M998 Scorpion - Russian Gun On An American Vehicle

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TL;DR: An M998 HMMWV with a Russian 2B9M Vasilek 82mm automatic mortar.

82-mm-automata-mortar-VASILJOK-HUMVEE-2-

History:

The HMMWV series of vehicles is incredibly well known due to its nearly 40 years of service and extensive export record, with over 40 countries servicing some variant of the vehicle. The series of vehicles is also widely popular among engineers due to their frankly limitless upgrade potential. This potential allowed the chassis to carry and fire anything from grenade launchers to 105mm howitzers. Hell, the Houthi militia managed to mount an entire BMP-1 turret to the roof of a HMMWV with little issue. Knowing this, it should come as little surprise that a group of US engineers decided to mount a Russian 2B9M Vasilek 82mm Automatic Mortar on a HMMWV during their lunch breaks. The story began when Col. Peter S. Janker, commander of Picatinny Arsenal’s Armament Engineering Technology Center, challenged a five-person team of engineers to find a way to equip the HMMWV with a weapon heftier than those already mounted. It was stressed that the solution was fast and inexpensive, essentially, not allowing them to develop a new system. The leader of the team, Anthony Franchino, had previously had an encounter with a weapon that he figured would be perfect. This weapon was the Russian 2B9M Vasilek 82mm Automatic Mortar. Anthony quickly acquired a few such mortars from a Hungarian manufacturer and his team began work on what they would call the Scorpion. The team worked on the Scorpion during their lunch breaks, after work, and sometimes on the weekend. The Scorpion was quickly completed and test fired in both single-shot and four-round bursts. The vehicle has a direct fire range of 1,000m, with a muzzle velocity of 270m/s. Unfortunately, despite positive reports, the Scorpion was not adopted, however, it likely inspired the HMMWV ADIM, an automated HMMWV-based mortar project that utilizes a domestic 81mm mortar.

Place In War Thunder:

The HMMWV is a fairly maneuverable vehicle. Pairing this maneuverability with an automatic 82mm mortar could result in a deadly vehicle in War Thunder’s shoot-and-scoot meta. The playstyle of this vehicle would heavily rely on its mobility as taking any sort of damage would probably kill you. At the start of the game, you’d want to rush to a position in which you can get the drop on slower vehicles or other scouts. Be wary of your velocity, and keep close to your enemies. Once you and your team have thinned out the frontline, you’d go on the hunt and use your mobility to appear in places the enemy doesn’t expect you to be in at that point of the game, maybe even taking out a flank with your automatic 82mm mortar. Once you’ve fired your four shots, reposition, rinse and repeat. Since only a single example of this vehicle was produced, I feel that it would fit in best as a rank III GE Premium or event vehicle, acting almost like an American EBR 1957 equivalent, though with terrible muzzle velocity.

Specifications:

Armament: 2B9M Vasilek 82mm Automatic Mortar

Dimensions: 4.57m, 2.16m, 2.1.83m (L,W,H)

Weight: 2600~kg

Armor: Negligible (Essentially None)

Crew: 4 (Driver, Co-Driver, Gunner, Loader)

Ammunition: Standard 82 mm Eastern Bloc Mortar Projectiles, Smoke, and Illumination

Speed: 100~kph

Horsepower: 190hp

Pictures:

Full Elevation:

HMMWV%20Scorpion%20Mortar%20Carrier%203.

Over The Cabin:

HMMWV%20Scorpion%20Mortar%20Carrier%202.

Front View:

HMMWV%20Scorpion%20Mortar%20Carrier%204.

Sources:

https://www.hmmwvinscale.com/hmmwvprototypes.htm

Soviet 2B9M Vasilek self-loading mortar - Armament Research Services (ARES)

Humvee - Wikipedia

2B9 Vasilek - Wikipedia

https://youtu.be/-5i7AzcNbsU

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