801–900 of 1,194
Analyst Note:
This image shows the rear of the second stage of the penetrator warhead (also called a ‘follow-through’ warhead) of the Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented Charge (BROACH) multi-stage warhead system present in the Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG missile. The cylindrical object in the centre of the warhead (with a data plate marked “THALES”) is the fuze. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows the first stage of the Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented Charge (BROACH) multi-stage warhead used by the Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG missile. The BROACH uses a shaped-charge warhead (seen here) as its first stage, to help penetrate hardened targets, whilst the second stage comprises a conventional high explosive penetrator warhead (also called a ‘follow-through’ warhead) (ARES).
Analyst Note:
The remnant at left in this image is the second stage, or penetrator warhead, of the Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented Charge (BROACH) multi-stage warhead as used in the Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG air-launched cruise missile. In this case, it has failed to function as intended. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
In this image, two GBU-39 guided air-delivered bombs can be seen in their shipping containers, with only the nose and the tail actuation section of the munitions clearly visible. Distinctive packaging such as this can sometimes be used as contextual evidence for the presence of specific munitions. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows part of a heavy-duty suspension lug associated with the Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missile. This is made clear from dot-peened markings which include “STORM SHADOW USE ONLY” and identifiers such as a NATO Stock Number (NSN). (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The munitions remnant on the left of this image is part of a suspension lug associated with the Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missile, which is used to attach the munition to an aircraft. This component is of heavy construction, and as such often survives the missile’s functioning intact. This photograph purports to show remnants recovered from a Storm Shadow missile that was fired by Ukrainian forces into Russian territory, but this claim cannot be verified from the image alone. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
These R-122 ‘Grad’-type 122 mm surface-to-surface rockets were produced in North Korea. The example to the right is fitted with an F-122 impact fuze. Whilst a two-tone colour scheme is more common amongst those North Korean Grad rockets thus far identified in the context of the Ukraine conflict (these typically featuring a black forward section), uniformly coloured examples like this have also been identified previously. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
Two of the distinctive, black tailfins used on S8-series air-to-surface rockets are visible to front and left of the remnant material. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
Almost all cluster munitions, including this example, expel their submunitions during flight. The submunitions are often held in an internal frame, such as that visible here, prior to being expelled. Depending on the munition, these internal frames may be diagnostic for identification. They usually do not carry a significant explosive payload in their own right, and therefore often withstand the functioning of the munition relatively intact. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The 9M27K3 surface-to-surface rocket is fitted with the 9N128K3 cargo warhead (seen here). This warhead carries a payload of 312 PFM-1 or PFM-1S scatterable anti-personnel landmines. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The markings on this 9N128K3 cargo warhead indicate that it was produced in 1989 and fitted to a 9M27K3 rocket in 1990. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This Blue Sparrow-series air-launched ballistic missile is being carried by an F-15C fighter aircraft from 106 Squadron Israeli Air Force. The missile is marked with the logos of three organisations involved in its development—the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the Directorate of Defence Research & Development, and the Israel Missile Defense Organization—and the Blue Sparrow programme logo of the manufacturer (Rafael Advanced Defense Systems). The booster section also features bright-orange fins and markings consistent with its use as a target missile, here modified to accept a high explosive warhead. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The 9M22S is essentially the ‘full-sized’ version of the shorter 9M28S surface-to-surface rocket previously recorded in the OSMP. Both rockets carry the same 9N510 incendiary warhead, but differ in the length of their rocket motor sections, and thus range. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
