The Dutch Army has received its first batch of new 81mm mortars, the country’s Ministry of Defense announced.

The new systems will replace outdated mortars that no longer meet operational requirements for range, accuracy, and speed of deployment.

More than 120 new mortars will enter service, along with updated ammunition and logistical support.

The Dutch military will have access to five different types of 81mm mortar rounds.

The new mortars are capable of engaging targets at a range of at least 6,000 meters.

The Marine Corps will deploy them from Bandvagn 206 tracked vehicles, while the Army will transport them using Fennek or Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

The new mortars offer greater range, improved accuracy, and faster deployment, the Dutch Ministry of Defense stated.

The decommissioned Dutch mortars may be transferred to Ukraine as part of future military aid packages.

The Netherlands has previously supplied German-Dutch Fennek armored reconnaissance vehicles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Fennek, developed by Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and the Dutch company SP Aerospace and Vehicle Systems BV, accommodates a crew of three.

The first prototype of the armored vehicle was presented in 2000.

In 2021, Rheinmetall was contracted to modernize the Dutch Army’s Fennek vehicles, providing 246 new LaZ400 observation and sighting devices worth approximately €36 million.