The Ugandan People Defence Force is fielding the Israeli-made ELBIT SOLTAM SPEAR 120mm mortar system mounted on Plasan SandCat tactical 4×4 vehicle.
Video showing the Israeli-made 120 mm Plasan SandCat Spear MK-2 self-propelled mortar and a Chinese-made 107 mm Type 63 multiple rocket launcher systems used by the Ugandan military in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo surface on Social media earlier this month.
Israel’s Plasan company, located in Kibbutz Sasa, had earlier announced in May 2020, that it has delivered to an unidentified customer at least 18 Sandcat light armoured vehicles configured for the Spear 120mm mortar. It is believed that the customer is Uganda.
The soft recoil 120 mm mortar system is part of the UPDF deployment to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The SOLTAM SPEAR 120mm light vehicle-mounted Recoil Mortar System provides ground forces with improved mobility, lethality and accuracy against a large number of threats. The system can be mounted on HMMWVs, trucks, APCs, and other rapidly deployed wheeled vehicles.
By combining the flexibility and lethality of accurate mortar fire with exceptional tactical mobility, the weapon system deliver accurate fire support solution.
The 120mm mortar is equipped with a high-performance enhanced tactical computer (ETC) and a SmarTMR tactical multimedia router and application server. The SmarTMR system can be integrated with onboard sensors, weapons, and command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) systems.
The targeting information is relayed to the fire control system (FCS) which computes the ballistic data and orders the electric drive system (EDS) to position the mortar barrel to the exact azimuth and elevation. The mortar fire control system (MFCS) receives feedback from the north finding system (NFS) and inclination gauge units (IGU).
SOLTAM SPEAR computerized aiming allows for autonomous operations without the need for external reference points. It can be integrated with a variety of battle management systems (BMS) and includes technical fire management, scheduled fire plans, a prioritization target process and an attack result forecast.
The SPEAR Mk 2 mobile mortar systems mounted on Tata LPTA 713TC 4×4 military trucks has also been supplied to Zambia, as showcased during a parade to mark the national defence day on 13 June 2021, to celebrate the founding of its military.
