Israeli defense company Elbit Systems announced on Wednesday that it won its first contract stretching six years and totaling $53 million to supply a 120 mm unmanned mortar system with a recoil mechanism, which will be installed on the European client's Pandur 6X6 vehicles.
Elbit Systems Land General Manager Yehuda (Udi) Vered, said, “We are proud to receive the first order from a leading international client for our state-of-the-art Crossbow Unmanned Turreted Mortar System. The turreted mortar, with its precise guided round, reaffirms our commitment to developing and providing innovative and advanced land systems as solutions to the evolving needs of the modern battlefield.”
The new mortar system’s advantage is its high survivability and protection it provides to the operating team. While previously soldiers had to physically carry the shells to the top of the barrel and launch it, exposing themselves to enemy fire, the new mortar is automatic. The shells are placed in a storage compartment and the mortar can load the bomb by itself while keeping the soldiers protected inside the vehicle or any other platform where they’re located.
The mortar has a rapid-fire capability and can fire the first shell in less than 30 seconds. The system has a maximum rate of 10 shells per minute, with an average rate of six shells per minute. The new system combines precise mortar capabilities with a high automatic fire rate.
With a variety of NATO-approved 120 mm ammunition types, including the Israeli Steel Sting mortar, the system provides an effective range of up to 10 km. No indexing is required for the Crossbow turret, which offers a 360° capability.
In addition, the turret can also be loaded with a variety of shells with different capabilities - from illumination bombs to precise Steel Sting type mortars manufactured by Elbit, which were first used during the war in Gaza. The Crossbow system was first introduced at the DSEI exhibition held in London in 2023, and as mentioned, this marks the first order received for it internationally.