The Israeli defense company Elbit Systems publicly unveiled its 120mm Crossbow ("Crossbow") turret mortar system for the first time at the DSEI exhibition in London in 2023. The product is designed for installation on 6×6 and 8×8 wheeled armored vehicles, as well as tracked vehicles. The goal of the developers is to provide the firepower of large–caliber mortars for medium and heavy formations. The system complies with the MIL-STD-810G standard.
The company offers Crossbow with basic Level 1 protection. At the request of the customer, the design is capable of accepting additional sets of armor, which increase security to the 4th level. In this case, the mass of the mortar system will not exceed 3.2 tons.
Crossbow mortar system at DSEI 2023
The system is fully automated and is coupled with a fire control system (FCS), which, in turn, interacts with the combat control system. After completing the assigned firing task, the mortar can fire the first shot in less than 30 seconds.
The automatic loading mechanism allows you to fire 10 rounds in the first minute, while the constant rate of fire is 6 rounds per minute. The installed new automatic loading mechanism ensures that the supplied ammunition is aligned to the current position of the barrel, which eliminates the need for it to return to its original position for loading.
The ammunition is placed in a carousel, from which the loading mechanism lifts them and sends the ammunition into the breech, which automatically closes. If the firing solution was provided in a timely manner, the operator can load the shots into the carousel with the required number of charges. In case of immediate action, the geometry of the carousel allows him to remove excess charges.
The "Crossbow" is equipped with a 3 m long barrel, which, at maximum charge, provides a firing range of up to 10 km. The mortar system allows you to fire all standard 120 mm high-explosive, lighting and smoke type ammunition, as well as guided ammunition from the Iron Sting company. The weapon system is fully stabilized. According to the manufacturer, this allows the Crossbow to fire while driving.
The tower has a stepless 360 degree rotation. The barrel has an elevation arc of + 87°/ -3°, and, if necessary, allows direct fire. It is also equipped with a multiple simultaneous impact (MRSI) mode, in which several shots with different barrel elevation are fired in a short sequence one after the other, simultaneously hitting the target. The difference in trajectories does not allow MRSI reception at all ranges, the possibility is implemented in the range of 2.5-5 km. For self-defense, a 12.7mm machine gun is mounted on the right side of the 120 mm barrel.
The Crossbow automatic mortar system was developed by Elbit Systems under a contract with the Israel Defense Forces. It is reported. The AOI plans to initially use it for border protection, probably in a container version.
The Crossbow mortar system based on the Pandur armored personnel carrier. Sketch
Elbit Systems recently announced that on May 8, 2024, it received a contract worth about $53 million for the supply of Crossbow mortar systems to General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) for installation on Pandur wheeled 6x6 armored personnel carriers for a European customer. This contract was the first signed since the presentation of the "Crossbow" at the DSEI 2023 exhibition. According to the European media, the Austrian Armed Forces are called the likely customer.
According to the materials edrmagazine.eu
