Make challenges easier, buff mortars, and make them 2, infantry/armor
Challenges are too hard and are locked to certain situations. Make them more accessible.
Mortars need a big damage buff and bigger accuracy buff. 20 damage is a tickle. You can launch 8 mortars on the same enemy-concentrated area and barely get hits. Not every round needs to eliminate 5 enemies but the current playstyle is a liability to your team because you’re not doing much at all.
Infantry (or Airburst) mortars could be very efficient breaking through entrenched positions. Armor (HE) mortars could harass or eventually destroy vehicles. This could make drivers pull back and help things go smoother for your team. Both gadgets can have smokes and both can be balanced by limiting to 3-5 shells before resupplying yourself.
As for the smokes themselves, right now they’re basically just mortar farts. They’re tiny and don’t last, like a fart. Make them big, make them last. Make the smoke bigger than grenade smoke.