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Analyst Note:
This image shows the rear portions of two different two different Spike Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) missiles, which each include the control section and part of the rocket motor.
The Spike NLOS has been in service with Israel since 1987, and is currently in its sixth generation, or iteration, which comprises an unknown number of variants. At least three different warhead configurations are reported: high explosive fragmentation (HE-FRAG), high explosive anti-tank (HEAT), and a ‘multipurpose’ or anti-structure variant with a penetrating blast and fragmentation warhead. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
Contextual images of the damage caused by this munition indicate the remnant pictured is from the AGM-114R9X variant of the Hellfire missile, a kinetic munition which does not carry an explosive warhead. This remnant cannot be differentiated from the JAGM-179 or other AGM-114 variants based off this image alone. (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:
Little is known with certainty about the AGM-114-R9X variant of the Hellfire missile, although it has been associated with high-profile targeted killings including those of senior al-Qaeda figures. The weapon functions as a kinetic-impact munition, using pop-out blades—rather than an explosive warhead—to reduce the prospects of collateral harm. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
Cargo rockets often use an internal frame to manage the correct carriage and expulsion of submunitions. These internal frames frequently survive largely intact after the munition has functioned, and may be diagnostic in identifying a munition by type, series, or model. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
Although this munition started out life as a mortar projectile of the M492-pattern, it has been modified to be dropped from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and, in its present state, could not be fired from a conventional mortar. As such, it is correctly classified here as an air-delivered bomb. (ARES)
Analyst Note:
The fin assembly in the image bears a strong resemblance to those of other munitions employed in the same incident that have been identified as M49A2 mortar projectiles modified to be delivered by UAV. (ARES)
