HE mortars damage their targets through which methods? (one or both)

HE mortars damage their targets through which methods? (one or both)

• A. High explosive charge and Incendiary
• B. High explosive only
• C. Incendiary only
• D. Fragmentation and smoke

Answer: (A)

Mortars deliver damage mainly through a high explosive charge that detonates to create a blast overpressure and, from the shell’s fragments, a damaging field around the impact. Some HE rounds are designed to include incendiary effects as well, which can ignite fuels or materials and add to the casualty and area-denial effect. So, the best description is that HE mortars cause damage via the high explosive charge and, in applicable rounds, incendiary effects. The other options omit either the explosive/fragmentation component or the incendiary capability, or describe effects (smoke) that aren’t the primary damage mechanisms of standard HE mortar rounds.

Mortars deliver damage mainly through a high explosive charge that detonates to create a blast overpressure and, from the shell’s fragments, a damaging field around the impact. Some HE rounds are designed to include incendiary effects as well, which can ignite fuels or materials and add to the casualty and area-denial effect. So, the best description is that HE mortars cause damage via the high explosive charge and, in applicable rounds, incendiary effects. The other options omit either the explosive/fragmentation component or the incendiary capability, or describe effects (smoke) that aren’t the primary damage mechanisms of standard HE mortar rounds.