SpawnPass · Arma Reforger
Mortars: from map to impact
How the M252 and 2B14 work: bearing, elevation, charge rings and spread, with the numbers from the game files.
Last checked 2026-09-21
Overview
A mortar is a map exercise. You need two numbers, bearing and elevation, and a charge that reaches. Everything below is taken from the range-table items and shell values in the game itself.
Fix both positions
Mark the mortar and the target on the map. Distance is measured flat, but height matters too: firing uphill needs a flatter barrel, and downhill a steeper one.
Read the bearing
The bearing is the direction from the mortar to the target, clockwise from north. The US M252 dials it in NATO mils (6400 in a full circle); the Soviet 2B14 uses Warsaw Pact mils (6000). Mixing them up puts rounds hundreds of metres off.
Choose the charge
Each shell takes 0 to 4 charge rings. More rings, more speed, more range, and more spread. The in-game range table gives each charge a window: for the M821 HE shell, 0 rings covers 50–500 m and 4 rings 400–3000 m. Use the fewest rings whose window covers the distance.
Set the elevation
Mortars fire high, between 45° and 85°. For a given charge, a steeper barrel drops the round shorter. The range table tells you the elevation in mils for your distance; adjust for height difference.
Expect spread
Rounds land around the aim point, not on it. The game lists an average spread per charge: about 10 m with no rings on the M821, 39 m with two and 69 m with four. Close targets on low charges are the most precise.
Watch the flight time
At long range a round is in the air for over half a minute. Call the splash for spotters, and lead anything moving.