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M252 (static mortar)

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WIP: This page is currently a Work-In-Progress. Information contained in this article is either incomplete or missing and is subject to review.

NOTE: This article is about static M252 mortars in ArmA 2/ARMA Reforger. For its U.S. military counterpart in ArmA 3's CSLA Iron Curtain Creator DLC, see M252 Mortar (CSLA).


The M252 is an 81 mm static mortar featured in ArmA 2 and ARMA Reforger.


ArmA 2[]

« The M252 81mm Mortar is a medium-weight smooth-bore high-angle-firing weapon. It is usually operated by a 4-man crew and can be fired at ranges from 80 to 5500m.
The weight of the M252 is 41,3 kg and usually it is used for long-range indirect supporting fire.
Armoury Description[1]
 »


The M252 is used by both the U.S. Marines and U.S. Army forces in ArmA 2.

Overview[]

The M252 is a man-portable 81 mm static mortar.

With no firing solution selected, the M252 can launch one shell every 4 seconds (averaging ~ 15 rounds per minute).[A2CfgW 1][Formula 1] Each mortar always comes with a stockpile of 8 high-explosive (HE) shells[A2CfgV 1] and only takes 5 seconds to fully rearm once all of its shells are depleted.[A2CfgW 2]

The M252 allows any American fireteam or weapons squad to quickly set up a temporary fire base at any location on the battlefield. With a maximum firing range of 6,021 metres, the M252 can be used to provide reliable short-range artillery fire against groups of infantry or stationary light/medium-armoured ground vehicles.

It can be unpacked into a man-portable backpack form for ease of transport. Once broken down, the M252 will be split into two components: the launcher assembly itself and the mortar's bipod. Both parts are required to reassemble the M252 at another position.[note 1]

Munitions[]

The M252 only supports being loaded with one type of shell:

Parameter Value
Base damage value 160[A2CfgA 1]
Splash damage value 50[A2CfgA 2]
Warhead type High-Explosive
Blast radius (metres) 20[A2CfgA 3]
Launch velocity (m/s) 243[A2CfgM 1]

The M252 can load and fire M821A1 mortars fitted with high-explosive (HE) warheads.[A2CfgM 2] M821A1s are always launched with a velocity of 243 m/s.[A2CfgM 1] They have a blast radius of 20 metres.[A2CfgA 3]

Regardless of the selected firing solution, the M252 can load and fire an M821A1 once every 4 seconds (fire rate of 15 RPM).[A2CfgW 1][Formula 1] It needs at least 5 seconds to fully rearm its stockpile of M821A1s from a supply truck/ammunition crate.[A2CfgW 2]

The M252's mount/baseplate allows for the mortar to be freely rotated in either direction horizontally.[A2CfgV 2][A2CfgV 3] However, vertical rotation limits are restricted to a maximum elevation of 30 degrees[A2CfgV 4] and a depression of just 10 degrees.[A2CfgV 5]

Capabilities[]

The M252 has three firing solutions available:[A2CfgW 3][note 2]

  • Semi (close): Minimum range of 76 metres, maximum range of 438 metres (ETA 13-10 seconds). Mortars fired with this solution have their propellant charges reduced, lowering their velocity to 65.61 m/s.[A2CfgW 4][Formula 2]
  • Semi (medium): Minimum range of 376 metres, maximum range of 2,167 metres (ETA 29-23 seconds). Mortars fired with this solution have their propellant charges reduced, lowering their velocity to 145.8 m/s.[A2CfgW 5][Formula 3]
  • Semi (far): Minimum range of 1,045 metres, maximum range of 6,021 metres (ETA 49-38 seconds). Mortars fired with this solution are launched at their full velocity (243 m/s).[A2CfgW 6][Formula 4]

Assuming there is no delay between launches, the M252 can fire all eight of its shells in under ~ 32 seconds.[Formula 5] Time on target (TOT) fire missions are possible for overlaps that occur between the ranges of 376 metres-438 metres (for the Close and Medium firing solutions) and 1,045 metres-2,167 metres (for the Medium and Far firing solutions).

