Brandt Mle CM60A1

Brandt Mle CM60A1

Muzzle of a Brandt Mle CM60A1 gun-mortar (left) on an HE-60-7 turret
Type Mortar
Place of origin France
Production history
Designer Edgar Brandt
Designed 1959[1]
Number built 1,600+[2]
Variants Brandt 60 mm LR Gun-mortar
Specifications
Caliber 60 millimetres (2.4 in)
Elevation -15° to +80°[2]
Traverse Depends on mounting; up to 360°[3]
Effective firing range 300 metres (330 yd) - direct fire[2]
Maximum firing range 2,000 metres (2,200 yd) - indirect fire[3]

The Brandt Mle CM60A1, also known as the Brandt HB 60LP, MCB-60 HB, or simply as the Brandt 60mm LP Gun-Mortar,[4] is a 60mm (2.36 in.) gun-mortar.[3] Unlike conventional infantry mortars, it was not designed to be mounted on a bipod and a baseplate, but rather in the turrets of armoured fighting vehicles.[5] The CM60A1 could be fired at a very low angle of elevation, giving it the dual purpose of direct fire artillery. Its hydraulic recoil mechanism reduces peak loads, allowing it to be mounted in very light armoured cars such as the Panhard AML-60 or wheeled armoured personnel carriers like the Panhard M3.[3]

Development history

The Brandt Mle CM60A1 was developed as a result of French counter-insurgency experiences during the Algerian War.[6] France had initially favoured the deployment of swift, lightly armoured cars against the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN), including the M8 Greyhound and Panhard EBR.[7] However, these vehicles had been designed for conventional combat on European battlefields and proved poorly suited to Algerian conditions; their heavy anti-tank armament also risked collateral damage and was of limited usefulness in fighting off guerrilla raids. The French Army wanted a much lighter, more efficient vehicle that was easier to maintain and initially adopted the Daimler Ferret for this purpose.[8] Nevertheless, Ferrets could only be armed with a single general-purpose machine gun, and were regarded as inadequate for offensive purposes. A number of French defence contractors took up the challenge of creating yet another new vehicle of similar dimensions to the Ferret but carrying a mortar, which was regarded as more effective than a large gun system at breaking up ambushes and suppressing dispersed FLN positions.[7] The result, the Panhard AML-60, entered service in 1961.[9] AML-60s were fitted with an HE-60-7 turret developed by the Compagnie Normande de Mécanique de Précision (CNMP), which mated the CM60A1 mortar to twin co-axial machine guns or a single co-axial 20mm autocannon.[2] This turret could store about 43 mortar projectiles.[10] The CM60A1 was unique in that it was the first turret-mounted, breech-loading, dual-purpose mortar to be mass produced.[5] Its turret mount gave it continuous traverse, and unlike muzzle-loading infantry mortars it could engage targets of opportunity at close range that could not otherwise be suppressed with indirect fire.[5]

The CM60A1 had a hydraulic recoil system and could be loaded with standard mortar ammunition for indirect fire support, as well as specialized direct fire ammunition.[5] Ranging was visual and conducted through the turret sights. Due to the lack of a modern fire control system in the HE-60-7 turrets, range to target had to be estimated by the vehicle crew.[11] This required a series of precise but time-consuming calculations to be made by the crew commander for ascertaining firing angles.[12]

Brandt's Mle CM60A1 design proved to be an immediate export success, as South Africa placed an order for 350 AML-60s in 1961, over half of which were to be assembled locally with French technical assistance.[13] A South African military delegation visited France between November 22 and 28 that year to discuss the manufacture of the HE-60-7 turrets and armament under licence.[14] By 1965 South Africa had purchased 450 CM60A1s for the future production of its modified Eland-60 armoured cars, along with a licence for both the mortar and its associated ammunition, which was granted by the French government's Direction technique des armements terrestres (DTAT).[14] CM60A1s manufactured in South Africa under licence were designated K1.[15]

Throughout the 1960s, CM60A1s were exported with the AML-60 to Algeria, Burundi, Cambodia, Côte d'Ivoire, Iraq, Ireland, Morocco, Nigeria, Portugal, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, and Spain.[13] Some governments favoured the purchase of the lightly armed AML-60 model as opposed to the heavier AML-90 due to its comparatively attractive cost.[16][17]

