Hell Let Loose: Vietnam Mortar Calculator

Hitting a target with a mortar in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam comes down to one thing. You set the launch angle to match the distance shown by the target ping. Lower angles reach farther, higher angles land closer, and the mapping between the two is fixed. Once you know the numbers, aiming becomes a quick lookup rather than guesswork.

Quick answer: Line the vertical line of the mortar reticle over the enemy ping, then raise or lower the barrel until the elevation matches the pinged range. For example, a 175m ping needs 67°, and a 225m ping needs 49°.

Who does what in a mortar squad

A mortar squad runs on three roles working together. The gunner carries the Wrench and Hammer tools needed to build the mortar in a suitable spot, fires the flare gun over the enemy, and marks targets. Each mark shows up as a ping with its distance attached, which is the number you aim by.

The observer takes that ping and turns the mortar toward the enemy, then sets the correct elevation. The support drops a shell into the tube and fires. After the first round lands, the gunner watches where it hits and calls corrections so the observer can adjust direction and range for a tighter shot.

Mortar angle to range chart

The elevation you set decides how far the shell travels. Read the distance on the target ping, then dial the barrel to the angle that matches it. The relationship is inverse, so a flatter barrel throws the round farther and a steeper barrel drops it in short.

Angle (degrees)	Range
0	450m
6	425m
12	400m
18	375m
24	350m
30	300m
36	275m
43	250m
49	225m
55	200m
67	175m
73	150m
79	125m
85	100m

Mortar scope aimed at a 225-meter target with elevation set to about 55 degrees — Elevation dialed in for a mid-range target (Image via Team17)

Note: If a ping falls between two listed distances, nudge the angle slightly toward the closer value and let the gunner’s spotting correct the rest.

How to set a mortar for a marked target

Wait for the gunner to fire the flare gun and mark the enemy. The ping that appears carries the target distance, and that number is what every following adjustment is based on.

Turn the mortar until the vertical line of the reticle sits over the ping. On PC, A and D are the default keys for rotating the barrel left and right.

Raise or lower the barrel until the elevation matches the pinged range from the chart. On PC, W and S adjust the angle. A 175m ping, for instance, needs the barrel at 67°.

Deployed mortar aimed at roughly 67 degrees elevation for a 175-meter target — Barrel set to 67 degrees for a 175m target (Image via Team17)

Have the support drop a shell into the tube and fire. The round follows the angle and direction you set, landing at the matched distance along the reticle line.

Let the gunner watch the impact and call corrections. Adjust direction with A and D and range with W and S based on where the first shell fell, then fire again for a tighter grouping.

Common reasons a shot misses

Most misses trace back to a mismatch between the ping distance and the angle you set. If the shell overshoots, your barrel is too flat, so raise the angle. If it drops short, the barrel is too steep, so lower it. Direction errors come from the vertical reticle line drifting off the ping, so recheck your left-right alignment before firing the next round.

Keep the gunner talking through each impact. A single corrected shot is usually enough to walk rounds onto a stationary target, and staying inside the chart’s angle range keeps every shell predictable.