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120mm Super Rapid Advanced Mortar System (SRAMS)

The 120mm Super Rapid Advanced Mortar System (SRAMS), developed by Singapore Technologies Kinetics (STK) is in-service with the Singapore Armed Forces. It is fitted on the Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier (ATTC), also produced by STK. The 120 mm smoothbore Super Rapid Advanced Mortar System (SRAMS) was developed as a private venture by Singapore Technologies Kinetics (STK). It was first revealed in late 2001 and development was completed late in 2006. It will be used to support motorised units in the Combined Arms Division. To allow it to be installed on lighter platforms it incorporates an advanced recoil system that has reduced the peak recoil to 10 tonnes when firing a 120 mm standard mortar bomb with maximum charge 9.

The SRAMS MkII and 120mm Mortar Solutions are an integrated system which can deliver highly accurate and immense firepower making it a choice addition to your armed forces. Highly versatile and able to be mounted on both wheeled and tracked platforms, the system is modular in design and can work remotely for future manned or unmanned operations. Paired with the 120mm mortar bombs, it offers an aerodynamically optimised profile and ballistic correction for greater accuracy.

The SRAMS MkII is built upon the combat proven Super Rapid Advanced Mortar System (SRAMS) which delivers an effective 120mm mortar solution when integrated with any wheeled or tracked vehicle. It is capable of supplying fast and accurate fire support to achieve an army’s operational objectives.

The 120mm SRAMS is the first mortar in the world with a recoil force of less than 30 tonnes when firing maximum charge to achieve a range of 10 km. Weighing only 1,200 kg, it can be integrated onto and fired from onboard a wide range of light tracked or wheeled vehicles, bringing great firepower to the lowest echelon.

When firing a 120 mm standard extended-range (ER) mortar bomb with maximum charge 8, peak recoil is below 18 tonnes. According to STK, this feature allows SRAMS to be installed on a much wider range of tracked and wheeled vehicles such as the AM General High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). According to STK, this light system weight allows for helicopter transportation into operations traditionally inaccessible to normal armoured personnel carrier (APC) mounted 120 mm mortars.

According to STK, SRAMS can be customised at a high rate of fire of up to 18 rounds per minute. This is achieved due to installation of a semi-automatic loading device that takes the 120 mm projectile from the lower part of the mortar up to the muzzle where it is automatically loaded. On conventional 120 mm mortars, the mortar bomb normally takes several seconds to reach the bottom of the tube, as the trapped air has to escape from the small gap between the tube and the mortar bomb as it slides down the tube. On SRAMS, a special breech valve has been incorporated into the bottom of the barrel. As the bomb travels down, the trapped air is released. When the bomb reaches the lower part it closes the valve and automatically fires.

The forged-steel smoothbore barrel is 1.8 m long and is fitted with a unique blast diffuser to enhance user safety. This allows a significant amount of high-pressure gas to escape through intermediate chambers of the diffuser before the mortar bomb leaves the barrel. This reduces blast overpressure by a considerable amount.

The most commonly operated towed or hand-held indirect fire mortar calibres are 60mm, 81mm and 120mm, but others, such as 82mm and 107mm are also in use. There are over 100,000 towed/hand-held and self-propelled (SP) mortars in use worldwide. Of these, around 5,000 are SP systems. Asia-Pacific countries hold 34% of the world’s towed/hand-held mortars, while Europe has 17% and Russia & the CIS countries operate 16% (Russia 14% on its own). Europe dominates in SP mortars, with 67% of the world total.

Although 81mm self-propelled (SP) mortar systems are still operated by some countries, including the U.K., there has been a trend towards the larger 120mm SP systems, which have a longer range and generally more effective ammunition. However, inversely, there is also a growing shift away from the use of 120mm due to rules of engagement restrictions imposed on using the calibre, whereby mortar crews must go through various chains of command for approval to fire, often delaying or dismissing action. Teams operating 60mm and 81mm are more autonomous.