Right Idea, Wrong Iranian Rocket

Fox News is running a story this morning that shows still photos from a captured insurgent video.

The story claims:


Dramatic video produced by Iraqi insurgents and captured in a raid earlier this week by U.S. troops clearly shows a battery of sophisticated Iranian-made rocket launchers firing on American positions east of Baghdad, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.

The video, captured during a raid on Monday by the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment in northeast Nahrawan, shows insurgents setting up and carrying out an attack on Sunday, as well as an attack on July 11 that killed one soldier and wounded 15 others, officials said. The raid last month appeared to involve 34 launchers firing 107 mm Iranian-made rockets.

Not so fast there, Sparky.

This is one of the photos run in the Fox story:


3_62_080807_iraq_missiles2

Please note the size and shape of the rocket. Fox was smart in hedging its bets that (emphasis mine), "The raid last month appeared to involve 34 launchers firing 107 mm Iranian-made rockets."

These aren't 107mm rockets.

These are:


DSC00089


DSC00084

I first published these two photos of captured Iranian rockets captured outside Forward Operating Base Hammer on July 15.

You'll note that the crude launchers seem very similar in construction, but that the Iranian rockets in the Fox News story are far larger, and are of a different shape, than the verified 107mm rockets captured at FOB Hammer.

Iran seems to be shipping Iraqi insurgents some of their more deadly 230mm rocket variants.

I wonder if the insurgents ordered them via credit card from Iran's www.terror.com.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 09:09 AM

Comments

1 Well Fox could have mentioned the difference, but aren't they correct that 107mm were used last month and the new set are being used in the more recent attack?

Posted by: abw at August 09, 2007 11:27 AM (u9ka3)

2 Looks very like a Chinese design type 82 130mm rocket.
shown at sinodefence.com

The type 82 is 32kg (70 pounds) which would explain why they carry them with two people.

Most countries' rockets are much longer - at least 2 meters

Posted by: davidp at August 10, 2007 01:19 AM (ihAc/)

3 Depend on Fox News to get things wrong.

To me, they looked jury-rigged, but the cone doesn't look like it. I don't think Iran would have been involved, but then again they could have just painted over any markings. Unlikely, though.

Posted by: the_velociraptor at August 14, 2007 10:20 AM (tGf35)






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