Patria NEMO

Patria NEMO
Patria NEMO AMV
TypeSingle-barrel, remote-controlled self-loading mortar system
Place of originFinland
Production history
DesignerPatria Land Oy
Designed2005–2008
ManufacturerPatria
Specifications
Mass1,900 kg (4,200 lb)
Barrel length3,000 mm (9.8 ft)
CrewUnmanned turret, 3 in vehicle + driver
ShellStandard mortar smoothbore + stub case or smart guided ammunition. Typically HE
Caliber120 mm (4.7 in) smoothbore
BreechHalf-automatic wedge
RecoilHydro-pneumatic suspension
Elevation−3° to +85°
Traverse360°
Rate of fire10 rounds/minute (max); 6 rounds/minute (sustained)
Patria NEMO AMV firing indirect fire.
Patria NEMO AMV firing direct fire.

NEMO (from "NEw MOrtar") is a single barrelled 120 mm remote-controlled mortar turret currently being developed by Patria Land Oy in Finland. It is a lighter version of the AMOS mortar system, which has been in use within the Finnish Defence Forces since 2013.[1] The NEMO can be fitted to most APCs and also to smaller landing craft, such as the Finnish Jurmo-class landing craft.

History

The first customer of the weapon system was the Slovenian Army,[2] which ordered 12, while the United Arab Emirates Naval Forces bought 12 patrol boats, where some were to be equipped with NEMO mortars.[3] Saudi Arabia bought 36 turrets to equip its LAV II vehicles.[4] Recently, Patria is offering the NEMO system fitted into standardised 27 ft (8.2 m) containers to increase flexibility: the mortar container can be lifted with and fired from a truck or a boat or can be set on the ground, e.g. as base defense.[5][6][7] Training simulators are also available.[8]

Variants

Three variants exist as of 2023:

  • Patria NEMO Land Turret
  • Patria NEMO container
  • Patria NEMO Navy

Operators

Map of NEMO operators in blue

Current operators

 Saudi Arabia (36 NEMO Land Turrets)
Ordered in September 2010, installed on the LAV II, and operated by the Saudi Arabian National Guard.[9][10]
 Slovenia (NEMO Land Turrets)
In 2006, Slovenia ordered 24 Patria NEMO and 135 Patria AMV on which the turrets would be installed.[11][12] This contract was the first export success of this weapon system. In the end, only 30 Patria AMV were delivered as Slovenia decided to reduce the order. The contract was scrapped in 2012 for financial reasons, but this cancellation was also supported by the corruption case against Patria. It is unclear how many turrets are in service as sources contradict each other, from none to 12 in service.[13]
 Sweden (2 NEMO container systems)
2 "NEMO container systems" ordered by the FMV (Försvarets materielverk, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration) for the Swedish Army. The containers have been use for trial in combination with the Fast Supply Vessel. [14]
 United Arab Emirates (NEMO container systems + 6 NEMO Navy)
The UAE Navy uses the NEMO system on Ghannatha vessels are high-speed, aluminium multi-role ships manufactured by Abu Dhabi Ship Building, ADSB and designed by Swede Ship Marine. In 2015, the phase II of this program included the completion of:
  • the construction of 12 Ghannatha 27 m (89 ft) vessels
  • the retrofit of 12 Ghannatha 25 m (82 ft) vessels already in service, among which, 6 were retrofitted with a Patria NEMO turret.[15]
  • 2 turrets that can be installed on containers, or used to perform a rotation for maintenance. [10]

On order

 Sweden (8 NEMO Navy)
In 2009, the Swedish navy cancelled the order for the Patria AMOS which was supposed to equip an attack vessel. Initially, the expected vessel to be used was the CB90, but it was discovered to be too small to carry the AMOS. A new ship was therefore planned, the Combat Boat 2010. But because of financial reasons, this program was cancelled. In 2023, following the invasion of Ukraine, the budget of the armed forces increased, enabling the purchase of 8 "Fast Mortarboats" from Dockstavarvet.[16]

