A mortar carrier, also known as a self-propelled mortar, is a self-propelled artillery

Self-propelled artillery

Self-propelled artillery vehicles are combat vehicles armed with artillery. Within the term are covered self-propelled guns and rocket artillery...

 vehicle carrying a mortar

Mortar

Mortar has several meanings:* Mortar , material used in masonry to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together.* Mortar fires shells at a much lower velocity and higher ballistic arc than other ordnance....

 as it's primary weapon. Mortar carriers cannot be fired while on the move and some must be dismounted to fire.

In U.S. Army doctrine, mortar carriers are to provide close and immediate indirect fire support for maneuver units while allowing for rapid displacement and quick reaction to the tactical situation. The ability to relocate not only allows fire support to be provided where it is needed faster but also allows these units to avoid counter-battery fire

Counter-battery fire

Counter-battery fire is a type of mission assigned to military artillery forces, which are given the task of locating and firing upon enemy artillery.-Background:...

.

Mortar carriers have traditionally direct contact with the enemy. Many units report never using secondary weapons in combat.

History

Prior to the Iraq War, American 120mm mortar platoons reorganized from six M1064 mortar carrier

M1064 mortar carrier

The M1064 mortar carrier is a tracked, self-propelled artillery vehicle, consisting of the M120 mortar mounted on a M113 chassis.The design consists of the M298 Cannon, M191 Bipod, M9 Baseplate, and the Carrier Adaption Kit...

s and two M577 fire direction centers (FDC) to four M1064 and one FDC. The urban environment of Iraq made it difficult to utilize mortars. New technologies such as mortar ballistic computers and communication equipment and are being integrated. Modern era combat is becoming more reliant on direct fire

Direct fire

Direct fire refers to the launching of a projectile directly at a target on a relatively flat trajectory. The firing weapon must have a sighting device and an unobstructed line of sight to the target, which means no objects or friendly units can be between it and the target...

 support from mortar carrier machine guns.