BAE delivers prototype of AMPV with mortar turret

The Army received its first prototype of an Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle featuring a turret armed with a 120mm mortar, BAE Systems announced Wednesday.

“Handing this remarkable capability over to the Army for evaluation is an important step in creating broader multipurpose options for Soldiers to maintain combat overmatch on the battlefield,” said Bill Sheehy, BAE Systems AMPV program director.

The prototype features the Patria NEMO remote-controlled 120mm turreted mortar system atop an AMPV chassis and can be used for direct and indirect fire, according to a company press release.

“By using a fielded and fully-qualified asset like the AMPV chassis, it gives the Army options to field combat capabilities -- such as the Patria NEMO -- to Soldiers who need them at a much faster pace and reduced cost,” the release adds.

The Patria NEMO can be fitted to armored personnel carriers, such as the Patria AMV, an eight-wheel-drive vehicle. In 2010, the Swedish Navy installed the Patria NEMO on a quick attack water vessel.

Currently, the Army is procuring the M1287 Mortar Carrier Vehicle, which is an AMPV armed with the M121 Mortar System, a variant of the Israeli-made Soltam K6 120mm mortar.

The M1287 replaces the M1064, an M113 variant armed with a 120mm mortar.

Instead of featuring a turret, the M1287 has a large round opening atop the vehicle from which the mortar operates.

“This new AMPV Turreted Mortar prototype offers a significant enhancement that would not only allow for increased capabilities and force protection, but also keep Soldiers completely under the armor protection provided by the vehicle,” the release adds.

In January, BAE delivered a turreted AMPV prototype to the Army that featured the ExMEP top plate, a system designed to counter unmanned aerial systems.