The M252 is a modern American 81mm mortar. He entered service with the US armed forces in 1987. It is a weapon weighing 41.3 kilograms, range: maximum - 5940 meters, minimum - 83 meters and a rate of fire of up to 16 rounds per minute with continuous shooting. The service is composed of three people.
The M252 is the American version of the British L16A2 mortar. The M252 was commissioned by the US Army and Marine Corps to replace the M29 mortar. Compared to its predecessor, it is characterized by a significantly lower mass, which improves its mobility, greater maximum range and a slightly better rate of fire with continuous firing. In 2014, a modernized version of the M252 mortar appeared, designated as M252A1, which is characterized by a reduced tare weight of about 9 kg (from 41.3 kg to 35.8 kg). The M252 mortar most often uses 4.5 kg demolition shells. It is also possible to fire ACERM ammunition, which uses GPS guidance, which reduces the spreading radius to less than 10 meters and has an increased range of up to 9.7 kilometers. Mortars of this type were used in combat, among others, during the Operation Desert Storm (1990-1991), operations in Afghanistan and in Iraq (2003). At present, the M252 mortar is in service with the United States, Estonia, Canada and Great Britain.
The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is an independent branch of the US armed forces. The unit was established in November 1775, and the first branch of this unit was formed a year later. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, US Marines served primarily in the region of South and Central America, guarding American interests in this part of the world. It was also then that the principle was established that it was the USMC that was deployed to the area of operations as the first among other units of the US armed forces. Corps soldiers fought in World War I, but they gained special fame in the course of bloody and heavy fights in the Pacific in 1941-1945, taking part in such battles as Guadalcanal (1942-1943), Tarawa (1943), Iwo-Jima and Okinawa (both from 1945). Often in the face of the enemy, the soldiers of this formation showed a lot of courage, an example of which can be, for example, John Basilone was awarded the Medal of Honor for his accomplishment during the battles on the Gudalcanal. After 1945, the soldiers of the Corps fought, for example, in the Korean War (1950-1953) or especially in the Vietnam War (1964 / 1965-1975), suffering heavy losses in the latter war. After the end of the Cold War, USMC soldiers took part in, for example, both Gulf Wars (1990-1991 and 2003). Currently, there are 182,000 soldiers in the Corps, and about 38,500 in the reserve. The motto of the Corps is the Latin motto Semper Fidelis (Polish always faithful).