Army mortar teams have replaced 20-year-old software used to calculate firing data and ballistics with a new application designed for smartphones and tablets.
In a press release, the Army said the Mortar App was approved for release to all Army mortar units in March 2026 following roughly three years of testing and six years of development.
Julia Gustafson, a computer engineer at the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center and the app’s project lead, described it as “something modern, user-friendly and responsive.”
According to Gustafson, soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division were able to use the app effectively with minimal training. The Army said the software retained the workflow of the legacy system, making the transition intuitive for experienced mortar crews.
Unlike the previous systems, the Mortar App runs on Android devices, allowing soldiers to download it onto smartphones and tablets instead of relying on laptops.
The Army’s existing tools — the Mortar Fire Control Software and the Lightweight Handheld Mortar Ballistics Computer — entered service in 2003 and 2004, respectively.
Gustafson said the new application can also be updated more easily than its predecessors. After its initial release in 2023, the Army continued testing and refining the software, which is now in its fourth iteration.
The app’s origins date back even further. Gustafson said the Mortar App evolved from an application requested by the Marine Corps in 2015, helping explain the relatively seamless transition to the new system.
The Mortar App was a “solution that had such an impact on the [Fire Control Systems & Technology] Directorate and soldiers … Paving the way for providing these solutions has been exciting,” Gustafson said.
Daniel Terrill is a contributor to Military Times. He’s been reporting on military issues, the gun industry, and the outdoors for nearly two decades. Although writing is his passion, he’s been a Marine, police officer, and, perhaps the most dangerous job of his career, a substitute teacher.
Read the full article here