This video was filmed at a position captured from the Syrian military in the last few days, and at 80 seconds into the video we have a very clear shot of the markings on an munitions crate
This case contained/contains two 120mm mortar bombs, manufactured in 2012, and with AZ111A2 fuzes. AZ111A2 fuzes are produced by the Iranian Defense Industries Organisation, described on their website as
one of the main affiliated subsidiaries of Ministry of Defense and Support of Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran as a completely state-owned organization is presenting its d uties and relative missions in the field of production and supply for the meeting of requirements of the Armed Forces of I.R. of Iran and also export of products, engineering and technical services.
AZ111A2 fuzes can be found here on their website, along with a full spec sheet, confirming they are produce for a variety of HE mortar bombs, including the 120mm size.
It's interesting to note that a 2009 shipment of sanction busting arms from Iran intercepted by Israel carried mortar rounds with the AZ111A2 (as well as the 107mm rockets), and the markings on the case are virtually the same format as seen in the above video
One thing this demonstrates how much crucial information can be gathered from the sides of wooden boxes, and why it pays to look out for all the little details in videos from Syria.
Back in November I wrote about unexploded cluster bomblets being repurposed as warheads for DIY rockets, and now we have this video showing bomblets being used as DIY mortar bombs
Although the video is quite dark we do get a good look at some of the DIY mortar bombs
Here we can clearly see that PTAB 2.5m cluster bomblets have been modified with new fuzes and new tail fins. This is the only example I've come across of this type of DIY mortar bomb, so it's unclear if this is just an experiment. It is of course extremely dangerous to handle unexploded cluster bomblets, and it seems these opposition members have managed to find a very risky source of new explosives.
One of the interesting aspects of the operation was the use of a variety of much heavier weapons than we've generally seen used in the conflict so far. To start with we have videos of the common ZU-23-2 auto-cannons and KPV heavy machine guns being used as anti-aircraft weapons
Not so unusual, nor is this mortar being used to attack the air base
But what we also see are at least one Type-63 multiple rocket launcher being deployed, firing a volley of five 107mm rockets with a range of up to 8km in this video
We also see the increasingly common DIY rockets being fired at the airport
But what's very interesting is the use at least one T-55 tank in the operation
So far in the conflict we've only seen a handful of occasions where tanks and other armoured vehicles have been used in combat, no doubt because of the risk of using them without air cover, so it's interesting to see a T-55 being used in an attack where the Syrian Air Force wouldn't have that far to travel to find an attacking tank. Maybe this suggests the opposition are becoming more confident in using anti-aircraft weapons to defend their more vulnerable weapons.
In conclusion we see that the following weapons were used in the attack:
ZU-23-2 auto-cannon
KPV heavy machine gun
Type-63 multiple rocket launcher
T-55 tank
DIY rockets
Mortars
Quite a variety of weapons, and seems to demonstrate how the opposition are becoming increasingly well armed as the conflict continues.
I'm frequently asked for help identifying a number of different UXO found in the towns and cities of Syria, and with this guide I hope to assist those of you trying to identify some of these finds, and also hopefully discourage the unnecessary handling of the various UXO found in Syria. I should stress that any UXO should always be left alone as it's impossible to know how safe something is, and that knowing every little detail about a particular piece of UXO is never worth the life of an individual.
AA
These two pictures were posted online, and show the remains of a 23mm HE-I round fired by anti-aircraft guns, such as the ZU-23-2
Artillery
A wide variety of artillery shells are used in Syria, and you can generally tell them from unexploded mortar shells as one end has a gentler taper than mortars, as can be seen in these two examples
It should go without saying that you should never handle unexploded artillery rounds.
Cluster bombs
So far only one cluster bomb has been filmed in Syria, the RBK 250-275 dropped in Jabal Shehshebo region I blogged about when the video first appeared. Activists made this video show the bomblets and bomb casing (more details here)
It should be noted that in moving these cluster bomblets to create this display the activists took a massive risk, and provided no additional information that couldn't have been provided in a far safer manner. None of the new information relates to the bomblets themselves, just the information given by the men in the video.
Unlike a conventional bomb, a cluster bomb breaks open in flight scattering the bomblets, which means the bomb casing will always be left behind, so if a cluster bomb is dropped there should always be a bomb casing left somewhere. However, it's also highly likely unexploded bomblets will be left in the area, and I would strongly advise anyone in the area to avoid the area the bomblets were dropped.
