The Cardom (English: Hatchet, stands for Computerized Autonomous Recoil Rapid Deployed Outrange Mortar) is an Israeli 81 mm/120 mm recoil mortar system (RMS), manufactured by Soltam Systems. It is used by the United States Army, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), NATO countries, and others. The Cardom is an autonomous, computerized system for mounting on light and medium armored carriers. The system provides accurate and effective fire support.
== Overview == The system uses a new computerized integrated navigation and self-positioning and aiming systems. Its modern target acquisition devices, together with a specially designed recoiling mortar system, attenuate the firing loads and enables mounting the systems on wheeled and tracked armoured fighting vehicles, or even soft-skinned vehicles such as trucks. The system's aiming mechanisms are linked to state-of-the-art command, control and communication systems, to achieve quick response automatic laying mode. The Cardom system takes target-acquisition data including range, bearing and position from an observation point and transmits it directly to the Cardom system. Using electrical servo motors, the mortar barrel is then set at the exact traverse and elevation angles to fire upon the target. The 120 mm Cardom has a burst rate of 16 rpm, followed by a 4 rpm sustained rate of fire.
Foreign Use
The Cardom recoil mortar system has been qualified for fielding with the 3rd US Army Stryker brigade, and will be coupled with the M95 mortar's fire control system on the M1129 mortar carrier. So far, over 320 mortar systems have been manufactured for the U.S. Army.
Performance
Range: 7,000-8,000 meters Calibre: 120/81mm smoothbore and rifled Max rate of fire: 16 rounds per minute Traverse (deg): 360 Shoot of first round: less than 30 sec Crew: 2-4 dependent on carrier Dual mode: mounted and dismounted
Operators
Azerbaijan Azerbaijani Land Forces Bahrain Royal Bahraini Army special forces (purchased to Spain, fitted on the URO VAMTAC) Chile Chilean Army Cameroon Cameroon Army Denmark Royal Danish Army (also known as M/10 or Cardom 10) Israel Israeli Army Kazakhstan Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan Portugal Portuguese Army Philippines Philippine Army Spain Spanish Army Thailand Royal Thai Army Uganda Uganda Army United States United States Army Zambia Zambian Army
== See also == M1129 mortar carrier AMOS – (Finland) Patria NEMO – (Finland) Soltam 120 mm mortar system – (Israel) Soltam 155 mm mobile howitzer – (Israel) Light-weight combat vehicle – (Japan)
References
== Further reading == "SOLTAM 120 mm Mortar - Mortar systems" (PDF). elbitsystems.com. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013. "SOLTAM 81 mm Mortar - Mortar systems" (PDF). elbitsystems.com. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013. "Mortar systems". elbitsystems.com. 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
External links
Cardom mortar system on defense-update.com
=== Video === youtube video of Cardom system
