What types of mortar rounds are designed for area suppression?

High explosive (HE) rounds are specifically designed for area suppression due to their ability to create a significant blast effect upon detonation. These rounds deliver a powerful explosion that affects a wide area, making them effective against enemy troops, equipment, and fortifications in a designated target zone. The blast and fragmentation produced by HE rounds can disrupt and destroy enemy formations, inflicting casualties and reducing their effectiveness.

While smoke rounds are primarily used for concealment or signaling, illumination rounds serve to light up an area for visibility during nighttime operations, and practice rounds are typically utilized for training purposes without explosive effects. Each of these types serves a distinct function, but it is the high explosive rounds that are tailored for the objective of suppressing enemy activity in a broad area. Therefore, their design and purpose make them the optimal choice for area suppression tasks.