401–500 of 915
Current Filter
Unfunctioned Munition
The munition has not operated and the intended effect has not occurred.
Analyst Note:
This image shows the copper cone of the shaped charge located at the front of the warhead fitted to a Shahed-131. The Ukrainian armed forces have recorded that the cone measures 111 mm in diameter and 162 mm in depth. The warhead is lined with cubic pre-formed fragments of 7 mm in diameter. The explosive content of the warhead is estimated to be between 10 and 15 kg. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows two MAM-L guided air-delivered bombs affixed to the wing of a Bayraktar TB2 drone. The MAM-L and TB2 are both produced in Türkiye by Roketsan and Baykar respectively. The MAM-L can have one of three different warheads: blast fragmentation, anti-tank, or thermobaric. The warhead section of each MAM-L in this image has “YIPE/BF” visible. ‘YIPE’ is the abbreviation of the warhead type in Turkish: Yüksek Infilaklı Parçacık Etkili (‘high explosive fragmentation’, in English). The ‘BF’ also indicates that these MAM-L munitions are of the blast-fragmentation variant. The warhead of a MAM-L cannot be determined from an external assessment without viewing markings such as these (or a clear view of the data plate, which can be seen on the aft portion of the MAM-L). (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows an American F/A-18 fighter aircraft armed with two AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) air-delivered bombs taking off to conduct strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen. The F/A-18 likely has two more AGM-154-series munitions carried on the opposite side of the aircraft, for a total of four bombs. The JSOW has multiple variants which are fitted with different warheads, including a submunition payload (AGM-154A and AGM-154B models), BLU-111 500-pound bomb (AGM-154A-1), and a Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented Charge (BROACH) multi-stage penetrator warhead (AGM-154C or AGM-154C-1). All variants are externally identical without markings, with the exception that the AGM-154C and C-1 have a small reflective window on the bottom of the nose for the terminal infrared (IR) seeker. The munitions in the image are most likely AGM-154A-1 or AGM-154C-series bombs, due to the lack of reported submunitions following the strikes. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows an unexploded WDU-45/B, the second stage or penetrator warhead (also called a ‘follow-through’ warhead), of the Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented Charge (BROACH) multi-stage warhead system used in the AGM-154C variant of the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) air-delivered bomb. The first stage is a shaped-charge warhead designed help the second stage penetrate hardened targets before detonating. The Shadow/SCALP-EG missile also uses a multi-stage BROACH system, but with larger warheads. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows an RGM-109-series Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) being launched from the USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer. The RGM-/UGM-109 TLAM series are surface-to-surface cruise missiles fired from various platforms. The ‘R’ and ‘U’ in RGM and UGM, respectively, denote the intended launch platform, with ‘R’ denoting surface platforms, such as ships, and ‘U’ denoting subsurface platforms, such as submarines. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows a relatively intact Shahed-131 one-way-attack (OWA) UAV with various components highlighted, including the GPS antenna array (light blue), fuselage (light purple), engine (yellow), wing stabiliser (orange), and nose cone (cyan, inside the red box). The nose cone attaches to the front of the fuselage and covers the warhead. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows an Iranian M344 106 mm recoilless gun projectile. The M344 is a high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) munition, containing a shaped charge that is designed to penetrate armour. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows the BSF-50, one of several warheads developed by Russia for the Shahed-136/Geran-2 to replace the original Shahed-136 warhead designed by Iran. The BSF-50 is a high explosive warhead with a fragmentation effect. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows the fuzewell in the base of the warhead of a GBU-39 air-delivered bomb. The innermost cylinder is the electronic fuze; this is held in place by the closure ring. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
Two R-77 air-to-air missiles (NATO reporting name: AA-12 Adder) are carried in this photograph by a Russian Aerospace Forces Sukhoi Su-35 fighter aircraft. Key markings, including the aircraft’s bort number (a coloured numeral that acts as a unit or base identifier), have been digitally obscured. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM; ‘Modular Air-to-Ground Armament’) family of French bolt-on guidance kits are fitted to air-delivered bombs of various sizes in a similar fashion to American JDAM kits. In some marketing materials, the acronym HAMMER is used, standing for ‘Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range’. This refers, in part, to the rocket boosters fitted to munitions in the family to extend their effective range. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
In this photo, a Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-25 ground-attack aircraft from the 299th Tactical Aviation Brigade, with the bort number ‘Blue 28’, is seen carrying an AASM-250 guided air-delivered bomb under its left wing. Available imagery shows that the AASM-250 has also been fitted to Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter aircraft, and can likely be carried by the Sukhoi Su-27 as well. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows a MK 84 2,000-pound bomb that has had its fuze and baseplate removed in order to access the explosive filler. The fuze, fuze retaining ring, and baseplate can be seen on the white sheet.
