In modern warfare, mortars play a very important role thanks to their ability to support infantry at short and medium ranges
filling the gap between long-range howitzers and direct fire weapons, with the advantage of low cost and simple operation
Following the common trend with self-propelled artillery, mortars are also mobile, opening a new era of this weapon
The advanced self-propelled mortar system AMOS (Advance MOrtar System)
has been researched and developed since 1996 with the cooperation between two companies Patria of Finland and Hagglunds of Sweden
This is considered the most modern self-propelled mortar system in the world today
The unique feature of AMOS is a turret with a 120 mm automatic twin barrelled mortar
Thanks to the fully automatic reloading system, the AMOS' sustained fire rate is up to 26 rounds per minute
An AMOS turret has a full 360-degree field of fire at elevations of −3 to +85 degrees
It is compatible with all standard 120 mm mortar ammunition as well as smart guided ammunition
including the Strix precision guided munitions, which was developed by SAAB Bofors Dynamics, and has a range of 5 km
AMOS has more firepower than conventional mortars
High rate of fire of up to 26 rounds per minute, combined with an automatic reloading system
This mortar system is capable of multiple round simultaneous impact firing
It can fire up to 14 rounds and leave position before the mines hit target simultaneously
The system also has a direct fire capability, with maximum range of direct fire of 1,500 m
When on the move the AMOS can start firing within thirty seconds from stopping, letting of the first four rounds in less then eight seconds
The vehicle then drives of immediately after the rounds are fired.
Even though the risk of counter battery fire on the position is real, the crew is safe as they are already on the move to a new position.
The turret is of all-welded steel armour construction which provides protection from small arms fire and shell splinters
It also provides muzzle blast and NBC protection for the turret crew of two
Turret traverse and weapon elevation is all electric, with manual controls being provided as a back-up for emergency use
A wide range of fire-control options is available, depending on user requirements
AMOS has been fitted to a wide range of armoured vehicles, such as the Sisu Pasi, Patria AMV and Combat Vehicle 90
Currently, the Finnish army operates four AMOS systems installed on the chassis of the AMV wheeled armored vehicle
the CV90 tracked armored vehicle and the CB90 coastal patrol boat
In addition, a contract to supply 20 AMOS systems has also been signed and is in the delivery phase
NEMO is a shortened export-only variant of the AMOS self-propelled mortar
The first NEMO variant mounted on the AMV wheeled armored vehicle chassis was introduced by Patria in 2006
As a shortened variant of the AMOS, the NEMO consists of a single barrelled 120 mm remote-controlled mortar turret
and has a rate of fire of only 10 rounds per minute
The NEMO can be fitted to most APCs and also to smaller landing craft
such as the Finnish Jurmo-class landing craft or the Swedish CB90-class fast assault craft