Lightweight firepower: Polish LMP‑2017 mortars gain recognition in Ukraine

The LMP-2017 mortars were delivered to the Polish army under a contract dated 12 December 2018, for the supply of 780 units to the Territorial Defence Forces. This weapon was once surrounded by some controversies but has proven to be very effective, among others, during the defense of Avdiivka by the Ukrainians.

The LMP-2017 mortars are a modern, lightweight, and easy-to-use design developed by Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów (ZMT). Besides the Polish Army, they are used by Ukrainians, who praised them during the defense of Avdiivka. The pace of mortar development was rapid, as highlighted by a ZMT representative who requested anonymity in a comment for WP Tech.

The impetus for such a rapid pace of work was the long-standing presence of the Czech mortar LRM vz. 99 ANTOS in the Polish Army. The weapon was offered by the Works 11 company, which was involved in a corruption case in the GROM Military Unit in 2019. ZMT wanted to seize the opportunity to replace the Czechs, which arose in 2017 after the order for ANTOS mortars for the Territorial Defence Forces was cancelled.

Later, the Czechs sued ZMT, claiming that the LMP-2017 mortar was a copy of the ANTOS, but they lost the case before the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

In 2023, based on a notification from Polish People's Party MP Jacek Tomczak, a proceeding began in the Warsaw District Prosecutor's Office. It concerned the alleged purchase by the Territorial Defence Forces of mortars that did not meet NATO standards.

However, the matter is much more complex. The LMP-2017 mortar is a modular design built to use Polish 60 mm ammunition and NATO 60 mm ammunition through a conversion involving the replacement of the barrel and a few other components.

An interlocutor from WP Tech emphasized that "after the completion of development work and a positive outcome of factory tests, lightweight infantry mortar systems LMP-2017 were presented to the Ministry of National Defence (MON) in two versions". "Ultimately, in 2018, the ministry decided to purchase a batch of 780 LMP-2017 mortars adapted to fire ammunition from the domestic manufacturer with a calibre of 60 mm, introduced into the armament of the Polish Armed Forces. However, ZMT maintains the design, technological and production readiness to adapt the LMP-2017 mortars to any ammunition indicated by the MON, both from domestic and foreign manufacturers," the ZMT representative told us.

This configuration means that the Territorial Defence Forces can currently use large stockpiles of 60 mm ammunition and very easily switch to NATO 60 mm ammunition once conversion kits are purchased in the appropriate amount.

As the war in Ukraine demonstrates, in the case of a full-scale conflict, artillery and mortar ammunition consumption reaches several thousand rounds per day. The ability to use older ammunition stocks (stock levels are classified but could be several hundred thousand or even a few million rounds) in a modern system, with the same ergonomics for using new NATO ammunition, is a significant plus.

The LMP-2017 mortar, whose name stands for "Light Infantry Mortar 2017", is a 60 mm design weighing less than 8 kg. The weapon can be operated by just one soldier, although optimal operation is by two people.

The mortar's design heavily utilizes polymers and light alloys wherever possible without reducing durability. ZMT emphasizes that its service life is 1,500 rounds. The weapon can fire up to 30 consecutive rounds.

The mortar's range is 1.1 km for LM60 rounds and 1.3 km for LM60N rounds. The weapon delivered to the Territorial Defence Forces is one of the newest lightweight mortar systems in the world, currently proving its effectiveness in Ukraine.

The LMP-2017 also served as the basis for the export-offered LMC mortar, which was tested with Chinese ammunition used in the PP89 mortar and Swedish MAPAM ammunition (SAAB). This indicates that the manufacturer is trying to sell this weapon to countries in Southeast Asia, which had previously purchased weapons from Tarnów.

In the case of the 60 mm MAPAM round weighing nearly 2 kg, the declared blast radius of 2,500 fragments is 40 meters from the point of impact, which is a very good result for this class of ammunition.

The round is equipped with an advanced electro-pyrotechnic fuse, which detonates about 1.5 meters above the ground, increasing the blast area and enabling it to hit soldiers hiding in trenches. The fuse has a processor, battery, and radio signal emitter, so it "knows" its height and when to detonate.

However, it is worth noting that in accordance with MIL-STD-1316D standard, the fuse arms itself only at a minimum height of 100 meters after leaving the barrel when the mechanical safety shorts the electric circuit.