Range tables[]

NOTE: Data for the following tables are acquired from the M252's artillery computer.

Semi - CLOSE
(76-438 metres)
Range (metres) ETA (seconds) Spread (metres)
76 m
(minimum)		 13 s 9 m
100 m 13 s 9 m
200 m 13 s 9 m
300 m 12 s 8 m
400 m 11 s 8 m
438 m
(maximum)		 10 s 7 m

Semi - MEDIUM
(376-2,167 metres)
Range (metres) ETA (seconds) Spread (metres)
376 m
(minimum)		 29 s 20 m
400 m 29 s 20 m
500 m 29 s 20 m
600 m 29 s 20 m
700 m 29 s 20 m
800 m 29 s 20 m
900 m 29 s 20 m
1000 m 28 s 20 m
1100 m 28 s 20 m
1200 m 28 s 19 m
1300 m 28 s 19 m
1400 m 28 s 19 m
1500 m 27 s 19 m
1600 m 27 s 19 m
1700 m 27 s 18 m
1800 m 26 s 18 m
1900 m 26 s 18 m
2000 m 25 s 17 m
2100 m 24 s 16 m
2167 m
(maximum)		 23 s 16 m

Semi - FAR
(1,045-6,021 metres)
Range (metres) ETA (seconds) Spread (metres)
1045 m
(minimum)		 49 s 34 m
1100 m 49 s 34 m
1200 m 49 s 34 m
1300 m 49 s 34 m
1400 m 49 s 34 m
1500 m 49 s 34 m
1600 m 49 s 34 m
1700 m 49 s 34 m
1800 m 49 s 34 m
1900 m 49 s 34 m
2000 m 49 s 34 m
2100 m 49 s 34 m
2200 m 48 s 34 m
2300 m 48 s 34 m
2400 m 48 s 34 m
2500 m 48 s 34 m
2600 m 48 s 34 m
2700 m 48 s 33 m
2800 m 48 s 33 m
2900 m 48 s 33 m
3000 m 48 s 33 m
3100 m 48 s 33 m
3200 m 48 s 33 m
3300 m 48 s 33 m
3400 m 47 s 33 m
3500 m 47 s 33 m
3600 m 47 s 33 m
3700 m 47 s 33 m
3800 m 47 s 33 m
3900 m 47 s 33 m
4000 m 47 s 32 m
4100 m 47 s 33 m
4200 m 46 s 32 m
4300 m 46 s 32 m
4400 m 45 s 32 m
4500 m 45 s 31 m
4600 m 45 s 31 m
4700 m 45 s 31 m
4800 m 45 s 31 m
4900 m 44 s 31 m
5000 m 44 s 31 m
5100 m 44 s 30 m
5200 m 43 s 30 m
5300 m 43 s 30 m
5400 m 42 s 29 m
5500 m 42 s 29 m
5600 m 41 s 29 m
5700 m 41 s 28 m
5800 m 40 s 28 m
5900 m 39 s 27 m
6000 m 38 s 26 m
6021 m
(maximum)		 38 s 26 m

Trivia[]

  • Like all pre-Operation Arrowhead static turrets, USMC-operated M252s cannot be disassembled into a man-portable backpack form while their Army counterparts are able to do so.
    • This is because static weapon unpacking/assembly was only added to ArmA 2 after the expansion pack was released. Pre-expansion static weapons were not updated with this capability even after the expansion was released, as no vanilla ArmA 2 units are able to carry backpacks in the first place.
  • The M252 did not have access to an artillery computer until the release of Patch 1.08 for ArmA 2 (pre-Operation Arrowhead).[2]
  • There are actually five more types of mortar shell "magazines" that the M252 can load if they are added to a static M252 via scripting commands.[3][4][5][6][7] However, these "magazines" are not meant to be used by the M252 in regular gameplay as they are configured specifically for use by the Artillery module[8] and Simple Support Module[9].
  • Alongside its Russian-made counterpart, the M252 is one of first two static mortars in the series.

