Field Mortar

From Foxhole Wiki
(Redirected from Balfour Falconer 250mm)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Versioning

This article could contain outdated information that is inaccurate for the current version (1.56) of the game. It was last updated for 1.55.




A heavy mobile mortar platform fitted with a thick frontal shield for assaulting fortified locations.
In-game description

The Balfour Falconer 250mm (also known as a Baby Ballista or 250mm push gun) is a Warden Field Mortar equipped with a 250mm Heavy Mortar specially designed to destroy fortified structures.

General Info

Crew

The Balfour Falconer 250mm houses a crew of two soldiers:

  • Driver (Left Side)
    • Controls the movement of the vehicle - requires a soldier in the Gunner seat in order to move
  • Gunner (Right Side)
    • Controls the reloading, and firing of the chassis-mounted 250mm Heavy Mortar
    • Uses the Mouse Scroll Wheel to adjust the firing distance
    • Required to move the vehicle

NOTE: Despite not having an actual Passenger seat, it is possible for a soldier to stand on the Spade (the long metal piece on the back of the vehicle) and move with the crew.

Unlike enclosed vehicles, Field Weapons cannot switch seats, requiring the crew to exit the vehicle in order to change seats.

Armament

The Balfour Falconer 250mm is equipped with one main armament:

  • 250mm Mortar
    • Mounted to the chassis (40 degree firing arc)
    • Ammo Used: 250mm
    • Range: 6-25 meters
    • Reload Duration: 5.5 seconds per projectile
    • Firing Duration: 2 seconds
    • Fire Rate: 7.2 per minute
    • Reloading immobilizes the vehicle
    • The gunner does not see the predicted trajectory of the shell when aiming.

Inventory

It has a dedicated ammo slot that can hold 6 250mm shell.

Health & Armor

The Balfour Falconer 250mm has 2850 HP and is disabled under 30% health. It has "Heavy Armor" resistance: it can soak small arms fire, shrapnel, and 12.7mm machine guns, and it is immune to Flamethrowers. But heavy explosives and anti-tank weaponry are a real threat to it.
Despite its heavy armor, the vehicle doesn't have Tank Armor and thus can never deflect penetrating projectiles.
It takes 100 Basic Materials to fully repair it from 1% to 100% health with a Hammer. Its health can be instantly repaired at a Garage for 100 Basic Materials.

Interactions

  • Can be towed by certain vehicles
    • Hitch and unhitch the towed vehicle via the Shift + E interaction menu (the two vehicles must be very close and you in between them).

Production

Structure Input(s) Output Time
Garage 35 x Refined Materials Refined Materials.png  Balfour Falconer 250mm Balfour Falconer 250mm Vehicle Icon.png 35 Hammer hits
Mass Production Factory 105 x Refined Materials Refined Materials.png Crate of 3 x  Balfour Falconer 250mm Balfour Falconer 250mm Vehicle Icon.png 00:29:10

Must be fully researched in the Vehicle IconFilterVehicle.png Tech Tree in order to be produced.

Storage & Transport

The Balfour Falconer 250mm can be stored in a Storage Depot, Seaport or Storage Ship.

It can be packaged into a small Shippable and transported by any Shipping Vehicle (Crane, Flatbed Truck, Barge, Freighter, Storage Ship, Landing Ships, Flatbed Car, or Large Crane).
It can also be towed by certain Trucks and Half-Tracks.

Tactics

The Balfour Falconer 250mm is specifically designed to destroy enemy static defenses at close range, with concrete structures being the most susceptible to 250mm shells. Emplacements are also high-value targets, but all of this depends on how dangerous they are compared to other defensive structures in the area. 250mm shells excel at breaking concrete, so they are high-priority targets. Due to its slow speed, high armor penetration, short ranged weapon, and lack of defensive weaponry, it requires a lot of support to get close to its target and be used effectively.

It is of utmost importance to protect the Balfour Falconer 250mm from enemy armored vehicles and infantry, as they will easily destroy the Field Mortar. Despite the protection from other vehicles and infantry, Balfour Falconer 250mm crews should not be expected to survive these attacks and should solely focus on destroying as much enemy defenses as possible before being destroyed.

Chassis
All push guns, by their nature, are one of the most vulnerable vehicles in the game in terms of crew protection. They are exposed to the enemy, making them susceptible to all enemy fire. Due to push guns requiring both crew members to move them, the death of a single crew member could result in the push gun being lost. Due to this, it is recommended to only lock the gun when it looks like enemy infantry are going to overwhelm you and can steal it. This tactic is vital if a push gun is decrewed, as it allows a friendly soldier to quickly man it and drive it back to safety.

Visibility Mechanics
Push guns have a visibility mechanic, which allows it to operate differently compared to regular vehicles. Similar to infantry, they are affected by vision, meaning their movements cannot be seen unless it is within your line of sight. Due to this, they can hide behind structures, or even bushes (depends on how big the bush is). It's also affected by the time of day, with nighttime making it possible for push guns to become invisible to the enemy if you're far enough from them. Keep in mind that if the enemy decides to illuminate your position, this will expose it until the flare dies out. The push gun's position will be exposed anyway if the crew decides to fire its main armament.

Tips

  • Like all vehicles that use large shells, they can be quickly submitted into them without accessing their inventory
    • While this can be done for all vehicles, it should only be done if they can carry/use large items
  1. Equip the shell and walk up to the vehicle
  2. Submit the shell into the vehicle - press V

Trivia

  • The Balfour Falconer 250mm was the second vehicle introduced to the game that utilized 250mm, with the HC-7 “Ballista” being the first
    • Due to it being a smaller, and much more vulnerable vehicle compared to the Ballista, it gained the nickname 'Baby Ballista'
  • The Falconer re-used the chassis of the 'Logan Cannon 150mm' field artillery, which has since been removed from the game.

Gallery