By the mid to late 1970s, the CM60A1 had been largely superseded by the similar Cloche Spéciale (CS) 60 which was distinguished by its ribbed barrel.[2] The CS 60 utilized more ergonomic ammunition, which allowed for up to 56 mortar projectiles to be stored in the HE-60-7 turret, as opposed to the CM60A1's 43.[2] Nevertheless, both mortar types continued to be marketed in a wide range of commercial turrets for the export market.[5] In the late 1970s, the CM60A1 was successfully mounted on a variant of the Panhard M3 designated M3 VTT 60B.[3] It was also offered for export with the Berliet VXB-170.[3] South Africa later mounted K1 mortars on its fleet of Ratel infantry fighting vehicles, which were designated Ratel-60.[18] A gun-mortar almost identical to the CM60A1 was produced by FN Herstal for the FN 4RM/62F AB armoured cars of the Belgian Gendarmerie.[3]

The CM60A1 was the topic of some controversy in the Irish Army following a series of accidents and misfires. At some point prior to 1980 incidents involving the mortar type had become so common that its use was prohibited. The mortars were removed from Irish AML-60s shortly afterwards and replaced with a single heavy machine gun.[16]

As of 1980 over 1,600 CM60A1 mortars had been produced.[2] A much larger, long-ranged variant of the CM60A1 and CS 60, with a barrel extension incorporated onto the existing armament, was known as the Brandt LR Gun-mortar.[5]

Combat history

CM60A1s have seen extensive combat, primarily with the AML-60 and Eland-60 light armoured cars. French forces deployed AML-60s armed with CM60A1 mortars during Operation Tacaud in Chad.[19][20] South African Eland-60s were used for counter-insurgency and frequently engaged militants of the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) during the South African Border War.[21] Throughout the Portuguese Colonial Wars, the AML-60 equipped Portuguese reconnaissance platoons, mainly deployed for convoy escort.[22] Zaire donated some of its AML-60s to the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), where they saw action as part of the Angolan Civil War, often manned by French or Portuguese mercenaries.[23] Nigerian AML-60s were exposed to considerable combat during the Nigerian Civil War, with one being captured by Biafran forces.[24]

AML-60s have been deployed as part of three United Nations peacekeeping missions since 1964: UNOSOM, UNIFIL, and UNFICYP.[25]

Ammunition

Two different models of high explosive ammunition were produced for the CM60A1: the M35/47, which had a range of 1,600 metres, and the M61, which has a range of 2,000 metres.[3] Other specialized projectiles included canister and illumination rounds.[3] South Africa manufactured its own range of high explosive, canister, and illumination rounds for the K1, as well as a unique smoke projectile.[18]

At some point France did develop an armour-piercing shell for the CM60A1, but it is unclear whether this entered production.[4]

Operators

Map with Brandt 60mm operators in blue with former operators in red
Eland-60 armoured car with its K1 mortar at full elevation.

CM60A1 mortars have been exported widely with AML-60, Eland-60, and Ratel-60 armoured fighting vehicles.

Former operators

Use of Brandt's Mle CM60A1 Gun-Mortar
Vehicle Designer Country Gun Users
Berliet VXB[3] Berliet  France Mle CM60A1 None (prototype)
Eland-60[32] Sandock-Austral  South Africa Denel K1 South Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Zimbabwe
Panhard AML-60[9] Panhard  France Mle CM60A1 Algeria, Burundi, Cambodia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Iraq, Ireland, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Spain, Zaire, others
Panhard M3 VTT 60B[3] Panhard  France Mle CM60A1 None (prototype)
Ratel-60[33] Sandock-Austral  South Africa Denel K1 South Africa, Rwanda
Rooikat[33] Sandock-Austral  South Africa Denel K1 None (prototype)

