Rogue Rocketeers: Artillery Rockets and Armed Groups
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19 Rogue Rocketeers Artillery Rockets and Armed Groups By Matt Schroeder A Working Paper of the Small Arms Survey Copyright Published in Switzerland by the Small Arms Survey © Small Arms Survey, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, 2014 First published in July 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the Small Arms Survey, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Publications Manager, Small Arms Survey, at the address below. Small Arms Survey Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies 47 Avenue Blanc, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Copy-edited by Estelle Jobson and Catherine Robinson Proofread by Donald Strachan Typeset in Optima and Palatino by HotHouse South Africa Printed by nbmedia in Geneva, Switzerland ISBN 978-2-940548-03-3 2 Small Arms Survey Working Paper 19 The Small Arms Survey The Small Arms Survey is an independent research project located at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Swit- zerland. Established in 1999, the project is supported by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and current or recent contributions from the Governments of Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Nether- lands, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as from the European Union. The Survey is grateful for past support received from the Governments of Canada, France, Spain, and Sweden. The Survey also wishes to acknowledge the financial assistance it has received over the years from foundations and many bodies within the UN system. The objectives of the Small Arms Survey are: to be the principal source of public information on all aspects of small arms and armed violence; to serve as a resource centre for governments, policy-makers, researchers, and activists; to monitor national and international initiatives (governmental and non-governmental) on small arms; to support efforts to address the effects of small arms proliferation and misuse; and to act as a clearinghouse for the sharing of information and the dissemination of best practices. The Survey also sponsors field research and information-gathering efforts, especially in affected states and regions. The project has an international staff with exper- tise in security studies, political science, law, economics, development stud- ies, sociology, and criminology, and collaborates with a network of research- ers, partner institutions, non-governmental organizations, and governments in more than 50 countries. Small Arms Survey Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies 47 Avenue Blanc, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland t + 41 22 908 5777 f + 41 22 732 2738 e [email protected] w www.smallarmssurvey.org 2 Small Arms Survey Working Paper 19 Schroeder Rogue Rocketeers 3 4 Small Arms Survey Working Paper 19 Table of contents List of tables and images ................................................. 6 List of abbreviations and acronyms...................................... 8 About the author ........................................................ 9 Acknowledgements ..................................................... 10 Introduction ........................................................... 11 Terms and definitions .................................................. 12 Types, manufacturers, and importers of artillery rockets ............. 13 Artillery rockets and armed groups: a brief overview ............... 14 Employment of artillery rockets by armed groups in Afghanistan and Iraq............................................................. 15 Types of artillery rockets employed by armed groups in Afghanistan and Iraq ............................................... 16 Sources of artillery rockets: Iran’s growing footprint . 27 Use of artillery rockets by armed groups in Iraq and Afghanistan . 38 Policy implications: artillery rockets and the Arms Trade Treaty . 43 Endnotes ............................................................... 46 References .............................................................. 49 Publications list ......................................................... 56 4 Small Arms Survey Working Paper 19 Schroeder Rogue Rocketeers 5 List of tables and images Tables 1 107 mm rockets identified as Iranian and recovered in Iraq, July 2007–May 2009 ........................... 28 2 US military personnel killed or wounded during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, 7 October 2001 to 7 May 2012............... 41 Images 1a, 1b, and 1c Shoulder-fired S-5 rocket launchers.................. 17 2 Four-barrel S-5 rocket launcher seized in Iraq ......... 18 3 MANPADS launch tube, converted for use as an improvised rocket launcher in Libya, 2011 ............ 19 4a, 4b, and 4c Images of aerial weapons team engaging armed group rocket team, Sadr City District, Iraq, 2008............. 21 5a and 5b Rocket rails seized in Iraq, 2009 . 22 6a and 6b Improvised launchers recovered in Afghanistan (c. 2005) and Iraq (2007) ................................... 23 7a and 7b Car jacks seized from an improvised rocket-launcher factory in Maysan, Iraq, 2009 ....................... 24 8a, 8b, and 8c Car jacks used in the construction of improvised rocket launchers, Iraq, 2008–09 ............................ 24 9 Artillery rockets recovered in Iraq, 2007.............. 31 10 Description of the Fadjr-1 rocket in UK MOD weapons identification guide................................ 33 6 Small Arms Survey Working Paper 19 11 Description of the Fadjr 1 rocket in a Defence Industry Association brochure .............................. 33 12a and 12b Unexploded 107 mm rocket found in Syria, 2013....... 35 13a–f Iranian 107 mm rockets recovered in various countries, 2007–13 .......................................... 35 14 Rockets seized in Iraq that were identified as Iranian Falaq-1, 2008 ..................................... 36 15 Insurgents firing artillery rockets in Iraq, 2007 ........ 39 16 Villagers show US soldiers a home damaged by a 107 mm rocket in Khost, Afghanistan, 2002 ........... 42 6 Small Arms Survey Working Paper 19 Schroeder Rogue Rocketeers 7 List of abbreviations and acronyms ATT Arms Trade Treaty DIO Defence Industries Organization EOD Explosive ordnance disposal GPS Global positioning system HE High explosive HEAT High explosive anti-tank HEI High-explosive incendiary IRAM Improvised rocket-assisted munition IED Improvised explosive device MANPADS Man-portable air defence system MOD Ministry of Defence RPG rocket-propelled grenade (launcher) UAV Unmanned aerial vehicle UNROCA UN Register of Conventional Arms USD United States dollar 8 Small Arms Survey Working Paper 19 About the author Matt Schroeder is a senior researcher at the Small Arms Survey and the forme r director of the Arms Sales Monitoring Project at the Federation of American Scientists. Since 2002 he has researched and written on the arms trade, arms export controls, and the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons. He is the author of numerous publications, including The MANPADS Threat and International Efforts to Address It: Ten Years after Momba sa and The Small Arms Trade. He has written for Arms Control Today, Defense News, Defense Technology International, Disarmament Forum, Foreign Policy, Jane’s Intelligence Review, and the Small Arms Survey Yearbook. He graduated from Wittenberg University with a Bachelor’s degree in history and received a Master’s degree in international security policy from Columbia University ’s School of International and Public Affairs. 8 Small Arms Survey Working Paper 19 Schroeder Rogue Rocketeers 9 Acknowledgements The author would like to thank James Bevan, Steve Priestley, and Rachel Stohl for their thoughtful reviews of early drafts of this report, and Nic Jenze n-Jones and Jonah Leff for their input on specific sections. Richard Rice, Mark Jansson, and Jose Manuel Heredia Gonzalez assisted with research, editing, and fact-checking. At the Small Arms Survey, the author is grateful to Hasnaa El Jamali, Benjamin King, Emile LeBrun, Glenn McDonald, and Sarah Parker for their assistance with the report. Without the support of these individuals, this report would not have been possible. 10 Small Arms Survey Working Paper 19 Introduction For decades, armed groups around the world have converted rockets intended for use with large, vehicle-mounted launchers into improvised light weapo ns. Indiscriminate and lethal, these weapons have killed and injured thousands of people in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere. Yet, despite the demonstrated threat posed by artillery rockets, they have received significantly less atten- tion from policy-makers than conventional small arms and light weapons. The following Working Paper attempts to improve understanding of artil- lery rockets, their use as improvised light weapons by armed groups, and the threat that these weapons pose to military and civilian targets. The main findings from this Working Paper include the following: • Use of artillery rockets by armed groups is widespread. Groups in at least 12 countries have produced, acquired, and/or used artillery rockets against military and civilian targets in recent years. • Armed groups in Iraq have acquired hundreds of