Gallery[]

ARMA Reforger[]

WIP: This page is currently a Work-In-Progress. Information contained in this article is either incomplete or missing and is subject to review.

The M252 is used exclusively by U.S. military forces in ARMA Reforger.

Trivia[]

  • Prior to the roadmap being refactored on October 14th, 2023, the M252 was originally meant to have been added into the game with the release of the Final Strike milestone.[10] This was changed to the Air Assault milestone after the roadmap's update[11], but it would not be included until the release of Update 1.3 (long after Reforger left Early Access/its 1.0 launch).[12][13]

Config/script references[]

CfgAmmo (ArmA 2)

  1. ↑ CfgAmmo >> Sh_81_HE >> hit
  2. ↑ CfgAmmo >> Sh_81_HE >> indirectHit
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 CfgAmmo >> Sh_81_HE >> indirectHitRange

CfgMagazines (ArmA 2)

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 CfgMagazines >> 8Rnd_81mmHE_M252 >> initSpeed
  2. ↑ CfgMagazines >> 8Rnd_81mmHE_M252 >> ammo >> "Sh_81_HE"

CfgWeapons (ArmA 2)

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 CfgWeapons >> M252 >> Single1 >> reloadTime
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 CfgWeapons >> M252 >> magazineReloadTime
  3. ↑ CfgWeapons >> M252 >> modes[] >> {"Single1","Single2","Single3","Burst1","Burst2","Burst3"}
  4. ↑ CfgWeapons >> M252 >> Single1 >> artilleryCharge >> "0.27"
  5. ↑ CfgWeapons >> M252 >> Single2 >> artilleryCharge >> "0.6"
  6. ↑ CfgWeapons >> M252 >> Single3 >> artilleryCharge >> "1"

CfgVehicles (ArmA 2)

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 CfgVehicles >> M252 >> Turrets >> MainTurret >> magazines[] >> {"8Rnd_81mmHE_M252"}
  2. ↑ CfgVehicles >> M252 >> Turrets >> MainTurret >> minTurn
  3. ↑ CfgVehicles >> M252 >> Turrets >> MainTurret >> maxTurn
  4. ↑ CfgVehicles >> M252 >> Turrets >> MainTurret >> maxElev
  5. ↑ CfgVehicles >> M252 >> Turrets >> MainTurret >> minElev

Formulae

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 60 / reloadTime = 60 / 4
  2. ↑ Magazine's initSpeed * Weapon's firemode artilleryCharge = 243 * 0.27
  3. ↑ Magazine's initSpeed * Weapon's firemode artilleryCharge = 243 * 0.6
  4. ↑ Magazine's initSpeed * Weapon's firemode artilleryCharge = 243 * 1
  5. ↑ Magazine's count * Weapon's reloadTime = 8 * 4

Notes[]

  1. ↑ Does not apply to the USMC faction's M252s. Only U.S. Army M252s can be disassembled into a backpack form as ArmA 2's USMC units do not have the ability to carry backpacks.
  2. ↑ Three additional firing solutions are actually defined for the M252. However, these "modes" are hidden to human players and can only be utilised by AI-controlled M252s.

References[]

