Guided mortar bombs: Russia appears to have led in the operational use of laser-guided mortar bombs, with the 240 mm 1K113 Smelchak (Braveheart) system, which was employed in Afghanistan in the 1980s. However, the trend is now gathering momentum in the western world. (Complete Guide).

Gran

The KBP-designed Gran 120 mm guided mortar round made its Western debut at Eurosatory 2000. It provides a maximum firing range of 9000 metres, although the 1D20 laser ranger/designator (which is also used for the Krasnopol/Kitilov guided artillery rounds) has a designation range of only 7000 metres if the target is stationary and 5000 metres if it is moving. A firing rate of over two rounds/min can be achieved, and the system can engage targets 300 metres apart without adjustment to the mortar.

Strix

The Swedish Army ordered the Saab Bofors Dynamics Strix in 1991, an infrared-homing mortar round with a range of 5000 metres, although this can be extended to 7000 metres through the addition of a sustainer motor. Missile trajectory correction takes place in the terminal diving phase, with the seeker sending firing commands to a crown of small reactive charges conveniently located around the body's centre of gravity, displacing it laterally until the seeker `sees' the target centred in its virtual crosshairs.

PGMM 

The 120 mm Lockheed Martin/Diehl XM395 PGMM (Precision Guided Mortar Munition) is a further development of the latter company's Bussard technology demonstrator, equipped with an imaging infrared seeker and four switchblade wings, which provide an effective range of up to 15,000 metres. The US Army plans to field the PGMM in 2006.