see Chemical Weapons Attacks
September 18, 2013 140mm warhead identifed by UN is probably a Soviet 140mm M14 Artillery Rocket, fired by the BM-14 (or 16, and 17) multiple rocket launcher. The Russians originally designed, and may have supplied the Syrian army with a chemical warhead loaded with 2.2kg of sarin.
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http://ninjapundit.blogspot.com/2013/09/mystery-syrian-140mm-chemical-warhead.html
http://www.zamanalwsl.net/en/readNews.php?id=1473
This object looks like the back end of a bomb though, not a rocket
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http://brown-moses.blogspot.com/2013/08/were-un-inspectors-examining-chemical.html
The first thing that stands out are the nozzles, which indicates this is a type of artillery rocket. Artillery rockets are used widely in the conflict, but what makes this stand out is the number of nozzles. The 107mm rockets used widely in the conflict, launched from Type-63 multiple rocket launches by both sides in the conflict, have less holes than the ten we are seeing here.
There wasn't really much to go on until the team at Allen Vanguard (Twitter) suggested I take a look at the Soviet 140mm M14 Artillery Rocket, fired by BM-14,16, and 17 multiple rocket launcher.
Mark Hiznay of Human Rights Watch provided me with a diagram of the M14, shown below
Two things really stood out, first of all the base of the munition
The same marking, even the same number, is on the diagram of the rocket
Of course, the one way to be sure is to have the exact measurements of the rocket in the video. We can see from the diagram the section in the video should be 140mm wide, and around 630mm long, but how can we possibly find that out? Fortunately, one of the UN inspectors had the same idea, and was filmed measuring it.
Below I've taken a screenshot, copied the measuring tape used by the inspector, and rotated slightly to measure the width of the munition. The tape is resting on top of the munition, but as the camera angle is slightly tilted I've kept the tape near the original position
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All of this would make this a very strong contender for it being the 140mm M14 Artillery Rocket, and what's very interesting about that is one of it's possible warheads is a chemical warhead loaded with 2.2kg of sarin. This is dispersed on impact, with a burster charge detonating to disperse the agent, which would leave the rest of the rocket intact, unlike a high explosive warhead that would serious damage the rocket on impact. Of course, without testing on the ground it's impossible to be sure this is the type that carries a chemical warhead, but fortunately, that's what the UN are there for.
Update September 9th The RUSI has put out this video with a lot more information on the munition
BM-14
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| BM-14 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Multiple rocket launcher |
| Place of origin |  Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1967 - c.1990 (USSR) |
| Wars | Algerian Civil War, |
| Production history | |
| Designer | NII 303 |
| Designed | 1951 |
The BM-14 (BM for Boyevaya Mashina, 'combat vehicle'), is a Soviet-made 140mm multiple rocket launcher, fielded by the Soviet Union.
The BM-14 can fire rockets fitted with chemical (MS-14), smoke (M-14D) or high-explosive fragmentation (M-14-OF) warheads. It is similar to the BM-13 "Katyusha" and was partly replaced in service by the 122 mm BM-21 Grad.
The rocket has a range of about 9.8 km and can carry a warhead of 8 kg weight. Launchers were built in 16 and 17-round variants.
The weapon is not accurate as there is no guidance system, but it is extremely effective in saturation bombardment.
Algerian armed forces used BM-14 rocket launchers in 1993 during the Algerian Civil War.[citation needed]
Variants
- BM-14 (8U32) - 16-round model (two rows of 8), launcher mounted on the ZiS-151 truck. Entered service in 1952. Also known as BM-14-16.
- BM-14-17 (8U35) - 17-round (8+9 launch tubes) launcher, mounted on the GAZ-63A. Developed in 1959. This launcher was also used on naval vessels, for exampleProject 1204 patrol boats.
- RPU-14 (8U38) - towed 16-round version, based on the carriage of the 85mm gun D-44 and used by Soviet Airborne Troops, where it was replaced by the 122mm BM-21V "Grad-V".
Operators
Algeria - 50
Angola
Burkina Faso
Cambodia - 10
Cuba
Egypt
Indonesia - Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) operates 24 BM-14-17 launchers.