  1. ↑ Bohemia Interactive a.s., 2009, Artillery, Arma 2, viewed 5 March 2025, <https://www.arma2.com/arma-2-weaponry/artillery>.
  2. ↑ .kju et al. 2009, Arma 2: Version History, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 21 April 2024, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Arma_2:_Version_History#Version_1.08>.
  3. ↑ ARMA 2: Operation Arrowhead 2010 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \ca\weapons_e\config.bin, CfgMagazines >> 8Rnd_81mmWP_M252
  4. ↑ ARMA 2: Operation Arrowhead 2010 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \ca\weapons_e\config.bin, CfgMagazines >> 8Rnd_81mmILLUM_M252
  5. ↑ ARMA 2 2009 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \ca\modules\arty\config.bin, CfgMagazines >> ARTY_8Rnd_81mmHE_M252
  6. ↑ ARMA 2 2009 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \ca\modules\arty\config.bin, CfgMagazines >> ARTY_8Rnd_81mmWP_M252
  7. ↑ ARMA 2 2009 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \ca\modules\arty\config.bin, CfgMagazines >> ARTY_8Rnd_81mmILLUM_M252
  8. ↑ Revial, F et al. 2009, Arma 2: Artillery Module, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 21 April 2024, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Arma_2:_Artillery_Module>.
  9. ↑ Revial, F et al. 2010, Arma 2: Simple Support Module, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 21 April 2024, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Arma_2:_Simple_Support_Module>.
  10. ↑ Dušek, J 2022, Roadmap, Arma Reforger, viewed 2 August 2022, <https://reforger.armaplatform.com/news/roadmap>.
  11. ↑ Bohemia Interactive a.s., 2023, Roadmap, Arma Reforger, viewed 14 October 2023, <https://reforger.armaplatform.com/roadmap>.
  12. ↑ Bohemia Interactive a.s., 2025, 1.3.0.130 Changelog, Arma Reforger, viewed 28 March 2025, <https://reforger.armaplatform.com/news/changelog-march-27-2025>.
  13. ↑ Bohemia Interactive a.s., 2025, 1.3 Update, Arma Reforger, viewed 28 March 2025, <https://reforger.armaplatform.com/news/fire-support>.

External links[]

See also[]

Static weapons of comparable role and configuration[]