Labels on munition remnants can provide a host of useful data, including the model designation (in this case, “GBU-39/B”), part number (PN; (“70P998100-1003”), National Stock Number (NSN; “1325-01-526-8728”), serial number (SN; illegible), and Department of Defense Identification Code (DODIC; “EC53”). These codes, and others like them, can often be searched for in databases or provided to technical specialists for further interpretation. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The Stunner missile is the surface-to-air interceptor missile fired by the David’s Sling weapon system to defeat short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones, and rockets. The Stunner does not carry an explosive warhead, instead relying on kinetic impact (also called the ‘hit-to-kill’ principle) to intercept ballistic missiles and other targets. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The 9M28S surface-to-surface unguided rocket carries the 9N510 warhead, which disperses burning thermite-type incendiary elements over a wide area upon functioning. This munition is designed to start fires in target areas vulnerable to incendiary attack, including forests, ammunition dumps, and fuel storage sites. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows most of the forward half of a Tamir surface-to-air missile, including the guidance section and warhead, as fired by launchers in the Iron Dome system. These interceptor missiles are fast and manoeuvrable with a relatively small explosive payload. Their construction and low yield means that remnants are often recovered largely intact. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems SPICE 1000 guidance kit is fitted to MK 83-series 1,000-pound unguided air-delivered bombs to convert them to precision guided munitions. Like the JDAM-ER, it has a deployable wings to provide a ‘gliding’ attack trajectory. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The BLU-117 air-delivered bomb is nearly identical in format to the more common MK 84, but uses the PBXN-109 explosive filler which is more insensitive than the typical explosive compositions found in MK 80-series bombs. The BLU-117 is also coated with a grey, thermally resistant paint, and marked with three yellow bands (as opposed to the green paint with two yellow bands found on standard MK 80-series bombs). These changes were requested by the U.S. Navy for safer storage of these munitions aboard ships. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The visible component is part of a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit, an accessory package that is fitted to unguided air-delivered bombs to convert them to precision guided munitions. Specifically, this image shows a control fin from the tail assembly. Whilst the JDAM kit would not constitute a munition in its own right, this remnant is included in the OSMP as contextual information strongly suggests it formed part of a complete munition that functioned. (ARES)
2 Analyst Notes:
The JDAM-ER in this photograph is affixed to an unusual pylon thought to be of Ukrainian design, which allows the Western munition to be carried by the Soviet-designed Mikoyan MiG-29 and Sukhoi Su-27 fighter aircraft in service with the Ukrainian Air Force (a MiG-29 is pictured here). (ARES)
3 Analyst Notes:
This is an image released by the Israeli Defense Forces that shows an F-15I of 69 Squadron Israeli Air Force preparing to take part in a high-profile airstrike on 27 September 2024, in which the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed.
Analyst Note:
The M117 series of air-delivered bombs were historically referred to as ‘demolition bombs’, due to the more substantial blast effect they offer in comparison with so-called ‘general-purpose bombs’. This is achieved through the use of more energetic explosive compositions, such as Tritonal or Minol, which incorporate an oxidiser (typically aluminium powder). Today, munitions using such compositions are sometimes considered in the loose category of ‘enhanced blast munitions’, but the distinction between demolition and general-purpose bombs has largely disappeared. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The crude launch arrangement depicted in this photograph shows the ease with which many simple rocket designs can be launched. Weapons such as this are used where precision fire is not a requirement; i.e., where the target might be a whole compound, neighbourhood, or settlement, rather than a specific building or vehicle. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
Contextual information, including an assessment of the crater which appears to be linked to this munition remnant, suggests that a 2,000-pound-class bomb fitted with a SPICE 2000 guidance kit was used in this airstrike. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows an Israeli Air Force F-16C fighter aircraft from 101 Squadron carrying a MK 84-series 2,000-pound-class air-delivered bomb fitted with a SPICE 2000 ‘bolt-on’ guidance kit. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
In this image, an F-15C fighter aircraft from 106 Squadron Israeli Air Force is seen carrying two MK 84-series 2,000-pound-class air-delivered bombs fitted with Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) ‘bolt-on’ guidance kits. In U.S. service, this combination is known as the GBU-31. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The Joint Direct Attack Munition – Extended Range (JDAM-ER) marries the JDAM guidance kit to a ‘glide bomb’ wing kit developed by the Australian Defence Force, offering a munition with at least three times the range of a standard GBU-38 500-pound-class guided aerial bomb. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
In this image, two GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs are attached to a BRU-61/A bomb rack. The Ukrainian Air Force adapted this American-designed bomb rack to fit their Soviet-designed Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter aircraft. The BRU-61/A can carry up to four GBU-39 air-delivered bombs. (ARES)
