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Country or territory where the image was reported

Reported Location (20)

Year the image is reported to have been taken

Year (17)

Classification groups of key explosive munitions used in conflicts

Munition Category (6)

The impact or effect the munition is intended to have

Functional use (8)

The specific model of munition pictured

Tentative Model (178)

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The external organisation that documented the munition

Research Organisation (5)

Colour of the munition pictured

Base Colour (10)

Colour of all, or some, of the markings on the munition

Marking Colour (9)

Language or script of the marking on a munition

Marking Script (9)

Condition of the munition pictured

Condition (6)

Key features defining the operation mechanisms of a projectile

Mechanical Feature (9)

Whether a munition is guided or unguided

Guidance (2)

Where the munition is launched from and what it targets

Domain (5)

The type of fins visible on the munition

Fins Characteristic (5)

The nominal diameter of a projectile. For most modern munitions, this is expressed in millimetres (e.g. 82 mm mortar projectile), but older artillery gun projectiles may be described in inches.

Calibre (51)

120 mm
Weight class of the aerial bomb pictured

Weight Class (11)

61 results
OSMP883
Analyst Note:
The two North Korean 120 mm high explosive (HE) mortar projectiles in this image are each fitted with five cloth bags affixed above the tailfins. These are incremental propellant charges (sometimes known as augmenting, auxiliary, or supplemental charges), the number of which can be varied along with a mortar’s elevation to adjust the trajectory and range of the munition when fired. (ARES)
OSMP722
Analyst Note:
The 9M14 Malyutka anti-tank guided missile was designed and fielded by the Soviet Union in the 1960s. It uses an outdated guidance principle known as manual command to line-of-sight (MCLOS), in which the operator must manually adjust the course of the missile in flight. Nonetheless, this munition has been seen in several 21st-century conflicts. (ARES)
OSMP712
Analyst Note:
This Iranian M48 120 mm mortar projectile is marked to indicate it was manufactured in 2008. A plastic bag cable-tied to the tail of the munition protects the auxiliary, or supplemental, propellant charges fitted to the round. (ARES)
OSMP718
Analyst Note:
The physical features, colour scheme, and packaging of these 120 mm mortar projectiles are all consistent with Iranian manufacture, but the markings are mostly obscured in this image. (ARES)
OSMP636
Analyst Note:
This is an Israeli 120 mm tank gun round, of the ‘armour-piercing, fin-stabilised discarding sabot – tracer’ (APFSDS-T) type. The physical features identify it as either the M322 or M338. The projectile (penetrator) of this round has no explosive content and relies on kinetic energy to penetrate armoured targets. When a projectile is of a smaller calibre than the gun’s bore, a sabot is sometimes used to ensure the projectile is centred in the bore and to trap the gas from the propellant of the cartridge and propel the projectile. In flight, the sabot separates into two or more pieces, sometimes called ‘petals’, often found along the line of fire before the impact point. (ARES)
OSMP657
Analyst Note:
Some tank gun projectiles may have fins affixed to an extended ‘tail boom’, in a similar manner to a mortar projectile. Note, however, that the cylindrical tail assembly is not perforated as it would be for most mortar projectiles. Tank gun projectiles are also more likely to be generally cylindrical, rather than lachrymiform (teardrop-shaped). (ARES)
OSMP640
Analyst Note:
The M329 is a multi-purpose tank gun projectile designed to engage a range of targets other than tanks. It is one of the few cluster munitions that takes the form of a tank gun projectile, dispensing six explosive submunitions over a relatively small area. It has also been referred to as the ‘APAM 120’, describing its functional role (‘anti-personnel/anti-materiel’) and calibre (120 mm). (ARES)
OSMP501
Analyst Note:
The image is of "a high-velocity shell fired from the main armament of a battle tank," Desmond Travers, former director of the Institute for International Criminal Investigations, told Airwars and AFP. "The calibre appears to be 120 mm, and the shell is fin-stabilised. The maximum effective range is five kilometers, but a skilled tank crew member should be able to hit a target the size of a car." (Airwars)
OSMP260
Analyst Note:
As a result of the rapid introduction of new models and variants during ongoing conflicts, sometimes a munition is issued with a provisional designation, or with no designation at all. In other cases, the designation is not yet known to researchers. (ARES)
OSMP272
Analyst Note:
Whilst most mortars are smoothbore guns, some have a rifled bore. These M1101 120 mm mortar projectiles feature a 'pre-rifled' driving band—that is, a driving band with grooves cut at the factory to fit the mortar's rifling. (ARES)
OSMP208
Analyst Note:
The OF-NMR is a rocket-assisted mortar projectile, which uses a solid-fuel rocket motor located in the cylindrical portion of the body, below the ogive, to extend its range. Rocket-assisted mortar projectiles are rarely encountered. (ARES)
OSMP216
Analyst Note:
The “+” marking is a weight classification symbol which indicates standard deviation. One “+” sign indicates a deviation from 0.33% to 1.00% of the stated weight. (ARES)
OSMP169
Analyst Note:
The 120 mm 3-Z-2 incendiary mortar projectile contains 6 incendiary elements, four large and two small. These are hollow steel ‘cups’ filled with an incendiary mixture of an unknown type, but understood to be comparable in effect to thermite. (ARES)