SOLTAM M65 120mm towed Mortar

SOLTAM M65 120mm standard (NATO round), manufactured under license from TAMPELLA (Finland).
This mortar is believed to have been 'secured' by 14/20 Kings Hussars during Operation Granby and brought to the UK by the Royal Artillery for analysis at Larkhill.
It's unconfirmed but likely history is that it was captured by Iraqi forces at some point during the Arab-Israeli conflict and found itself in service with forces under Sadam Hussain in the first Gulf War - hence its journey across the Middle East to the UK.
The mortar is complete with crystal clear site also in excellent condition. On de-commissioning and release from MOD (after it had spend some time outside as a gate guard) it underwent a complete bare metal restoration and has remained dry-stored in a private collection since with occasional display use for Warsaw Pact living history displays where it has received a huge amount of attention and interest.
The M65 features a Hans Otto Donner 120 Krh/40 baseplate design and is in exceptional condition.
This is a rare piece of air-portable artillery with an interesting history and there are very few examples in private ownership worldwide.
Total Weight: 254.20KG.
Replica barrel so no deactivation certificate required.
Ideal for collectors/static museum or reenactor display.
£6000 ono