WATERVLIET ARSENAL, N.Y. (Feb. 23, 2016) -- The Watervliet Arsenal announced this week that it has received a $4.6 million contract to start a new product line for the 81mm mortar system that will help reduce an infantryman's fatigue and movement time over a cross-country route. This next generation of an 81mm mortar bipod is a continuation of the Army's effort to reduce the weight of small indirect fire systems that are carried by Soldiers, said Laura Pisculli, the arsenal's supervisor of production planning and control. The arsenal already manufactures a lightweight mortar baseplate and tube....more in release

1. U.S. ARMY WATERVLIET ARSENAL
NEWS RELEASE
John B. Snyder
Public Affairs Officer
U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal
Building 10, Room 102
Watervliet, NY 12189
(518) 266-5055
john.b.snyder.civ@mail.mil
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2016
Arsenal lands $4.6M order to lighten the load
for U.S. infantrymen
WATERVLIET ARSENAL, N.Y. -- The Watervliet Arsenal announced today that it has received a
$4.6 million contract to start a new product line for the 81mm mortar system that will help reduce an
infantryman’s fatigue and movement time over a cross-country route.
This next generation of an 81mm mortar bipod is a continuation of the Army’s effort to reduce the
weight of small indirect fire systems that are carried by Soldiers, said Laura Pisculli, the arsenal’s
supervisor of production planning and control. The arsenal already manufactures a lightweight mortar
baseplate and tube.
“This multimillion dollar order will add to the Arsenal’s current workload more than 13,000 hours
of direct labor,” Pisculli said. “Because this new product line will require a significant amount of
preparation in regards to training and new tooling, our first delivery will not be until 2018.”
The first shipment of the mortar bipods is scheduled to leave the arsenal in March 2018 and the order
should be complete by November 2018. Each bipod consists of about 25 close-tolerance, machined
parts, and will weigh approximately 22 pounds, as compared to the 27 pounds of the legacy system.
Nevertheless, with the start of any new product line, there will be challenges, said Scott Huber, an
arsenal general foreman.
“Manufacturing such products as Abrams tank cannons and 155mm howitzer tubes is extremely
challenging given the tight machining tolerances,” Huber said. “But this product order is no less
challenging as we will be working with material that is new to us, such as Kevlar and Teflon, as well as
new processes that will require welding extremely hard materials such as Titanium.”
Huber explained that when the arsenal begins a new product line there is a significant amount of time
spent writing computer programs, developing special tooling, and establishing new outside vendors to
-more-

2. provide the raw material long before the first part is machined.
“Although delivery does not start until 2018, we already have a team, from procurement to production
planners to machinists, working hard to produce the first two systems,” Huber said. “Long before we
begin shipping these bipods to the Army, we will thoroughly vet the fit, form, and function of the new
bipod through a rigorous quality control process. That will be our focus between now our first shipment
in 2018.”
In addition to the workload and the revenue, there is another added value for this order.
“Anytime we get an order for a new product line, it creates a great sense of excitement in the workforce
because they will be required to do something that they had not seen before,” Huber said. “We love
a challenge here and when we know that our products will go from us into the Soldiers’ hands, I can’t
think of any other job that would make us feel more proud of what we do.”
The 81mm mortar system is used primarily by the infantry as an indirect fire weapon when a high-angle
trajectory is required to hit enemy troops, materiel, and positions. It has a range that exceeds 5,800
meters.
The Watervliet Arsenal is an Army-owned-and-operated manufacturing facility and is the oldest,
continuously active arsenal in the United States having begun operations during the War of 1812.
Today’s arsenal is relied upon by U.S. and foreign militaries to produce the most advanced, high-tech,
high-powered weaponry for cannon, howitzer, and mortar systems. This National Historic Registered
Landmark had $138 million in revenue in fiscal year 2015 and has an annual economic benefit to the
local community in excess of $100 million.
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Photos and cutlines of 81mm mortars in action this month:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/69610950@N03/25193415685/in/dateposted-public/
U.S. Army Pfc. Brady Barrett (left) and Spc. Darron Harris, both indirect fire infantrymen assigned
to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, hang and fire an
81mm mortar round from an M252 mortar system during a multinational mortar live fire exercise
alongside Latvian partners, Feb. 17, 2016, at Adazi Military Base, Latvia. Soldiers from both
armies took turns rehearsing and executing a live-fire scenario by reacting to enemy contact using
direct and indirect fire in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, a multinational demonstration of
continued U.S. commitment to the collective security of North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Paige Behringer, 10th Press Camp Headquarters)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/69610950@N03/25193416955/in/dateposted-public/
U.S. Army Pfc. Brady Barrett (right), an indirect fire infantryman assigned to Headquarters and
Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, turns away from an M252 mortar system
after hanging an 81mm mortar round during a multinational mortar live-fire exercise alongside
Latvian partners, Feb. 17, 2016, at Adazi Military Base, Latvia. Soldiers from both armies took
turns rehearsing and executing a live fire scenario by reacting to enemy contact using direct and
indirect fire in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, a multinational demonstration of continued
U.S. commitment to the collective security of North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies. (U.S. Army
photo by Sgt. Paige Behringer, 10th Press Camp Headquarters)