Saturday 27 April 2013

More Details Of Air-To-Air Missiles Used As Surface-To-Surface Missiles

Yesterday I wrote about K-13 series air-to-air missiles being used as surface-to-surface missiles, and today we now have a new video that provides more information about the way in which they are being used (thanks to Mads Dahl)


Unlike the previous video, this new video contains much clearer shots of the missiles, and how they are being used.  One thing that stands out for me is the item at the bottom of this frame


In the previous video it was clear the seeker at the end of the missile had been removed, which led me to question how the missile was being detonated when it reached it's target.  What I believe we have here is the answer to that question, a DIY impact fuze, which can be seen on the rocket just before the launch



It's still questionable how useful these rockets are, as they don't have a particularly large payload, and are almost certainly going to be inaccurate when used this way.  However, I don't imagine they would be much less powerful or accurate than the DIY rockets the opposition are using (if not more), so they aren't exactly out of place in the opposition arsenal, and this is another example of them using what is at hand to fight the conflict, even if it requires a bit of modification.


Related Articles
Video Footage Of Air-To-Air Missiles Being Used As Surface-To-Surface Missiles In Syria
DIY Weapons In Syria - The Mobile Mortar Battery
Unexploded Cluster Bomblets Repurposed As DIY Rocket Warheads
Unexploded Bombs Used In A Truck Bomb By Jabhat al-Nusra
Clear Evidence Of DIY Barrel Bombs Being Used By The Syrian Air Force

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2 comments:

  1. Looks like they're using the missiles to target the large structure in the distance. Assuming the smoke in the area is from the K-13's impact, they're at least hitting the general area of their intended target. I'd say this is probably significantly more powerful and accurate than most of their DIY rockets, since it uses even and consistent burning rocket fuel, as well as all rockets having basically identical construction and build quality. The K-13's warhead carries 11.7 lbs of proper high explosive, as opposed to many of the rebels' cruder rocket designs. According to Wiki, it's a mix of 40% TNT, 40% RDX and 20% Aluminium powder.

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  2. I would love to see its detailed photographs at some jihadi website..... must upload it somewhere ....

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