Archives
ISLAMIC STATE RECOILLESS LAUNCHER SYSTEMS
In 2017, Islamic State forces deployed four different models of improvised recoilless launcher well suited for urban warfare. This report studies the features and components of these sophisticated inventions.
RADIO-CONTROLLED IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES (RCIED)
CAR presents comparative findings on explosively formed projectiles (EFPs), camouflaged to resemble natural rocks, documented in Yemen and similar devices documented by field investigation teams elsewhere in the Middle East.
WEAPONS OF THE ISLAMIC STATE
This report is the result of more than three years of field investigation into Islamic State supply chains. It presents an analysis of more than 40,000 items recovered from the group between 2014 and 2017. These items encompass weapons, ammunition, and the traceable components and chemical precursors used by the group to manufacture improvised explosive devices.
ANATOMY OF A ‘DRONE BOAT’
CAR analysis of a water-borne improvised explosive device (WBIED) deployed by Houthi forces in Yemen.
SUDANESE STOCKPILES AND REGIONAL WEAPON DIVERSION
An analysis of captured equipment in the possession of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North in the Nuba Mountains.
ISLAMIC STATE’S MULTI-ROLE IEDs
In the battle of Mosul, Islamic State forces have used commercial drones fitted with specially designed improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Technical variations observed on the devices recovered reconfirm the group’s propensity to field-test and rapidly refine its weapon systems—including exploiting emerging technologies, such as drones.
NEW SUDANESE WEAPONS IN BLUE NILE STATE
This Dispatch provides evidence of ongoing efforts by the Sudanese government to obscure the origin of weapons and ammunition it supplies to its forces and proxy armed groups. It also reveals Sudan’s access to military and commercial supply lines from Iran and European States.
IRANIAN TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS TO YEMEN
CAR investigators uncovered ongoing Iranian technology transfers to Houthi rebels. This Perspective documents the use of UAVs to disable Saudi-led Coalition Patriot missile-defence systems in Yemen, indicating an evolution in advanced asymmetric tactics.
STANDARDISATION AND QUALITY CONTROL IN ISLAMIC STATE’S MILITARY PRODUCTION
This Dispatch is the result of field investigations during the initial phases of the assault on IS forces in eastern Mosul. It provides clear evidence of IS ability to manufacture weapons on an industrial scale, with output running into the tens of thousands.
MARITIME INTERDICTIONS OF WEAPON SUPPLIES TO SOMALIA AND YEMEN
This Dispatch examines weapons seized from illegal dhow shipments destined for Somalia and Yemen, in February and March 2016.