The new integrated 81 mm Dual-EIMOS mortar system has reached an important milestone with the successful validation of the UTEX programme. This is according to an announcement published by Spanish manufacturer EXPAL on 14 December 2020. The actual validation phases took place at the end of November and are due to be completed in March 2021, according to the manufacturer. Representatives from the Armaments Directorate of the Spanish Ministry of Defence (DGAM), the Spanish Marine Corps, the Spanish Army and the Spanish Navy's Logistics Office took part in the tests near Zaragoza.
The tests should be seen in the context of the Spanish Navy's procurement plans. The latter intends to procure up to 18 such mortar systems for the naval infantry.
The Dual-EIMOS is a further developed version of the EIMOS mortar system, which has already been in use with the Spanish Legion for some time and has been adapted to the requirements of amphibious combat. The system was integrated into the cargo bed of a VAMTAC ST5. The lightly protected 4×4 vehicle in the five-tonne class from Spanish manufacturer Urovesa offers the crew a level 3 level of protection in accordance with STANAG 4569. However, the crew must leave the cabin and load the mortar by hand in order to fire it.
Dual EIMOS
The 81 mm mortar system has a 360-degree effective range. The modifications to the Dual-EIMOS include an improved shock absorber system, which, according to Spanish press reports, can compensate for up to 90 per cent of the recoil and therefore contributes to the protection and longevity of the vehicle chassis. In addition, a new inertial navigation system (INU) of the latest generation has been integrated, which ensures precise weapon deployment even away from connections to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS).
In order to meet the requirements of naval infantry specialising in amphibious combat, the system was designed to have a wading capability of up to 1.5 metres without any preparation.
The system is connected to the Spanish TALOS C² system. This means that fire commands can also be transmitted and implemented via radio data transmission. The weapon system is self-aiming after receiving the fire command, but can also be manually aimed by joystick if required. The weapon system then automatically points to the transmitted target coordinate while travelling. If fire support is required, this can then be provided immediately after the vehicle has stopped; in this case, the gunner only has to load the cartridge with the required charge. If the vehicle breaks down or a dismounted mission is required, the barrel can be removed from the integrated mortar system without special tools and used in the classic manner away from the vehicle using the accompanying bipod, base plate and periscope.
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