Task Force Currahee first to test the Precision Guided Munitions 120mm mortar round in Afghanistan

March 31, 2011 |

Written by By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Todd Christopherson
Task Force Currahee Public Affairs

Paktika Province, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Soldiers at Forward Operating Base Kushamond achieved a first in Army history March 26th by firing a 120 mm Precision Guided Mortar Munitions round for the first time in Afghanistan.

Mortarmen from Company C, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, fired the round which hit within four meters of its target.

U.S. Army Spc. Nicholas Ketchen, a native from Sarasota, FL, and U.S. Army Spc. Colt Corbin, a native of Beaver Falls, PA, Team, 101st Airborne Division, achieved a first in the U.S. Army history by firing a 120mm Mortar Precision Guided Munition for the first time and hitting within four meters of the target on Forward Operation Base Kushamond March 26th. (Photo by U.S. Army Spc. Zachary Burke, 55th Combat Camera)

A mortar is an indirect fire weapon system infantrymen at the battalion-level use for immediate fire missions. Normally a mortar fires a “dumb” round – one that does not have an on-board guidance system.

“The 120mm precision guided munitions will allow Task Force Red Currahee to provide even more effective fires with increased lethality,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. David Womack, commander of the 1st Bn., 506th Inf., and a native of Roanoke, VA. “The accuracy of the 120 mm PGMM also reduces the potential risk of any collateral damage, (and) as a commander I have another tool available to fight the enemy.” 

“A 120 mm mortar is a fairly accurate weapons system (with the dumb round), it is however not as accurate as the Howitzers,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gary Pina, brigade fire support coordinator, 4th BCT,101st Airborne Div., and a native of Lawton, OK. “It was built for immediate fire suppression or support for the infantry battalions.”  

He said the Howitzers are a brigade-level asset. The 120 mm PGMM mortar round offers a more capable weapon system at the battalion level, said Pina.

“It gives that infantry battalion commander a PGM capability at his disposal, he has the Excalibur to use but that is a brigade asset,” said Pina. “But with this 120mm PGM he has that asset at his disposal.”

Unlike the regular mortar round, the 120 mm PGMM has a Global Positioning System and can hit a target location within 10 meters or less. This will help mitigate collateral damage and offer greater accuracy and first round fire-for-effect helps to reduce the number of rounds required to successfully defeat high value targets.

“Our Soldiers on the ground have capabilities that were unimaginable when the war on terror started,” said Womack. “I am pleased how quickly our Soldiers and NCOs trained and employed the new system which is a tribute to our incredible NCO Corps. It is not lost on our Soldiers that there is nothing our Army cannot accomplish.”

Sections

Topics

© 2006-2021 Clarksville, TN Online is owned and operated by residents of Clarksville Tennessee.
» We are Hosted by Compu-Net Enterprises; In Partnership with Discover Clarksville and Discover Paris