The explosive material used to fill the bomb has been removed, possibly to be repurposed in improvised explosive devices or craft-produced munitions. Unexploded ordnance is often ‘harvested’ for these purposes. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows an Israeli Air Force F-16 carrying four Rampage air-to-ground missiles. The Rampage is a 580 kg (1,278 lb) missile with GPS and INS guidance. It carries a multi-purpose warhead that is designed for engaging a range of targets in the open as well as offering some degree of penetration. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows a 9M22S rocket with some of its unfunctioned payload of 180 ML-5 incendiary elements. Each ML-5 is a hexagonal prism formed from a hollow shell of magnesium that is filled with an incendiary composition. These elements are ignited by the ejection charge of the rocket’s warhead upon functioning. Two fuzes are also visible at the bottom of the image, immediately above and below the ruler. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This F-16I fighter aircraft from the Israeli Air Force is carrying a CATM-120 inert missile simulant (indicated). These devices are used for training purposes, being designed to replicate the weight and centre of gravity of a live munition. They lack any means of propulsion and are not released from the aircraft. The CATM-120 can be differentiated from the AIM-120 missile series by the presence of only blue bands on the missile, denoting both an inert rocket motor and an inert payload. A ‘live’ AIM-120 will have two brown bands on the rear section of the missile (the rocket motor), and a yellow band on the forward, or warhead, section. An AIM-120 with an inert warhead, but a live rocket motor, will have a blue band on the warhead and two brown bands on the rocket motor. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows three North Korean 120 mm high explosive (HE) mortar projectiles. (ARES).
Analyst Note:
This image shows a North Korean 120 mm high explosive (HE) mortar projectile next to an Iranian 120 mm HE mortar projectile. Despite both being the same calibre, the overall shapes and dimensions of the two projectiles are noticeably different. Factors such as payload weight and range can be affected significantly by projectile shape. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The ZAB-250-200 (ЗАБ-250-200) unguided air-delivered bomb is loaded with 48 kg of a napalm-like thickened incendiary mixture, 8 kg of cotton scraps soaked in kerosene (paraffin), and 4 kg of pyrotechnic composition to aid with ignition. (ARES)
2 Analyst Notes:
This image shows one of several possible warhead variants that can be carried by the Shahed-136/Geran-2 one-way attack (OWA) UAV. The Shahed-136/Geran-2 (and the smaller Shahed-131/Geran-1) has been documented carrying shaped-charge warheads, penetrator warheads, and multi-function warheads. Due to the various warheads that can be carried by a Shahed/Geran drone, the functional use cannot be determined without the warhead being visible. In this case, the munition was fitted with a TBBCh-50M warhead that contains a thermobaric explosive composition with an additional fragmentation effect. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
Shahed-131/Geran-1 and Shahed-136/Geran-2 one-way-attack (OWA) UAVs can be fitted with on of a variety of warheads with different functional uses. The specific type carried by each UAV cannot be determined unless the munition has been damaged in such a way as to reveal the warhead, such as in this case. This image shows the cone of the shaped charge, indicating that this Shahed-1/Geran-1 carries a warhead with a penetrating or anti-armour effect. This warhead has been documented with 18 additional liners for enhanced anti-armour effect, and in some cases has been fitted with fragmentation liners for an enhanced anti-personnel effect. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
Whilst there are no visible markings explicitly identifying the model of the 122 mm rockets in this image, they are sitting atop a box marked “R-122” and exhibit physical features consistent with North Korean R-122 rockets. It should be noted that rockets marked with the generic “R-122” model name have been observed in both ‘long’ and ‘short’ overall lengths and painted in different colours. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
Whilst relatively little is known about Burmese air-delivered bombs from publicly available sources, researchers (including those at ARES and Myanmar Witness) have been collecting evidence based on munitions’ physical features and markings. Combined with information from confidential sources, this has allowed for the tentative identification of several models. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This F-16I fighter aircraft from 107 Squadron Israeli Air Force is carrying a CATM-120 inert missile simulant (indicated). These devices are used for training purposes, being designed to replicate the weight and centre of gravity of a live munition. They lack any means of propulsion and are not released from the aircraft. The CATM-120 can be differentiated from the AIM-120 missile series by the presence of only blue bands on the missile, denoting both an inert rocket motor and an inert payload. A ‘live’ AIM-120 will have two brown bands on the rear section of the missile (the rocket motor), and a yellow band on the forward, or warhead, section. An AIM-120 with an inert warhead, but a live rocket motor, will have a blue band on the warhead and two brown bands on the rocket motor. (ARES)
