30 results
Current Filter
Lebanon
A small country in the Middle East, bordering Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has fought multiple conflicts with Israel, with a major conflict beginning in September 2024.
Analyst Note:
This image shows an SUU-30H/B, an air-delivered dispenser which can be configured to carry different submunition payloads. These can include 217 BLU-61 A/B, 650 BLU-63/B, or 650 BLU-86/B or BLU-86 A/B. The munition can also carry inert payloads. The specific combination of payload and dispenser determines the ‘Cluster Bomb Unit’ (CBU) designation, with SUU-30H/B dispensers being paired with different payloads to form the CBU-58 and CBU-71 series. Contextual information suggests that this dispenser was part of a CBU-58/B cluster munition, but this cannot be established from an assessment of this image alone. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
This image shows an aerosurface or ‘strake’ from a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bomb guidance kit of the type fitted to MK 82-series 500-pound air-delivered bombs. The JDAM kits compatible with MK 82 bombs have aerosurfaces that are affixed near the nose of the bomb—rather than around the widest part of the bomb body, as seen in JDAM kits that are compatible with the larger MK 83 or MK 84 bombs. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
MK 84 unguided air-delivered bombs can be fitted with a variety of tail kits, or with guidance kits which convert them into precision guided munitions (PGMs). When an air-delivered bomb impacts a building or the ground without functioning, the tail or guidance kit may be sheared off. With these separated from the munition—and in the absence of other identifying features, such as a seeker fitted to the nose of the weapon—it becomes very difficult to determine whether the bomb was guided or unguided. (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 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:
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)
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)
Analyst Note:
In this image, part of the distinctive internal 'X-rib' arrangement is visible protruding from the base of an M825-series white phosphorus smoke projectile. This is a useful diagnostic feature that can be used to distinguish remnants of these munitions from those of similar projectiles (such as those using a hexachloroethane/zinc smoke composition) if markings are not visible (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The SPICE family of munitions, manufactured by Israeli aerospace and defence company Rafael, includes two models which use ‘bolt-on’ guidance kits. The SPICE 1000 and SPICE 2000 models convert 1,000- and 2,000-pound unguided aerial bombs, respectively, to precision guided munitions. (ARES)
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)
