Photo By Leo Jenkins | Gunner Pfc. Austin Hutchenson (left) and Assistant Gunner Pfc.Terry Tompakou (right)...... read more read more
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“High Angle Hell, Death and Destruction from Above”
Sgt. Leo Jenkins
6-8 CAV, 2ABCT UPAR
Spartans Soldiers of 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, and 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, hone their craft firing live rounds down range at Mortar Gunnery Tables IV, V, and VI at Fort Stewart, GA, July 23.
Spartan Soldiers conducted a mortar live-fire exercise with high explosive rounds. The rounds have a 70-meter kill radius on impact, being a dominant force at a commander’s disposal.
The mortar’s mission is to provide close and immediate indirect fire support.120mm mortars fired on top of a stationary track vehicle, the M1064 Mortar Carrier. Mortarmen can target and fire in under two minutes effectively with a 7200m distance and refer to this as “high angle hell, death and destruction from above.” They can unleash a firestorm on their enemy without a direct line of sight using M934 High Explosive, M929 White Phosphorus Smoke, XM930 Illumination and the M931 Full Range Training Round.
“I've been here for three years, and I've primarily received FRTR rounds,” said Staff Sgt. Craig Dockery, B Company Mortar Section Leader, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment. “Fortunately, we got all four types for this exercise. It's good for junior enlisted to see [what] the actual rounds we use downrange looks like in real life.“
Fire Support Teams use a Joint Battle Command-Platform to radio missions while the Track Commander, doubling as the Fire Direction Center, translates gun data and relays information to the gun. The Gunner interprets the data and commands the Assistant Gunner to drop, or “hang” a round, causing the round to launch.
C Company Mortar Section Leader, Staff Sgt. Joel Perkins said, “Mortars are one of the most effective indirect assets in the commander's disposal, we are organic to that commander, and we are faster at processing missions while getting on target than Field Artillery.”
A Combined Arms Live Fire will follow 6-8 Cavalry’s current mortars certification in October.
| Date Taken: | 07.26.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 07.31.2018 17:08 |
| Story ID: | 286596 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, IDAHO, US |
| Web Views: | 328 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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