New ASCV G5 Ragnarok 120mm self-propelled mortar fires 20 rounds per minute to support rapid attacks.

At DSEI 2025 in London, the German company Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) publicly presented for the first time an ACSV G5 configured as a mortar carrier fitted with Rheinmetall Norway’s 120 mm MWS120 Ragnarok mortar system. The public pairing of the G5 chassis and the Ragnarok module is the first sighting of this specific tracked integration and illustrates how a standardized mission-deck architecture can accept a heavy indirect-fire module without a bespoke vehicle redesign.
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While traditional static mortars remain widely used in conflicts like Ukraine, self-propelled mortars such as the ACSV G5 Ragnarok offers a greater survivability, as it can fire multiple rounds rapidly and relocate before counter-battery fire arrives. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

Originally unveiled in 2019, the Ragnarok, also referred to as the Mortar Weapon System 120 (MWS120), is a manually loaded 120 mm mortar weapon station that relies on electric azimuth and elevation drives with mechanical transmission and fail-safe mechanical brakes for backup. Manufacturer's material lists the system mass in a range depending on configuration, commonly cited at roughly 650 kg for the core unit and about 1,000 kg when a baseplate is included, which keeps the module light enough for use on a wide variety of host platforms from heavy tracked vehicles to lighter 6×6 and 4×4 carriers and towed trailers. The aiming chain includes automatic laying from input coordinates, a graphical bulls-eye user interface, and automatic compensation for platform roll and pitch so the weapon can be oriented quickly and with published aiming accuracy targets under 2 mils.

Rheinmetall designed Ragnarok to prioritise a high manual rate of fire and ease of sustainment rather than to incorporate an automatic loader, with reported peak rates of 18 to 20 rounds per minute in practiced hands and a stated operational example where a complete four-round mission can be executed from order receipt to last round fired in under one minute. The system uses a dual recoil damping arrangement to limit force transfer to the host vehicle, with public technical claims that recoil transfer remains below defined thresholds even at maximum charge, and the compact weapon diameter preserves internal space for crew work and ammunition stowage when hull- or side-mounted. Logistics and maintainability were built into the concept so that almost any in-service 120 mm smoothbore or rifled tube can be used, and the mortar can be offered without an independent fire control system, enabling integration with existing ballistic computers and battlefield management systems already fielded by customers.

Before the DSEI tracked fitment, the Ragnarok module had been shown and trialled in several configurations: a demonstrator integration on the Hungarian Gidran 4×4 in 2022, an integration on the Boxer 8×8 later in 2022, and a trailer-mounted towed version that was live-fired during winter tests in Sweden in 2022 and 2023. The trailer solution includes a power supply and a lowerable loading platform that functions as the baseplate, allowing light forces to tow the system with a broad range of vehicles, to align automatically and to fire from the lowered platform with rapid in and out of action times. The barrel can be removed for ground-mounted use in short order, and the electrical/mechanical architecture provides manual backup functions to maintain operation in case of power loss. Reported range performance depends on barrel and ammunition selection and is commonly cited up to roughly 8 kilometres with high-pressure tubes and specific long-range 120 mm rounds.

The ACSV G5 itself is a modular tracked combat support vehicle with a gross vehicle mass in the mid-20 tonne class and a mission payload capacity of around 8 tonnes, powered by an MTU six-cylinder engine rated at approximately 460 kW paired with a ZF automatic transmission that supports pivot turn manoeuvres. The vehicle runs on wide composite rubber band tracks supplied by Soucy which are intended to reduce vibration, lower acoustic signature and lower ground pressure versus conventional steel track assemblies, and published performance figures include a maximum on-road speed in the low 70 km/h band and an endurance figure quoted at about 600 km plus an additional twelve hours of auxiliary operation depending on configuration. The G5’s electrical and electronic architecture uses CAN bus communications and is aligned with contemporary NATO vehicle architecture practices to support diagnostics and modular system integration.

FFG designed the G5 with a rear mission deck compatible with 10-foot ISO container fittings and with standardised electrical, data, and hydraulic interfaces so mission modules can be swapped in depot or field conditions and can operate independently of the base vehicle. The vehicle family includes enclosed variants for APC, command, and medical roles as well as open-deck mission modules for cargo with loading cranes, ground-based air defence, artillery locator radar, recovery and engineering packages, drone mothership roles, and other specialist fits; the DSEI mortar demonstrator used a 10-foot ISO container-based Ragnarok mission module that can be handled separately from the tracked chassis. The modular approach is intended to reduce lifecycle costs by standardising spares, training, and maintenance while permitting rapid re-role of vehicles to meet different operational needs without a bespoke vehicle redesign.

Norway is the pilot customer and has ordered roughly fifty ACSV G5 vehicles in multiple variants, including transport, radar, and C-RAM carrier, engineer, and recovery configurations, and those orders form the core of initial fielding. The Netherlands has committed to major G5-based air defence acquisitions, including 18 NOMADS launch vehicles and 5 command vehicles, and a separate decision to acquire 22 Skyranger 30 systems mounted on the G5 chassis, bringing the Dutch tracked air defence total on G5 to 45 vehicles, with first deliveries planned from 2028. Dutch planning papers have also identified a potential requirement for between 100 and 150 Combat General Purpose Vehicles for which the G5 is a candidate, explaining strong interest in the platform. Interestingly, the vehicle shown at DSEI carried Norwegian and Dutch markings, reflecting confirmed users of the ACSV family, and also bore a Ukrainian flag, a detail that industry reporting treated as a marketing signal, an indication of ongoing discussions, or a representation of potential interest, rather than evidence of any publicly announced delivery.

Operationally, the Ragnarok-on-G5 combination places a high-rate, barrel-agnostic mortar module into a protected, mobile, modular carrier that can store and move ammunition under armour and transition rapidly between firing and movement, which shortens the time spent in exposed firing positions. Traditional battalion and company mortars mounted on bipods and baseplates remain cost-effective and flexible for static or semi-static positional warfare, but require emplacement, are more exposed during operations, and often spend longer times in the firing position, which increases vulnerability to counter-battery detection and strike. A vehicle-mounted or trailer-towed Ragnarok retains the logistical familiarity of existing 120 mm tubes and the ability to use in-service ballistic computers while offering automatic laying, rapid in/out-of-action times and manual backups for harsh conditions, so the configuration represents a trade between the low cost and simplicity of conventional mortars and the survivability and responsiveness afforded by mechanised shoot-and-scoot concepts within a standardised support vehicle family.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.