KIELCE, POLAND — Excalibur Army has presented its Patriot 4×4 armoured vehicle equipped with the Alakran mobile mortar system at the 2026 International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Kielce, Poland.
The configuration combines the Czech company’s Tatra-based protected 4×4 platform with the Spanish-developed Alakran mortar system, creating a highly mobile indirect-fire vehicle designed to rapidly deploy, engage targets and reposition before enemy counter-fire can be brought to bear. CSG confirmed that the system shown at MSPO features automatic aiming and an advanced fire-control system and can be configured for either 81 mm or 120 mm mortars.
Patriot 4×4: The Vehicle Platform
The Patriot is built around the distinctive Tatra chassis concept, using a central backbone tube and independently suspended swinging half-axles. This architecture is intended to provide high off-road mobility while maintaining relatively consistent payload characteristics across different terrain.
Excalibur Army’s published Patriot specifications list a vehicle weight of approximately 12 tonnes, a length of 6.1 metres, width of 2.225 metres and height of 2.7 metres for the earlier configuration. The platform can reach approximately 110 km/h on paved roads, with a published cruising range of around 500 km.
The Patriot’s protected crew compartment can be configured with ballistic protection up to STANAG 4569 Level 4, while mine protection can reach Level 3a/3b, depending on configuration. Anti-mine seats, a suspended shock-absorbing floor, NBC filtration and separate fire-suppression systems for the crew compartment and engine bay are also available.
The modular vehicle architecture allows different mission systems to be installed, including remote weapon stations, machine-gun turrets, anti-tank systems and mortar configurations.
Alakran: Automatic Fire-and-Move Mortar
The Alakran is a vehicle-mounted mortar system originally developed in Spain by NTGS. Its defining feature is that the mortar is deployed onto a ground baseplate rather than firing directly through the vehicle structure.
The electrically/pneumatically operated mechanism lowers the mortar and baseplate to the ground, transferring recoil forces into the ground rather than directly into the vehicle. This allows the system to be integrated with relatively lightweight vehicles without requiring a conventional heavy recoil-absorption mechanism.
The system incorporates a fully digital fire-control system, automatic laying and automatic re-aiming after each shot. Its fire-control software can incorporate the vehicle’s position, target information, GIS data and ballistic calculations for different types of mortar ammunition.
81 mm and 120 mm Options
Alakran can employ smoothbore mortars in 81 mm and 120 mm, giving users the option to balance vehicle weight, ammunition load and firepower according to the mission.
For the 120 mm configuration, publicly reported figures put maximum effective range at approximately 8 km or more, depending on ammunition and barrel configuration. The 81 mm version has a reported range of approximately 6.5 km.
The system can deliver up to approximately 12 rounds during the first minute, followed by a sustained rate of around 4 rounds per minute. Its automatic laying system can re-aim between shots, while published accuracy is below 2 mils under specified conditions.
Alakran’s integrated cooling system is designed to manage barrel temperature during sustained firing. Manufacturer material describes the system as capable of dissipating approximately 1,000 kcal per minute, supporting extended firing cycles.
Shoot, Fire and Reposition
One of the system’s principal advantages is its shoot-and-scoot capability.
The mortar can reportedly transition from transport configuration to a firing position in roughly 30–35 seconds, depending on the configuration. After firing, the system can retract the mortar and allow the vehicle to leave the firing position rapidly.
This is particularly relevant on modern battlefields where artillery and mortar positions face persistent surveillance from UAVs and counter-battery systems.
Instead of remaining in a fixed position for an extended period, a mobile mortar carrier can:
Move → deploy → calculate firing data → fire → re-aim → retract → relocate.
That cycle reduces the time available for an adversary to detect and engage the firing position.
Southeast Asian Export Success
The MSPO unveiling comes after Excalibur Army secured contracts in Southeast Asia for more than 100 Patriot 4×4 armoured vehicles in several configurations.
According to CSG, the contracts have a combined value exceeding $300 million, with deliveries planned over a three-year period. The order includes mortar carriers as well as command vehicles, armoured personnel carriers, wheeled infantry fighting vehicles and armoured medical-evacuation variants.
The contracts therefore represent a significant export programme for the Patriot family and demonstrate the platform’s modular approach: a common protected 4×4 chassis can be adapted for different battlefield roles.
Technical Snapshot
| Feature | Patriot 4×4 / Alakran |
|---|---|
| Vehicle | Excalibur Army Patriot 4×4 |
| Chassis architecture | Tatra central backbone + swinging half-axles |
| Mortar system | Alakran |
| Calibres | 81 mm / 120 mm |
| Fire control | Digital FCS |
| Aiming | Automatic laying and re-aiming |
| Reported 120 mm range | 8 km+ depending on ammunition/configuration |
| Reported 81 mm range | ~6.5 km |
| Initial rate of fire | Up to ~12 rounds/min |
| Sustained rate | ~4 rounds/min |
| Accuracy | <2 mils reported |
| Deployment | ~30–35 seconds reported |
| Vehicle weight | ~12 t for published earlier Patriot configuration |
| Road speed | Up to ~110 km/h |
| Published range | ~500 km |
| Protection | Up to STANAG 4569 Level 4 ballistic / Level 3 mine protection depending configuration |
| Export programme | 100+ Patriot vehicles contracted in Southeast Asia |
| Industrial group | CSG |
The exact Patriot/Alakran configuration displayed at MSPO 2026, including its precise armour level, engine, ammunition capacity and final customer-specific equipment, should be distinguished from the specifications of earlier Patriot configurations publicly documented by Excalibur Army.
Why It Matters
The Patriot-Alakran combination reflects a broader trend toward highly mobile indirect-fire systems that can provide artillery-like support while operating with smaller crews and shorter exposure times.
Rather than relying on a large tracked mortar carrier, the system uses a protected 4×4 platform with an automated mortar and digital fire-control architecture. The result is a combination of mobility, rapid deployment, automated laying and modularity.
With the increasing use of drones for battlefield reconnaissance and counter-battery targeting, the ability to rapidly change firing positions has become an increasingly important characteristic of modern mortar systems.
At MSPO 2026, Excalibur Army is therefore presenting not simply another mortar carrier, but a modular protected 4×4 fire-support platform built around rapid, digitally controlled indirect fire.
