This SPEAR can deliver 120mm hurt to the bad guys from the back of a Jeep
SUMMARY
The 120mm mortar has become a standby for American troops. It is used by just about any type of battalion, and the Marines have deployed the M327 Expeditionary Fire Support System — which is based off a French design — that makes this potent weapon super mobile.
However, Israel has its own systems. The first, CARDOM, is used by a number of countries, including on the M1129 Stryker Mortar Carrier. According to Defense-Update.com, CARDOM is a recoil-based mortar system based on Israel's SOLTAM mortar system, merging it with modern target acquisition devices. With precision-guided PERM rounds, CARDOM can reach out and hit targets roughly 10 and a half miles away.
But the system is heavy. The Israelis, though, began work to lighten the system, and created the SPEAR. According to Elbit Systems, an improved recoil system allows SPEAR to be deployed on vehicles as light as a HMMWV or the new JLTV.
SPEAR has an initial burst rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute. That means that this system can be airlifted in by helicopters. This would give Army units like the 82nd Airborne Division, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and the 10th Mountain Division a huge boost in terms of firepower without losing their strategic mobility.
SPEAR can get in action in roughly one minute, and it takes about that long to be prepped for moving again. That enables it to "shoot and scoot," thus avoiding counter-battery fire. It only needs two or three crew to operate. In short, this is a system that could rapidly ruin any bad guy's day.
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