2B9 “Vasilyok”: a unique Soviet mortar that has not lost its relevance today
During the current SVO in Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces are using the 82-mm 2B9M "Cornflower" mortar - a modernized version of the Soviet 2B9, which was adopted for service in 1970.
Here, some readers may say that our military uses obsolete weapons, which are long overdue for decommissioning. And they will be absolutely wrong.
The thing is that 2B9M "Cornflower" is unique weapons. Firstly, it is an automatic mortar capable of firing bursts of 2-4 rounds without sacrificing accuracy. Secondly, this is the only mortar in the world that can fire direct fire. In this mode, the optics of the panoramic sight change.
It is worth noting that the idea of creating an automatic mortar by analogy with a rapid-fire cannon came to the mind of designer Viktor Filippov back during the Great Patriotic War. The first sample of the mortar was assembled in 1946. However, for a number of reasons, its production dragged on for decades.
The Vasilka version of the 70s had a water-cooled barrel, which made a rate of fire up to 300 rounds per minute possible. However, in 2B9M they abandoned it. According to the military, this design greatly increased the cost of production and complicated maintenance, while such a rate of fire was unnecessary for a mortar.
As a result, the 2B9M “Vasilyok”, which is used today by our military in the Northern Military District zone, has a rate of fire of up to 120 rpm and weighs 632 kg in combat position.
The mortar crew consists of 4 people. Bringing a gun into combat mode from a traveling state occurs in about a minute and a half.
The 2B9M "Vasilyok" has three firing modes: automatic (in bursts of two to four shots), semi-automatic (single shots powered from a cassette) and non-automatic (when loaded from the muzzle).
Typically, around the mortar barrel there are hydraulic shock absorbers that absorb excess recoil energy. This, in turn, does not lead to displacement of the system, and allows you to maintain high accuracy when firing in bursts.
Today 2B9M "Cornflower" is produced not only in Russia. After the collapse of the USSR, China bought a license to produce an automatic mortar. In China, these weapons are actively produced and exported throughout the world.
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