Mobility and Agility: The EM&E Mortar Weapon System (EMOC)
The EMOC system during its first presentation at IDEX 2023
Currently, the international arms market offers a wide range of self-propelled mortars based on various platforms and weapon modules. Several years ago, the Spanish group Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E) unveiled its own approach to such systems. It developed the EMOC system, designed to use various types and calibers of weapons.
Modern development
EM&E began work on a new mortar system at the beginning of the decade, building on its own developments in combat modules and control systems. Furthermore, the company has repeatedly cited lessons learned from armed conflicts in recent years.
The first results were demonstrated in February 2023 at the IDEX exhibition in the UAE. The system, designated EMOC, was demonstrated on an all-terrain vehicle. At the same time, the main characteristics and claimed advantages over competitors were revealed.
The complex subsequently appeared at other exhibitions on numerous occasions. Advertising materials featured variants based on different chassis and with different weapons, but with the same module; the design of the main units was simultaneously refined. In April 2026, the company launched a modernized generation of the system.
The exact number of prototypes assembled is not disclosed, but the existence of several working prototypes is confirmed by public demonstrations over the years: from the first prototype on a three-axle chassis at IDEX 2023 to a functional prototype based on a pickup truck in 2025. This technology has likely already undergone some factory and field testing.
Mortar placement on a pickup truck chassis
However, the project is still far from completion. The developer has not yet specified the progress of testing and design refinement, nor has it announced its readiness for serial production.
Commercial prospects
The company is currently participating in international tenders and seeking customers. Interestingly, it isn't currently counting on contracts from the Spanish Armed Forces, focusing on exports.
The reasons for the "domestic" failure are well known. First, the Spanish Army has historically opted for another domestic mortar, the Alakran from NTGS: it had undergone longer testing, was already in service with light units, and had been used in combat, and the military did not want to duplicate logistics. Second, in the spring of 2026, a conflict of interest erupted around EM&E's leadership: the company's CEO, Angel Escribano, also chaired the board of the state-owned Indra. An attempt to merge the two entities met with opposition from the state-owned SEPI fund, the deal was thwarted, and Escribano resigned. All of this reduced the company's chances of winning exclusive national contracts. Third, there were diverging technical priorities: the EMOC was developed as an extremely lightweight export product without forced-breed cooling, whereas the Spanish Army's Force 2035 modernization doctrine requires mortars to deliver sustained, intense suppressive fire.
The focus on exports is already yielding initial results. In March 2025, the system was first demonstrated in the UK at the Omega Future Fires conference in Bristol. The system has been entered into the Ministry of Defence's Project Stokes competition (Light Mounted Mortar Variant-Hinge (LMMVH) requirement), where it is competing with developments from Elbit Systems, Babcock/ST Engineering, and the aforementioned NTGS. The British Army is considering re-equipping its self-propelled vehicle fleet. artillery, including mortar systems. At the same time, EM&E is pursuing alliances, for example, integrating a mortar into the Viper system in partnership with France's Thales and the Netherlands' Defenture.
Other armies are also being considered as potential buyers, but their exact range is still unknown.
Technical solutions
The EMOC is designed as a set of components for mounting on various chassis. It includes the mortar itself, its mount, fire control systems, and ammunition stowage.
Ammunition stowage, gunner's terminal and mortar in combat position
The main component is a ground-lowering, oscillating mortar mount. It comprises a mobile manipulator with a barrel-holding device and a frame with a base plate. Electric and pneumatic mechanisms are provided, as well as a manual backup drive. A patented hydropneumatic recoil dampening system transfers the firing impulse to the base plate in the ground, rather than the chassis. Since the carrier frame does not absorb recoil, the module can be mounted on light vehicles.
In the stowed position, the mount is raised up and forward and laid alongside the carrier platform. Before firing, it is lowered to the ground; fire is directed toward the rear hemisphere. According to the developer, switching from stowed to combat position and back takes less than 20 seconds: this is necessary for the shoot-and-scoot operation.
The system is available in two caliber versions: with a smoothbore barrel of either 81mm or 120mm caliber. Switching between calibers is not straightforward: it requires replacement of some components and a software update.
Compatible mortars fire standard NATO mines of the corresponding calibers. EM&E also offers its own line of guided ("smart") mines, including the EM-120. The 120mm version boasts the following performance: a maximum range of up to 8,8 km when firing proprietary guided mines and approximately 7-7,2 km when firing standard NATO mines; a circular error probable of less than 10 m for the guided mine; and a rate of fire of up to 10 rounds per minute in intensive mode and approximately 4 rounds per minute in sustained mode. A multiple mine simultaneous strike (MRSI) mode is also supported. The company does not publish the exact weight of the module, positioning it as the lightest 120mm mortar module on the market: according to the company, it can be mounted on commercial vehicles with a payload capacity of at least 1 ton, including the URO VAMTAC, Toyota Land Cruiser, and 4x4 pickups. Loading in all cases is manual, from the muzzle.
The system features digital fire control with inertial and satellite navigation systems, a ballistic calculator, and control terminals; the fire control system is integrated with communications systems. The inertial unit was further improved in the 2026 generation.
EMOC, based on a Land Rover vehicle, mortar launcher in a stowed position
An interesting feature of the module is the placement of key sensors directly on the mortar mount, rather than on the base vehicle. According to the developer, since the mount rests directly on the ground, the sensors measure the position and movement of the barrel itself, not the vehicle and its suspension deflection, which allows for more accurate gun positioning and improved firing accuracy.
The EMOC is compatible with various platforms. At IDEX 2023, a vehicle based on a three-axle buggy was unveiled. Later, pickup truck variants appeared in promotional materials, and in 2025, a prototype based on a Land Rover chassis was unveiled.
Regardless of the chassis, all variants of the system are configured identically. Ammunition boxes are mounted on the cargo platform at the sides, a oscillating mortar unit is mounted at the rear, and the cabin houses electronic instruments.
The standard crew consists of three people: a driver, a gunner, and a loader. Adding a second loader (a fourth crew member) increases the rate of fire.
Challenges and responses
The main threat to artillery today is counter-battery fire: a position can be identified and covered in minutes. To accomplish missions without sustaining losses, weapons must be mobile, quickly deployable, and maintain sufficient firepower while remaining lightweight, easy to maintain, and inexpensive. In the EMOC project, EM&E outlined its view of these threats and requirements and proposed solutions.
Installation in combat position
The EMOC has notable advantages: a relatively simple design (both the module itself and its associated devices), compatibility with various platforms, weapons, and ammunition, and a digital fire control system. The developers envision it as a means for rapid fire strikes: short deployment and dismantling times allow the crew to reposition before the enemy returns fire.
Speed over armor: this is where the EMOC isn't unique; almost all light mortar systems in this class are built this way. This is also its main drawback. The prototypes shown don't have armor on the cab or components; the mortar is exposed, and the crew is protected only by personal protective equipment. Both the vehicle and the crew are exposed to return fire and shrapnel. Whether the speed is sufficient to justify this hasn't yet been tested in practice.
There's nothing revolutionary about the EMOC. But the system is carefully assembled: modularity, rapid deployment, and the ability to operate guided mines—everything is in place. The real-world test will be provided by the UK's Project Stokes, where the Spanish development will face direct competition for the first time in a government tender.
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