Own a piece of battlefield illumination history with this 81mm M301A2 Illumination Mortar Round. Unlike a standard high-explosive mortar round, the M301A2 was built for one mission: lighting up the battlefield when visibility mattered most.

The M301A2 belongs to the classic family of U.S. 81mm illuminating mortar ammunition. Official ordnance data identifies the M301A2 and M301A1 as cartridges used for illuminating a desired point or area. The original service round used an illuminant candle and parachute assembly to provide overhead light for night operations and low-visibility battlefield conditions.

Historical Significance

The 81mm M301A2 represents the support side of mortar warfare. It was not designed to destroy a target. It was designed to help troops see, observe, move, and coordinate fire when darkness became a tactical problem.

Illumination rounds were essential for night fighting. They helped expose movement, mark areas of interest, assist observers, and support mortar and infantry teams during low-light operations. That gives the M301A2 strong collector appeal. It tells a different story than an HE round. It represents battlefield control, visibility, and fire-support coordination.

Service data for the M301A2 lists the complete round as an illuminating cartridge with a body tube and tail cone assembly, illuminant candle, parachute assembly, time fuze, fin assembly, propellant charge, and ignition cartridge. In original service configuration, the burning candle provided at least 60 seconds of illumination at a minimum of 500,000 candlepower.

Key Features

81mm M301A2 Illumination Mortar Round
U.S. 81mm battlefield illumination cartridge
Designed to illuminate a selected point or area
Original service type classification listed as CONT MSR 11756003
Original service data lists minimum 500,000 candlepower for at least 60 seconds
Associated with M1, M29, M29A1, and M252 81mm mortars
Original service data lists approximate length of 22.48 inches
Original service data lists approximate complete-round weight of 10.7 lb
Strong display piece for mortar, infantry, artillery, Vietnam-era, and Cold War collections

Why This Collectible Stands Out

The M301A2 has a great collector angle because it is not just another mortar projectile. It represents the night-fighting side of military history.

A display with HE, smoke, practice, and illumination rounds tells a much fuller story of how mortar crews operated. The M301A2 adds that missing piece. It shows how battlefield light was delivered before modern night-vision systems became common.

It also has excellent display value for collectors who focus on 81mm mortar ammunition, fire-support equipment, Vietnam-era ordnance, or Cold War infantry weapons systems.

M301A2 vs. M301A1

The M301A2 is closely related to the M301A1. Ordnance data notes that the M301A1 had gas-check bourrelet grooves and minor dimensional differences in metal parts. That makes the M301A2 an important variant for collectors who want to build a more complete 81mm illumination round display.

Service references also associate the M301A1 and M301A2 with the M84 mechanical-time fuze, while the later M301A3 used a different M84A1 fuze reference.

About This Round

This listing is for one 81mm M301A2 Illumination Mortar Round.

This item is intended for collection, display, historical reference, or training-aid use only. It is not for firing, loading, launching, modification, or operational use.

Original service-component information is provided for historical context only. No active fuze, live propellant, active illuminant, primer, explosive charge, parachute, shipping container, tool, manual, or additional accessory is included unless specifically shown or stated.

Ideal For

This round is a strong fit for:

81mm mortar round collectors
battlefield illumination displays
Vietnam-era and Cold War ordnance collections
infantry mortar and fire-support exhibits
inert ordnance and demilitarized ammunition displays
museum and classroom training displays
artillery and mortar history collections
collectors looking for a less common 81mm illumination variant

Approx length 25", Approx width 3", Approx height 3", Approx weight 7lbs.

Pictures are stock images of our inventory. Unless otherwise noted, you will not be receiving the exact item shown in the pictures. The pictures are representative of the item's general condition. The item you receive might be slightly better, or worse, condition than was shown in the pictures.

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