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2S12 "Sani"
2S12 Sani
Type	Heavy mortar
Place of origin	Soviet Union / Russia
Service history
In service	1981–present
Wars	Soviet–Afghan War First Chechen War Second Chechen War War in Donbas
Production history
Designed	1981
Manufacturer	Uraltransmash Works (Ekaterinburg, Russia) Motovilikha Plants Corporation (Perm, Russia)
No. built	2,000+ pieces
Specifications
Mass	190.5 kg (420 lb) without transport chassis
Crew	4 gunners, 1 commander (plus 2 prime mover crew)
Shell	120 mm HE mortar bombs
Shell weight	16 kg (35 lb)
Carriage	2F510 2×1 wheeled transport chassis, GAZ-66 4×4 truck (prime mover)
Elevation	45°–80°
Traverse	±5° from center
Rate of fire	12 rds per minute
Effective firing range	Minimum: 0.5 km (0.31 mi) Maximum: 7.1 km (4.4 mi)
Sights	MPM-44M graduated sight

The 2S12 "Sani" ("sleigh") (GRAU index 2S12) is a 120 mm heavy mortar system used by the Russian Army and other former Soviet states. First fielded in 1981, the 2S12 is a continued development on the towed mortars first used in World War II.

Design

2S12 is in fact the designator for the combination of the 2B11 "Sani" heavy mortar with its transport vehicle 2F510, a GAZ-66-15 4×4 truck. The 2B11 weighs nearly 200 kg (500 lb) when fully assembled, and thus must be mounted to the 2×1 wheeled chassis 2L81 and towed to the emplacement site by the truck. The GAZ-66 prime mover also transports the ammo load: 24 32 kg (71 lb) crates of 120mm HE mortar bombs, 2 bombs per crate, for a total of 48 available rounds.

Once on site, it is unloaded from the transport chassis and manually emplaced by the crew of 5. It is the largest caliber indirect artillery employed at the battalion level.

There is also an improved model, the 2B11M, that can fire the laser-guided round "Gran" with a range of 7,500 m. 2S12A and 2S12B improved models are in service now. 2S12A got a new "Ural" family transport vehicle with high power diesel engine and electric hoist for loading the mortar and a new base plate with a hinge that allows for pointing horizontally without turning the heavy support.

Operators

Current operators

•  Algeria
•  Azerbaijan
•  Belarus: 61
•  Bulgaria
•  Georgia: 14
•  Kazakhstan
•  Kyrgyzstan: 6
•  Russia: more than 1,700 as of 2016, including 1,000 in store. Production was reportedly doubled in 2023. More ordered in August 2023.
•  Tajikistan
•  Ukraine: 214
•  Uzbekistan: 19
•  Venezuela: 48

Former operators

•  Soviet Union

See also

• List of heavy mortars
• M120 120 mm mortar 120 mm mortar
• 2B11 Sani 120 mm mortar
• Cardom 120 mm recoil mortar system
• Soltam K6 120 mm mortar
• Soltam M-65 120 mm mortar
• 120 KRH 92 120 mm mortar
• 120mm M2 raiado 120 mm mortar
• Mortier 120mm Rayé Tracté Modèle F1 120 mm mortar

References

1. Campbell, David (30 Nov 2017). Soviet Paratrooper vs Mujahideen Fighter: Afghanistan 1979–89. Combat 29. Osprey Publishing. p. 19. ISBN 9781472817648.
2. "120mm 2S12 Sani towed mortar". Archived from the original on 2013-07-06. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
3. Yanko, Eugene (December 2008). Russian Arms 2009 Report Archived 2016-12-22 at the Wayback Machine. Warfare.RU, p. 488. Retrieved on June 7, 2009.
4. Motovilikha Plants Corporation. "120-mm Trailed Mortar 2S12 'Sanyi' Archived 2009-05-25 at the Wayback Machine". June 6, 2009.
5. "Masters of Artillery Fire contest to operate Sani modernised mortars". Archived from the original on 2018-09-08. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
6. "ABOUT COMPANY". Archived from the original on 2015-06-11. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
7. "В войска Центрального военного округа поступают модернизированные минометы". Archived from the original on 2018-09-08. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
8. "Модернизированные минометы поступили на вооружение 90-й танковой дивизии". Archived from the original on 2018-09-08. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
9. "В войска ЮВО поступили модернизированные минометы "Сани"". Archived from the original on 2018-09-08. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
10. "Артиллерийские подразделения морской пехоты Каспийской флотилии ЮВО получили модернизированные минометы "Сани"". Archived from the original on 2018-09-08. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
11. "ЦАМТО / Новости / Модернизированные минометы поступили на вооружение артиллерийского соединения ЮВО в Адыгее". armstrade.org.
12. "Ростех передал в войска новую партию мобильных минометов". Ростех (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-07-23.
13. The Military Balance 2016, p. 182.
14. The Military Balance 2016, p. 184.
15. Small Arms Survey (2012). "Blue Skies and Dark Clouds: Kazakhstan and Small Arms". Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets. Cambridge University Press. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-521-19714-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
16. The Military Balance 2016, p. 187.
17. The Military Balance 2016, pp. 190&200.
18. "ЦАМТО / / Ростех передал в войска новую партию «кочующих» минометов «Сани»". armstrade.org. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
19. "Russian Defense Ministry awards $4.15 bln worth contracts to defense industry companies". TASS. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
20. The Military Balance 2016, pp. 205–206.
21. The Military Balance 2016, p. 208.
22. The Military Balance 2016, p. 416.

Sources

• International Institute for Strategic Studies (February 2016). The Military Balance 2016. Vol. 116. Routlegde. ISBN 9781857438352.

External links

• 2S12 MZ-304 "Highlander" 120-mm mortar

• Mortars of the Soviet Union
• Infantry mortars
• Uraltransmash products
• 120 mm mortars
• Military equipment introduced in the 1980s