British multinational defense, security and aerospace company BAE Systems has released a new video of its modern vehicle mounted mortar system, called the Hammer of Thor or Mjölner.
Mjölner is the hammer of Thor in Norse mythology and is depicted as one of the most fearsome weapons, capable of leveling mountains.
The Mjölner mortar system, developed and produced by BAE Systems Hägglunds, will add indirect fire capability to any suitable vehicle, wheeled or tracked.
It allows the user to field a capability well adapted for different vehicle platforms while enhancing the whole fleet’s firepower. Mjölner is a turret solution with two smoothbore 120 mm gun barrels mounted on the actual vehicle. The weapon is loaded via a robust mechanical system allowing rapid and reliable reload in all combat conditions.
Mjölner gives a full 60 degrees of slew in azimuth without the complexity and costs of power-assisted turret solutions. With an effective elevation from 45 to 85 degrees, targets can be efficiently engaged over a wide range of distances.
Also noted that the Hammer of Thor fires four rounds in less than 10 seconds.
Mjölner is highly scalable with the possibility to integrate more advanced automated fire-control systems and the ability to handle a wide range of ammunition.
Mjölner maximizes the space available in the vehicle by the basket-less design, resulting in an optimal ergonomics for the crew. In addition, the storage of the majority of the ammunition in the turret bustle provides rapid and easy access from both the inside and outside, during loading and firing as well as when resupplying the up to 56 grenades. Mjölner was designed from the very beginning to be intuitive and highly user-friendly.