Ukrainian troops start using Bulgarian Tunja self-propelled mortars
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are already using Bulgarian Tunja self-propelled mortars against the Russian occupiers.
Here's What We Know
Ukraine had planned to purchase these mortars several years before the full-scale invasion, but the deal never went through, although funds for the purchase were allocated from the state budget. In 2020, the then Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Viktor Muzhenko, said that the funds had been returned to the budget.
The Tunja self-propelled mortar was developed in the early 1980s in Bulgaria under the leadership of chief designer Georgi Ishmeriev. Production was carried out under licence, and supplies were initially made to the Warsaw Pact countries, and later to other states.
The main weapon of the mortar is a 120-mm M-120 regimental mortar made in 1955. It carries 60 rounds of ammunition and is also equipped with a PKT machine gun with a 2000-round ammunition capacity.
Similar self-propelled mortars on the chassis of the MT-LB multipurpose tractor were developed in the 1960s in the USSR at the Burevestnik Central Research Institute for the USSR Army and Airborne Forces. However, due to the development and adoption of the 2S9 NONA self-propelled artillery system, these vehicles were not mass-produced.
Source: NMFTE