References

  1. ↑ Defence Update (International). Defence Update G.m.b.H., 1984, 1984–85 Volume Collected Issues 48–58.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pretty, Ronald. Jane's Weapon Systems, 1979–80 (1979 ed.). Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd. pp. 313–368. ISBN 978-0-531-03299-2.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Christopher F. Foss. Jane's World Armoured Fighting Vehicles (1976 ed.). Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd. pp. 211–218. ISBN 0-354-01022-0.
  4. 1 2 Interconair Armies & Weapons, Collected Issues 40-49. Interconair Media Group, 1978 p. 45-60.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Cavalry Mortars — A Better Way". Armor magazine. Fort Knox, Kentucky: US Army Armor Center: 17–22. September–October 1995.
  6. ↑ Ogorkiewicz, R. M. AFV Weapons Profile 039 Panhard Armoured Cars (Windsor, Berks: Profile Publications).
  7. 1 2 "L'AUTOMITRAILLEUSE LEGERE PANHARD". Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  8. ↑ Henry, Michel (July–December 1972). "French Armor in Algeria". Armor magazine. Fort Knox, Kentucky: US Army Armor Center: 12–15.
  9. 1 2 Perret-Gentil, J. (September 1961). "Une nouvelle auto-mitrailleuse Panhard (A.M.L. 245)". Revue Militaire Suisse. Lausanne: Imprimeries Reunies SA: 42–46.
  10. ↑ Chant, Christopher (1987). A Compendium of Armaments and Military Hardware. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 158–59. ISBN 0-7102-0720-4. OCLC 14965544.
  11. ↑ Pretty, Ronald. Jane's Weapon Systems, 1983–84 (1983 ed.). Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd. pp. 269–713. ISBN 978-0-7106-0776-8.
  12. ↑ Mannall, David. Battle on the Lomba 1987: The Day a South African Armoured Battalion shattered Angola's Last Mechanized Offensive (2014 ed.). Helion and Company. pp. 48—92. ISBN 978-1-909982-02-4.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "Trade Registers". Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 2014-11-20.
  14. 1 2 Moukambi, Victor (December 2008). Grundlingh, A.M., ed. "Relations between South Africa and France with special reference to military matters, 1960-1990". Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  15. ↑ "Ratel" (PDF). Amman: Raboukh Trading Company. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  16. 1 2 3 Adrian English. Irish Army Orders of Battle 1923–2004 (2005 ed.). Tiger Lily Books. pp. 56–78. ISBN 978-0-9720296-7-4.
  17. ↑ Ishizuka, Katsumi (2004). Ireland and International Peacekeeping Operations 1960–2000: A Study of Irish Motivation. Philadelphia: Routledge Books. pp. 81–82. ISBN 978-0-7146-8440-6.
  18. 1 2 3 "Lesakeng". South African Armour Museum. 2012-12-06. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
  19. ↑ David Jordan. The History of the French Foreign Legion: From 1831 to Present Day (2005 ed.). Amber Books Ltd. pp. 181—185. ISBN 1-59228-768-9.
  20. ↑ Tom Cooper & Albert Grandolini. Libyan Air Wars: Part 1: 1973–1985 (2015 ed.). Helion & Co. Ltd. pp. 39—37. ISBN 978-1-909982-39-0.
  21. ↑ Heitman, Helmoed-Römer. South African Arms and Armour - A concise guide to armaments of the South African Army, Navy, and Air Force. Struik Publishers 1988. ISBN 0-86977-637-1 p 44-45.
  22. ↑ Peter Abbot. Modern African Wars (2): Angola and Mozambique 1961–74 (1988 ed.). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85045-843-5.
  23. ↑ Nortje, Piet (2003). 32 Battalion. Zebra Press. pp. 97–98. ISBN 978-1-86872-914-2.
  24. ↑ Jowett, Philip (2016). Modern African Wars (5): The Nigerian-Biafran War 1967-70. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Press. p. 24. ISBN 978-1472816092.
  25. ↑ Malmassari, Paul (August 1996). "UN Armored Cars/Reconnaissance Vehicles (since the beginning)". Armored Car: The Wheeled Fighting Vehicle Journal. Salem, Oregon: David Haugh Publisher: 8–9.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Christopher F. Foss. Jane's Armour and Artillery (2002 ed.). Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd. p. 209. ISBN 978-0710623096.
  27. ↑ "Pakistan: Military takes security of Airports, Prisons and Defence Installations". Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  28. ↑ "Eurosatory 2016 - Regional Focus: Middle East and Africa [ES2016D1]". London: Jane's Information Group. 13 June 2016. Archived from the original on 14 June 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  29. ↑ Simon Baynham. Zimbabwe in transition (October 1992 ed.). Almqvist & Wiksell International. p. 240. ISBN 978-9122015086.
  30. ↑ Mills, Alan (2013). A Pathologist Remembers. Bloomington: Author House. p. 203. ISBN 978-1-4918-7882-8.
  31. ↑ Cooper, Tom (2013). Great Lakes Holocaust: First Congo War, 1996–1997. Solihull: Helion & Company. pp. 14–16. ISBN 978-1-909384-65-1.
  32. ↑ "Restoration of the Eland-60". Sandstone Estates. 2012-12-06. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
  33. 1 2 Camp, Steve; Helmoed-Römer, Heitman (November 2014). Surviving the Ride: A pictorial history of South African Manufactured Mine-Protected vehicles. Pinetown: 30 Degrees South. pp. 172–184. ISBN 978-1928211-17-4.
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