8.5 kg in weight, 5 km in range, plus satellite-guided shells, this "titanium mortar that even girls can carry and run with" is quietly rewriting the rules of light infantry firepower support.
At the 2025 Changchun Air Show, a lightweight mortar with a compact design in the paratrooper exhibition area attracted attention. This PBP201 60mm mortar, known by military fans as the "titanium alloy small cannon," showcases China's military industry's solid strength in making high-end materials "commonplace" with its titanium alloy barrel and holographic diffraction sight.
The use of titanium alloys in the aerospace field has long been commonplace, but applying them to mortar manufacturing is an innovative move. The barrel, frame, and base plate of the PBP201 mortar are all made of titanium alloy, while the handle uses composite materials. The combination of these two materials makes the combat weight only 8.5 kg.
Compared to traditional steel mortars, the advantages of titanium alloys go beyond lightness. Titanium alloys have far better elasticity, elongation, and fatigue resistance than steel, which means longer barrel life, better sealing, and especially suitable for use with smart ammunition.
Currently, domestic titanium alloy production and processing technology is mature, and the basic material market is becoming saturated. Combining military needs with civilian production capacity not only reduces weapon manufacturing costs, but also finds new application scenarios for high-end materials.
Compared to the 22.4 kg weight of the traditional PP93 60mm mortar, the new mortar has reduced the weight by more than half, and is even lighter than the U.S. latest M224A1 lightweight mortar at 16 kg. This "small cannon" is not to be underestimated in power. It is equipped with a new laser holographic diffraction sight, integrating a laser rangefinder and ballistics computer, enabling both direct and indirect fire modes, with a maximum range of up to 5 km.
The PBP201 adopts a dual-purpose fire control system. The right side is the fire control system, and the left side is the holographic diffraction optical sight, which includes a laser rangefinder, navigation positioning system, and fire control computer. This system even supports the launch of satellite-guided mortar shells, greatly improving shooting efficiency. The gun can use 60mm satellite-guided shells, which are the smallest caliber satellite-guided shells in the world, with a circular probability of error controlled around 1-2 meters at long ranges.
Today, when precision-guided weapons, drones, and stealth fighters dominate the headlines, the emergence of the PBP201 titanium alloy mortar is not simply upgrading an old weapon, but the result of a deep understanding of the essence of modern warfare, integrating the inherent advantages of mortars with future needs.
Firstly, the mortar is an irreplaceable "companion of infantry": extreme response speed and seamless accompaniment.
In modern warfare, especially mountain warfare, urban street fighting, and special operations, the core is often small-scale infantry units at the platoon or squad level. In these scenarios, heavy artillery of regiments or divisions is often "too far to save nearby", the process of requesting fire support is complicated and time-consuming. However, mortars, especially models like the PBP201 that can be carried by a single soldier, their maximum value lies in "artillery directly usable by commanders below the regiment level".
It does not require complex deployment and withdrawal procedures, and the gun team can even run behind the infantry squad leader. When discovered, it can be fired immediately, and from aiming to the first shot, it often takes just a few seconds. This seamless accompanying firepower is irreplaceable by any remote artillery or air support in the ever-changing close-range combat. As one military expert said: "When your infantry company is suppressed in a narrow alley, a drone that takes 20 minutes to arrive is far less practical than a 60mm mortar that can fire a shell within 2 minutes."
Secondly, the physical advantage of the curved trajectory: solving the problems of "dead zones" and "top attacks".
The hallmark of the modern ground battlefield is a large number of sturdy fortifications and complex terrain. Direct-fire weapons (such as tank guns, anti-tank missiles) are powerless against "shooting dead zones" such as reverse slopes, canyons, or behind buildings. However, mortars use a high-arc curved trajectory, allowing the shell to fall almost vertically on top of the target, perfectly avoiding the obstruction of terrain and obstacles.
This characteristic makes it an effective weapon against enemies hiding in trenches, buildings, or the entrances of underground fortifications. At the same time, the top attack mode has a high killing efficiency against light armored vehicles and open personnel. In the positional warfare of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, both sides extensively used mortars to conduct "top-down" attacks on trenches, proving its indispensable role in the stalemate situation.
Thirdly, low cost and high sustainability: "democratization of firepower".
A modern high-intensity conflict is a huge resource consumption war. The cost of a single long-range rocket or an aerial strike can reach tens of thousands or even millions of dollars, and the number of platforms is limited. By comparison, the cost of a 60mm mortar shell is extremely low, allowing it to be mass-produced, stockpiled, and consumed in large quantities.
This "affordable saturation strike" capability allows even grassroots infantry units to have continuous firepower output, achieving the "democratization" of firepower. Commanders can freely use mortars for harassment, cover, smoke shell firing, and other tactical tasks without worrying about quickly depleting expensive strategic resources. The idea of the PBP201's low-cost PGK kit to "precisely" convert ordinary shells is the ultimate embodiment of this cost advantage.
Fourthly, the mortar has a "stealth technique" in the era of "reconnaissance-strike integration".
In today's modern battlefield where sensors (such as counter-battery radar, acoustic detection systems, and drones) are everywhere, once traditional artillery fires, it is easy to be located and retaliated against. But mortars, especially light mortars, have small firing characteristics (less sound, light, and smoke), flexible firing positions, and can move away after firing.
A 3-4 person gun team can fire 1-2 rounds at one position and then quickly move to a new position tens of meters away, greatly increasing the survival probability under enemy counterfire. This "guerrilla gun" tactic precisely counters the modern artillery warfare system that relies on fixed coordinates for retaliation.
Finally, information empowerment: from "area suppression" to "precision targeting".
The success of the PBP201 lies in the fact that it did not stick to tradition, but completed its evolution through informatization. The fire control system integrated with Beidou, laser rangefinder, and ballistics computer has taken it out of the "approximate firing" category. Especially when combined with reconnaissance nodes such as drones and individual radar, the mortar becomes a sensitive limb and precise terminal in a distributed kill network.
A drone discovers a sniper window or a machine gun position in front, and the coordinates are transmitted in real-time to the gun group's fire control system. Within a few seconds, a satellite-guided mortar shell can accurately fall from the sky. This "discover and destroy" capability enables mortars, traditionally used for area destruction, to perform tasks that previously required special forces or precise air strikes.
The PBP201 titanium alloy mortar is a high score answer from China's military industry to the question of "how traditional weapons can adapt to modern warfare." It is not simply pursuing technical stacking, but firmly grasping the core advantages of mortars, such as strong accompaniment, unique trajectories, low cost, and high survivability, and using lightweight and informatization technologies to amplify these advantages. It tells us that the advancement of weapons is not only reflected in the degree of technological sophistication, but also in the depth of understanding and alignment with the essence of tactics. This is the reason why the "old gun" of the mortar remains vibrant in the era of intelligent warfare.
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7556901487499166254/
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