Interesting Analysis of the Rockets Used in Syria

[JHB]

37. Another article, from Jane's

Syrian military allegedly used makeshift rockets in chemical attack
Jeremy Binnie, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

There has been speculation that Syria's military used an unusual and crudely manufactured rocket in the apparent chemical weapons (CWs) attack carried out in the Damascus area on 21 August. The remnants of this type of rocket have been seen several times in videos and photographs published on the internet earlier this year, but there has been a surge in the amount of imagery featuring the munition in the wake of 21 August incident.

The weapons are broadly similar in layout to what the US military calls improvised rocket-assisted mortars (IRAMs),in that they consist of a comparatively slender rocket motor fitted to a warhead of a far larger calibre. Iranian-backed insurgents operating in Iraq made their IRAMs by attaching stubby 107 mm rocket motors to cylinders filled with high explosive to increase their payloads at the expense of range and accuracy.

The Syrian version uses longer motors, possibly taken from 122 mm artillery rockets, and has a tail-stabilising assembly consisting of large fins encircled by a ring. The diameter of the warhead could be 333 mm, which would allow the weapon to be used with launchers associated with more conventional rockets, such as Iran's Fajr-5 and Falagh-2.
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While the crudeness of the rockets ostensibly strengthens the argument made by Syria and its allies that insurgents are responsible for any CW attacks, the individual numbers sprayed on their rocket motors suggest they are being mass produced on a scale that has not previously been seen in opposition-controlled areas.

Full article at link:
http://www.janes.com/article/26414/syrian-military-allegedly-used-makeshift-rockets-in-chemical-attack