Grenade Rounds
Grenade cartridges, used in underbarrel grenade lauchers are quite rare, and in the below example we see the remains of a VOG round used with Russian weaponry
Mortars
Much like artillery, mortars in Syria come in a great range of sizes, all the way up to the massive 240mm mortars first identified as being used in Homs in February. Generally all that remains are tail fins, which generally look about the same no matter what the size. Here's a couple of example, one small and one from the 240mm mortar shell
So you can see that despite the huge size difference they are similar in many ways. You've got a flat base, a number of curving fins, and holes punched into the stem. For more examples this gallery has a whole range of mortars shell remains. Here are two examples of unexploded mortar shells that have had their tails snapped off, and can be mixed up with unexploded artillery shells. The first is a 240mm mortar shell, much larger than any artillery shell, the second a smaller mortar shell, which has the sharply tapering end that distinguishes it from a artillery shell
OFABs
OFABs are a range of bombs dropped from Hind helicopters, with only OFAB 250-270s being recorded as being dropped in Syria at the moment. I've collected a large number of videos of them here, and the below video shows the most complete example
It should be stressed that as with handling any UXO the people in this video took an incredible risk moving this bomb from the crater it landed in, and UXO should always be left alone as it's impossible to know how safe they could be.
RPGs
A variety of RPG rockets are used in Syria, and generally they leave two distinct types of remains. This first video shows the low explosive cartridges used to propel the rockets out of their launch tubes
You can see an example of the complete rocket with low explosive cartridge attached here.
Then we have the remains of the rockets, which are being pointed to in the below picture (taken from this video)
These are generally quite easy to spot as they are quite thin, and have many holes stamped into them, a clear example of which can be seen on image (source)
Another example of a badly bent RPG motor is shown below, along with another mortar tail fin
S-5 Rockets
The S-5 rocket is a common sight in many videos from Syria, launched from Hinds armed with rocket pods. They also featured heavily in the Libyan Civil War, generally fired from rocket pods welded to the backs of pick up trucks.
They have a very distinctive long thin body, usually a light metallic colour, with black stabliser fins at the rear. The actual explosive charge it only at the very end of the missile, the rest of the body being used to hold propellant. Other examples are here, here, and here.
If you come across any other examples you think aren't mentioned on this page please send them to me and I will attempt to identify them and add them to this page. It should again be stressed that UXO should never be handled as they present a very high risk to the person handling them and anyone nearby.
Here's the latest round up of weapons and equipment featured in FSA videos posted online. Earlier posts can be found here, here ,and here.
AA guns and truck mounted heavy machine guns
Not many new videos in this section, but it's interesting to note the ZU-23-2s being used to fire at ground level targets.
Aleppo - Truck mounted ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun
Unknown - Truck mounted ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun
Jarabulus, Aleppo - Truck mounted DShK
Mortars and rockets
A couple of interesting ones this time round, including a video showing a LAW rocket launcher, the supply of which was covered in a recent Reuters article, alongside what may be home made rockets. There's also an rare sighting of a more advanced anti-tank system.
Talbisah, Homs - Mortar being fired at a shabiha base
Homs - Al-Farouq Brigade - Firing mortars at a shabiha base
Unknown location - Descendants of Khalid ibn al-Walid Battalion - What appears to be homemade missiles, and a LAW
Tanks and armoured cars
As before, the FSA appears to be capturing an ever increasing number of armoured vehicles, and as I reported earlier in the week we've seen the first example of a T-series tank being used in combat by the FSA.
Rastan - Al-Farouq Brigade - 3 T-62 tanks and one armoured car (more details here)
Rastan - Al-Farouq Brigade - One tank, possibly a T-62
Andan, Aleppo - Champions Andan - T-72 tank
Homs - Umar's Free Army Battalion - Battalion formation video with a T-72 tank
Midan, Damascus - Armoured car captured from security forces
Talbiseh, Homs - A mixture of six armoured cars and BMPs captured by the FSA
Ammo, guns and other equipment
Idlib - 4 DShK machines guns, 1 mortar, 60+ mortar shells, and a handful of RPG rockets
DIY
This week we see a return of an old favourite, and a use for all those destroyed and disabled BMPs
Aleppo - A large catapult being used to launch home made explosives
Unknown location - BMP cannon mounted on the back of a truck
