Description
Israeli 120mm M48 Mortar Round Without Nose Fuze
The Israeli 120mm M48 mortar round belongs to the Soltam ammunition family, linking a military collection to the history of Israel’s heavy mortar industry. This example is supplied without its nose fuze. It is a useful reference piece for collectors interested in mortar projectiles, ammunition design and Israeli ordnance history.
Identification and Features
The M48 designation belongs to the ammunition rather than the mortar weapon. Its 120mm caliber places it in the heavy mortar class, above common 60mm and 81mm types. Country, model and caliber are the key details for organizing this item within a reference collection.
- Origin: Israel.
- Model: M48.
- Caliber: 120mm.
- Type: Mortar round.
- Nose fuze: Not included.
Function and Contents
In a complete service round, the body carried the payload and the nose fuze controlled when it functioned. Tail fins stabilized flight from a smoothbore mortar, which has no spiral rifling inside its barrel. Published Soltam specifications describe forged alloy-steel bodies and machined aluminum tail sections in the 120mm range. The M48 was a conventional, unguided ammunition design.
Product History
A 2010 study by Poongsan ammunition researchers lists four main Soltam 120mm ammunition groups: M48, M57/M59, M98 and M100. It describes M57 as a development that extended the M48’s range, with M59 following as a further improvement. This places the M48 at an earlier point in the design sequence behind later range improvements.
Documented Applications
The documented M48 family includes high-explosive, illumination, smoke and practice versions. These served different military needs. High-explosive ammunition supported ground troops; illumination rounds supplied light for night observation and signaling; smoke rounds supported screening and marking; and practice ammunition served training. These are documented applications of the service family.
Manufacturer and Industry History
Soltam’s mortar and ammunition work became part of Elbit Systems when the company completed its acquisition of Soltam on October 17, 2010. Elbit then held full ownership of Soltam. Its later land-systems catalog includes the M98 high-explosive mortar round, illumination ammunition and smoke ammunition. This continued product range connects the older Soltam name with a later chapter in Israeli defense manufacturing, while keeping the M48 distinct from newer models.
Equipment History
The broader Israeli mortar industry developed vehicle-mounted systems with powered aiming and recoil control. CARDOM became an important part of that development; Elbit identifies the U.S. Army, NATO users and Israel Defense Forces among its operators. SPEAR followed as a derivative intended for mobile platforms. On May 15, 2017, Elbit announced SPEAR MK2, a 120mm system adapted for lightweight combat vehicles. These later systems show the direction of the industry behind the older Soltam ammunition range.
Weapon-System Background
Heavy 120mm mortars give ground troops support through a high, arcing flight path. A conventional ground-mounted mortar uses a barrel, bipod and baseplate. The bipod supports the barrel, while the baseplate spreads the firing force into the ground. The steep flight path allows indirect fire, meaning the crew does not need a direct view of the target. Mortar units also depended on teamwork among gunners, ammunition handlers and the personnel who directed their fire.
History of Use
Official records document the M48 pattern beyond its Israeli origin. Australia’s Department of Defence included a 120mm M48 high-explosive mortar cartridge in its List of Authorised Commonwealth Explosives dated March 1, 2021. A publicly released UK Ministry of Defence report also identifies Iran’s DIO M48 as a copy of an Israeli Soltam 120mm design. These records show the model’s international reach through ammunition inventories and copied designs. They describe the wider M48 history rather than a service record for this individual round.
Ideal For
This M48 mortar round suits collections centered on Israeli ordnance, Soltam ammunition and heavy mortar development. Its model designation gives it a place in comparative studies of earlier and later 120mm projectile designs, especially when displayed with period reference material.
- Israeli military ordnance collections.
- Soltam ammunition history displays.
- 120mm mortar projectile reference collections.
- Military technology and manufacturing studies.
Approx length 20", Approx width 5", Approx height 5, Approx weight 21.4lbs.
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