Potential orders / Interest

 Czech Republic (62 NEMO Land Turrets)
The Army is looking for 62 self-propelled mortars, capable of indirect, semi-direct and direct fire and most likely on the Pandur II (8×8). The competitors are the Patria NEMO and the M120 Rak. The NEMO is the most likely winner.[17]
 Germany (NEMO Land Turrets)
The German Army is looking for a new mortar carrier to replace its M113 as part of the programme ZukSysIndF kRw (Zukünftiges System Indirektes Feuer kleiner Reichweite).[18] From the existing information, it would be equipped installed on the successor of the TPz Fuchs 1, where the potential candidates are the Patria 6×6, the Pandur Evo 6×6 and the TPz Fuchs 2.
As of September 2024, the NEMO turret seems to have been selected, and the procurement would be presented to the Bundestag in 2024.[19]
 Spain (NEMO Land Turrets)
Spain is looking for a heavy mortar system for the Dragon VCR and the ASCOD VAC. The NEMO is a potential candidate.[20]
 United Kingdom (NEMO Land Turrets)
Patria and Rheinmetall unveiled a mission module for the Boxer equipped with a NEMO mortar system at the Defence Vehicle Dynamics 2024.[21] It aims at providing a solution for the British Army’s new Armoured Mortar Variant.
 United States (NEMO Land Turrets)
The US Army has been studying potential 120 mm mortar turrets to replace its M1064 mortar carrier (M113 variant) and M1129 mortar carrier (Stryker variants), and to equip its AMPV. Demonstration and trials have been ongoing since October 2020.[22] In 2024 BAE systems delivered to the US army a prototype variant of the AMPV that fielded the Patria NEMO mortar turret.[23] As of May 2024, it is unknown whether or not the US army will be moving forward with this prototype. In September 2024, trials of the AMPV equipped with a Patria NEMO mortar turret took place in Fort Moore, Georgia.[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Kranaatinheitinpanssariajoneuvo XA-361-AMOS" [Grenade launcher armoured vehicle XA-361-AMOS]. Maavoimat (The Finnish Army) (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 1 June 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Slovenian Army's New APCs: Patria's AMVs". Defense Industry Daily. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Patria Nemo Navy mortar system selected for United Arab Emirates". Patria. 25 February 2009. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Patria signed the final subcontract for the supply of it's [sic] Nemo Mortar System". Patria. 26 November 2010. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Patria Nemo Container introduced at IDEX 2017". Patria. 20 February 2017. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024.
  6. ^ Forrester, Charles (15 December 2016). "Patria develops containerised mortar system". Jane's. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016.
  7. ^ "Patria Integrates the NEMO 120mm Mortar System in ISO Shipping Container". European Security & Defense. 16 December 2016. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  8. ^ Foss, Christopher F (16 June 2014). "Training for NEMO (ES14E1)". Jane's. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017.
  9. ^ Foss, Christopher F (14 March 2018). "Czech Republic seeks new 120 mm mortar system". Jane's. Archived from the original on 18 March 2018.
  10. ^ a b Forkert, André (2024-04-02). "Patria NEMO Mörsersystem – internationaler Durchbruch" (in German). Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  11. ^ "NEMO Patria AMV 120mm 8x8 self-propelled mortar carrier". Army Recognition. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Slovenia Orders AMV, SP Mortars from Patria". Defense-Update. 19 December 2006. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Patria NEMO 120mm". Weapons Parade. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  14. ^ "Patria NEMO Navy achieves an international breakthrough in Sweden". Patria. 2024-03-11. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  15. ^ "NAVDEX 2015 Day 4" (PDF). Omega Research Foundation. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 May 2023.
  16. ^ "24 M FAST MORTAR". NauticExpo. Archived from the original on 23 July 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Samohybné minomety pro AČR – jednohlavňové věže na kolovém podvozku 8x8" [Self-propelled mortars for the Czech Armed Forces - single-barrel turrets on 8x8 wheeled chassis]. CZDEFENCE (in Czech). 8 December 2022. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  18. ^ "Heer sieht Bedarf für NEMO-Mörser auf 6x6-Radplattform". soldat-und-technik.de (in German). 2023-06-22. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  19. ^ "Zukünftiges System Indirektes Feuer kurze Reichweite – NEMO-Turmmörser auf CAVS 6x6 soll noch 2024 beschafft werden" (in German). 2024-09-19. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  20. ^ García, José Navarro (27 April 2022). "El mortero sobre torre para el VCR 8x8 Dragón, otra de las necesidades del Ejército de Tierra" [The mortar on turret for the VCR 8x8 Dragon, another of the Army's needs.]. Defensa.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  21. ^ "Patria and Rheinmetall unveil first UK prototype Boxer Armoured Mortar Variant at DVD 2024". 2024-09-19. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  22. ^ "U.S. Army to demonstrate the capabilities of Patria Nemo 120 mm mortar system through Foreign Comparative Testing". Patria. 22 October 2020. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  23. ^ "BAE Systems delivers new prototype Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle with unmanned turreted mortar capability to the U.S. Army". 6 March 2024.
  24. ^ "U.S. Army demonstrated the capabilities of Patria NEMO 120 mm Turreted Mortar System". 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
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