Soldiers have a new app for mortar firing solutions

Mortar crews are using a new Mortars App that lets them plan and control mortar fire from tablets or smartphones. Mortars are man-portable indirect-fire weapons that lob shells at high angles onto targets the crews often cannot see directly, so quick, accurate fire‑control calculations are vital.

The app replaces legacy systems such as the Mortar Fire Control Software and the Lightweight Handheld Mortar Ballistics Computer, which were tied to bulkier platforms. It runs on devices as small as Samsung phones, cutting down on the equipment troops must carry and making updates easier to deliver.

Development began in earnest in 2020 after an early Android effort fell short. A workable iteration was available to soldiers by 2023; further changes led to formal testing completion in 2024 and full release clearance in March of this year. It is now the standardized software for M32A2 fire control across Army mortar units.

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