sort of elevating system which raises the round
quickly to the proper height, then drops it down the tube.
Therefore, even firing the mortar can be done from inside the armor
envelope, with only the top hatches being open.
The VAB PM 120R 2M does not require an auxiliary ground-mount baseplate,
bipod, or anything like that; the 120R 2M in this mode cannot be dismounted and
turned into a ground-mounted version without a great deal of depot-level work.
The mortar has its own baseplate inside the vehicle and does not require
a bipod; it does have a sensor head with day and night cameras to allow the
gunner to control the mortar fire while inside the armor envelope of the VAB.
Of course, the
base chassis is that of the VAB VTT basic wheeled APC. (This will be a tip-off
to some, even when the mortar is retracted and the hatches are closed, because
few countries of units use the base VAB VTT chassis, preferring one of the VAB’s
many variants.)
The driver is on the front left of the vehicle, with the commander to his right;
both have overhead hatches, and there is also a door on the hull side for each
of them. The driver and commander
have bullet resistant windshields to their front and bullet-resistant windows to
their sides; these may be further protected by closing armored shutters, with
the front shutters having vision slits in them.
The commander has a an enlarged hatchway with a ring mount above his
station, and the ring mount can take any one of several light, medium, or heavy
weapons ranging from Minimi-type weapons to automatic grenade launchers.
The weapon station to the rear of the driver and gunner that are normally
present on the VAB VTT is deleted.
The front two armored shutters on either side of the former passenger area are
retained, but the rest are welded shut.
The two rear doors are retained, largely for the loading of ammunition
and/or equipment (though space is tight for that sort of thing), and also
allowing for the entry and exit of crewmembers.
The crew has the benefit of a collective NBC system, as well as fire
detection and suppression systems for the engine, rear area, and fuel tanks.
Radios include a data-capable long-range radio, a further long-range
radio, and a data-capable medium-range radio.
The vehicle is equipped with GPS and a mapping system, accessible by the
commander and driver via small LCD screens; it is capable of self-plotted fire
(based on map grids; it does not have access to satellite information other than
position and it does not have a laser rangefinder).
The VAB PM 120R 2M does carry a hand-held laser designator, though of
course this would primarily be useful in the case of self-observed fire, and the
vehicle’s designator can only guide smart 120mm mortar shells.
On the upper side front on each side are three smoke grenade launchers.
The use of a VAB
VTT base chassis gives the VAB PM 120R 2M basic, but not exceptional armor.
However, armor is somewhat improved in the rear section by the
installation of both solid Kevlar panels and Kevlar anti-spalling blankets,
which are meant primarily to protect the ammunition, with additional crew
protection being an incidental. Armor is of all-welded steel and is
moderately-sloped on the front and sides. The VAB PM
120R 2M has an
automatic fire detection and suppression system for the troop compartment,
driver/commander compartment, engine compartment, and fuel tanks.
The VAB PM
120R 2M is fully
amphibious, requiring the erection of a trim vane at the front and switching on
bilge pumps, requiring two minutes.
Propulsion in the water is via waterjets at the rear with deflection vanes for
steering. The driver controls these
vanes by a joystick. The waterjets
are not powerful, but better than propulsion by motion of the wheels. Other
driver controls are conventional, and transmission is manual.
The VAB PM
120R 2M uses the
6x6 configuration, which is switchable to 6x4 for road use. The suspension is
cross-country and uses large run-flat tires.
As with some other French VABs, the VAB PM
120R 2M is powered by a
Renault MIDR 06-20-45
450-horsepower turbocharged diesel, chosen because the mortar system and the
ammunition and other equipment carries already make the vehicle much heavier
than the standard VAB VTT.
Twilight 2000:
The French Army had six of these vehicles at the start of the Twilight War, with
6 more being produced during the war.
This compares with 36 Piranha-based 120R 2M mortar carriers, with 10 more
being acquired during the War, and 72-trailer-mounted TDS 120M 2R mortars.
The VAB-based mortar carriers were retained in France, and four of them
survived the War.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
$189,978 |
D, A |
395 kg |
17.8 tons |
2 (+3) |
6 |
Passive IR (D), 2xDay/Night CCD (C) |
Enclosed |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
232/117 |
64/37/5 |
300 |
167 |
Stnd |
W(4) |
HF6
HS5 HR4 |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
None |
None |
120mm TDA 120R 2M Mortar; Mk 19 or HK GMG or M-2HB or AAT-F1 or MAG or
Minimi (or other such types) |
50x120mm; 380x40mm or 1200x.50 or 2000x7.62mm or 2740x5.56mm |
VPX 40 M 120
Notes:
This is an interesting little vehicle; it is in fact one of those
vehicles that stretches the definition of the word “vehicle.”
Essentially, the VPX 40 M 120 is little more than a light platform on
treads, with a 120mm mortar on a special mount at the rear of the vehicle.
The VPX 40 120 M is designed to provide mobile heavy mobile fire support
to airborne, heliborne, and light infantry.
The VPX 40 M 120 has a rudimentary driver’s position at the front left,
and another seat is in the front right; the rest of the crew sit on two small
seats in the rear of the vehicle (very small seats).
In between the two front seats and the rear section is an ammunition
storage area. The VPX 40 M 120 is
armored, but the armor protection extends only at far up as the sides of the
vehicle, which provides only a little over a meter of protection for those in
the rear and a bit more for those in the front seats (their head and shoulders
are above the armor envelope). The
armor is also rather thin, though it is all-welded armor plate.
There is no overhead protection, not even a provision for bows, and the
rear of the vehicle is also open. No mounts for weapons other than the mortar
are provided.
The turbocharged
125-horsepower diesel engine is mounted at the rear right of the vehicle, with
the fuel tank on the left. The
engine power is quite good compared to the low weight of the VPX 40 M 120,
giving the little machine surprising agility.
The transmission is automatic. Firing the mortar takes a fair amount of
preparation; the mortar must be unlocked and lowered, and when unlocked it rests
on a heavy A-shaped strut extending from the rear of the vehicle and another
which connects to the mortar barrel.
The suspension of the vehicle is also lowered at the rear, almost to the
ground, where it rests on the baseplate, which is built into the floor of the
vehicle and extended through the floor of the vehicle so that it is in contact
with the ground when the suspension is lowered. Preparing for a move consists of
the reverse of those steps. Traverse is limited to what the mortar controls can
mechanically provide. A mortar fire control computer is provided with the
vehicle.
Twilight 2000
Notes: This vehicle was primarily in use by French Foreign Legion and airborne
forces, and then only in small numbers.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
$80,533 |
D, A |
150 kg |
4.5 tons |
4 |
5 |
Headlights |
Open |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
198/138 |
55/38 |
75 |
46 |
Stnd |
T2 |
HF3 HS2 HR0 |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
None |
None |
120mm MO-120-RT-61 mortar |
20x120mm |