Weapons of ArmA 2
Handguns CZ 75 9 mm • G17 9 mm • M1911 .45 • M9 9 mm • Makarov 9 mm • Revolver .45
Submachine guns CZ Scorpion Evo 3 A1 9 mm • MP5 9 mm • PDW 9 mm • PP-19 Bizon 9 mm • Sa-61 Scorpion .32
Shotguns M1014 • Saiga 12K • AA-12
Carbines AKS-74U 5.45 mm* • G36 series* (G36C*, G36K*) • M4A1 5.56 mm (M4A1 M203, M4A3, M4A3 M203) • Mk16 CQC 5.56 mm • XM8 Compact 5.56 mm
Assault rifles AK-107 5.45 mm (AK-107 GP-25) • AK-74 5.45 mm (AK-74 GP-25*, AKS-74*) • AKM 7.62 mm • AKS 7.62 mm* • CZ 805 BREN A1 5.56 mm (CZ 805 A1 G1, CZ 805 BREN A2, CZ 805 B1 G1) • FN FAL 7.62 mm • G36A 5.56 mm* • L85A2 5.56 mm (L85A2 UGL) • M16A2 5.56 mm* (M16A2 M203*) • M16A4 5.56 mm (M16A4 M203) • SCAR series (Mk16, Mk16 EGLM, Mk17, Mk17 EGLM) • Sa-58 7.62 mm • XM8 series (XM8, XM8 M320)
Designated marksman rifles DMR 7.62 mm • L86A2 LSW 5.56 mm • M14 7.62 mm • Mk12 SPR 5.56 mm • Mk17 Sniper 7.62 mm • VSS Vintorez 9 mm • XM8 Sharpshooter 5.56 mm
Sniper rifles AS50 12.7 mm • CZ 550 9.3 mm • CZ 750 S1 M1 .308 • KSVK 12.7 mm* • Lee-Enfield .303 • LRR .338 • M107 .50* • M110 7.62 mm • M24 7.62 mm* (M40A3) • SVD Dragunov 7.62 mm*
Squad automatic weapons L110A1 5.56 mm • M249 SAW 5.56 mm* • MG36 5.56 mm* • RPK-74 5.45 mm • XM8 Automatic Rifle 5.56 mm
Machineguns L7A2 GPMG 7.62 mm • Mk 48 Mod 0 7.62 mm* • M240 7.62 mm* • M60E4 7.62 mm • PKP 7.62 mm • PKM 7.62 mm • UK-59 7.62 mm
Grenade launchers M32 • M79 • Mk13
Launchers 9K32 Strela-2 • 9K38 Igla • 9K115-2 Metis-M • FGM-148 Javelin • FIM-92F Stinger • M136 • M47 Dragon • MAAWS • NLAW • RPG-7V • RPG-18 • SMAW
Static AGS-30 • D-30 • DShKM • Igla AA Pod • KORD • L111A1 • L134A1 • M119A1 • M2 • M252 • Mk19 • Metis AT-13 • 2B14 Podnos • RBS-70 • Searchlight • SPG-9 • Stinger • TOW • ZU-23
(Parenthesis) denote variants.
* indicates partial DLC dependency.
Operation Arrowhead | British Armed Forces | Private Military Company | Army of the Czech Republic
USMC - Armoury (ArmA 2)
Handguns M1911 .45 • M9 9 mm
Submachine guns MP5 9 mm
Shotguns M1014
Carbines M4A1 5.56 mm (M4A1 M203)
Assault rifles M16A4 5.56 mm (M16A4 M203)
Designated marksman rifles DMR 7.62 mm • Mk12 SPR 5.56 mm
Sniper rifles M107 .50 • M24 7.62 mm (M40A3)
Squad automatic weapons M249 SAW 5.56 mm
Machineguns Mk 48 Mod 0 7.62 mm • M240 7.62 mm
Launchers FGM-148 Javelin • FIM-92F Stinger • M136 • SMAW
Static M2 • M252 • Mk19 • M119A1 • Searchlight • Stinger • TOW
(Parenthesis) denote variants.
U.S. Army - Armoury (ArmA 2)
Handguns G17 9 mm • M1911 .45 • M9 9 mm
Shotguns M1014
Carbines Mk16 CQC 5.56 mm
Assault rifles SCAR series (Mk16, Mk16 EGLM, Mk17, Mk17 EGLM)
Designated marksman rifles M14 7.62 mm • Mk17 Sniper 7.62 mm
Sniper rifles M107 .50 • M110 7.62 mm • M24 7.62 mm
Squad automatic weapons M249 SAW 5.56 mm
Machineguns Mk 48 Mod 0 7.62 mm • M240 7.62 mm
Grenade launchers M32 • Mk13
Launchers FGM-148 Javelin • FIM-92F Stinger • M136 • MAAWS
Static M2 • M252 • Mk19 • M119A1 • Searchlight • Stinger • TOW
(Parenthesis) denote variants.
Operation Arrowhead
Weapons of ARMA Reforger
Handguns M9 9 mm • PM 9 mm
Carbines AKS-74U 5.45 mm (N) • M16 Carbine 5.56 mm (M203)
Assault rifles AK-74 5.45 mm (N) • M16A2 5.56 mm (M203) • Sa-58V 7.62 mm (P)
Sniper rifles M21 SWS 7.62 mm • SVD 7.62 mm
Squad automatic weapons M249 SAW 5.56 mm • RPK-74 5.45 mm (N)
Machine guns M60 7.62 mm • PKM 7.62 mm (N) • UK-59L 7.62 mm
Launchers M72A3 LAW • RPG-7V1
Static 2B14 • M2HB - Tripod • M240* • M252 • M60 - Tripod • NSV - Tripod • PKM - Tripod
(Parenthesis) denotes variants.
* this weapon is not available in a standalone turret configuration and is only available as a vehicle-mounted weapon.
United States - Armoury (ARMA Reforger)
Handguns M9 9 mm
Carbines M16 Carbine 5.56 mm (M203)
Assault rifles M16A2 5.56 mm (M203)
Sniper rifles M21 SWS 7.62 mm
Squad automatic weapons M249 SAW 5.56 mm
Machineguns M60 7.62 mm
Launchers M72A3 LAW
Static M2HB - Tripod • M240* • M252 • M60 - Tripod
(Parenthesis) denote variants.
* this weapon is not available in a standalone turret configuration and is only available as a vehicle-mounted weapon.
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