Madagascar
Mongolia
Russia - 50 BM-13, BM-14.[2]
Sudan - 200 BM-14
Syria - 200 BM-14 purchased in 1967 [3] []- Soviet Union - Passed on to successor states in 1991.
Vietnam - 700
Yemen - 30
Similar designs
- The Type 63 130mm multiple rocket launcher (not to be confused with the towed Type 63 of 107mm) is the Chinese version of the BM-14-17. It has a slightly smaller calibre but is fitted with 19 instead of 17 launch tubes. The Type 63 MRL is based on the Nanjing NJ-230 or 230A 4x4 truck, a licence-produced version of the Soviet GAZ-63/63A.
- The WP-8z (Polish: Wyrzutnia Pocisków rakietowych) was a Polish towed rocket launcher that was developed in 1960. The weapon was subsequently produced between 1964 and 1965. It fired the same rockets as the RPU-14 but had only 8 launch tubes. The main operator was the 6th Pomeranian Airborne Division (Polish: 6 Pomorska Dywizja Powietrzno-Desantowa).[4] with 12-18 WP-8s in its inventory.[5][6][7]
References
- ^ a b "БМ-14 — Википедия" (in (Russian)). Ru.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
- ^ Russian Army Equipment
- ^ http://portal.sipri.org/publications/pages/transfer/trade-register
- ^ "Defense & Security Intelligence & Analysis: IHS Jane's | IHS". Articles.janes.com. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
- ^ "6 PDPD". Oocities.org. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
- ^ "Wyrzutnia rakietowa WP-8z". Militarium. 2009-02-17. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
- ^ "WP-8z – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia" (in (Polish)). Pl.wikipedia.org. 2013-08-27. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
Popular Mechanics
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/the-story-of-syrias-chemical-artillery-15935885
The investigators discovered a small crater in a porch in a Damascus suburb called Moadamiyah; inside the crater was a rocket motor. The warhead it carried was never found. The U.N. report shows photos of a 140-mm rocket with Cyrillic writing stenciled on the outside. The 10 nozzles seen at the base of the munitions base tell the U.N. investigators that it is a M14 artillery rocket, built in Soviet-era Russia.
Where It Came From
When did this outmoded piece of hardware reach Syria? The transfer occurred before weapons-monitoring organizations such as SIPRI created their useful databases, so there are no clues there. But there is a rich history of arms deals between Syria and Russia, so options abound. From 1955 to 1960 the Soviet Union supplied $200 million in weapons to Syria to counter the U.S. courtship of Saudi Arabia and Jordan. (Sound familiar?) In 1972, after a Syrian Air Force commander seized control of the country in a coup, the Soviet Union supplied $135 million in arms and became Syria's main arms supplier. The influx of weapons has left Syria with more than 500 MLRS, including the old, reliable BM-14.
The BM-14 is the farthest thing from a precision weapon. It is made for saturation bombing: a strategic attack on an entire area, such as a city block or large section of battlefield. The weapon has 16 high rockets, each loaded with a 17.5-pound explosive warhead, so indiscriminately pounding any area is as terrorizing as it is damaging.
And the BM-14 does not simply shoot explosives—it can distribute chemicals. Sometimes those chemicals produce smoke. Other times they deliver nerve gas. According to the book Red Steel: Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of the Cold War, by Russell Phillips, smoke and chemical warheads were introduced to the BM-14 in 1955. ...
The U.N. report says the rocket it found in Moadamiyah was armed with "an original or improvised warhead (not found at the impact site)." ..."Declassified U.S. documents indicate that the Soviet Union supplied Syria with chemical agents, delivery systems, and training related to chemical weapons use," the report reads. "Syria is likely to have procured equipment and precursor chemicals from private companies in Western Europe."
The chemical attack on August 21 came as part of a rocket barrage, as could be expected from a saturation-bombardment weapon. The M14 found by the U.N. team careened from the northwest and clipped an apartment building.
Read more: The Story of Syria's Chemical Artillery - Popular Mechanics
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