Iraq's Shia Militias Roll-Out Heavy Rockets For Islamic State Offensive.

The Iraqi Shia militias who are leading the fight back against the Islamic State militant group appear to be making extensive use of improvised rocket artillery even though they benefit from Iranian support.

Iraq's Shia Militias Roll-Out Heavy Rockets For Islamic State Offensive.

Iran produces a wide range of artillery rockets and their associated launchers, most notably generic 107 mm and 122 mm systems, both of which are frequently seen in service with Iraq's Shia militias.

On 16 March, the New York Times cited US officials as saying that Iran had deployed Fateh-110 tactical ballistic missiles and 333 mm Fajr-5 heavy artillery rockets - or slightly different versions - to Iraq and raised concerns that they would cause civilian casualties if used.

Despite this Iranian support, video footage and photographs from the frontlines show the militias frequently supplement their mass-produced indirect fire weapons with crudely made or improvised rockets and launchers. Some of these are made using the motors from 107 mm rockets fitted with an oversized warhead, thereby increasing their payload at the expense of range and accuracy.

The US military referred to these weapons as improvised rocket-assistance mortars (IRAM) when they were used against its personnel before they were withdrawn from Iraq in 2012. Some Iraqi sources refer to them as Al-Ashtar rockets.

While Iraq's Shia militants were using IRAMs years ago, previously unseen and far larger types of improvised rockets have been seen in the hands of the militias in recent months.

Asaib Ahl al-Haq, for example, fields a stubby rocket that it calls the Al-Qahr. These appear to be made from lengths of high-pressure oil pipe that have been bolted together to form warhead, motor, and tail sections. The warhead has a flat nose with a protruding fuze. The Al-Qahr appears to be not much more than 3 m in length and, according to one Iraqi source, has a range of just 5 km, but a large payload of 250 kg.

Asaib Ahl al-Haq has also been seen with a rocket labelled as the Ababil, which is made in a similar way, but is shorter and has a conical nose.

Both types are launched from a rail mounted on the back of a truck. Some launchers have hydraulic pistons to elevate their rails, but others are simply bolted onto the box-beds of dump trucks, which are tipped back to achieve the required elevation.

A video was released by Iraq's Yasiri Media Channel in September 2014 showing Asaib Ahl al-Haq with what appeared to be a more sophisticated, longer-range rocket labelled as the Al-Muntaqim. This rocket appears to be built around a motor with a calibre in excess of 300 mm, raising the possibility that it is the same as the one used by Iran's Fajr-5 or Nazeat-6 rockets.

While Asaib Ahl al-Haq seems to be leading Shia militia in the rocketry field, the paramilitary wing of the Badr Organisation and the associated Al-Ghadeer TV channel have released imagery of Al-Qahr- and Al- Muntaqim-type weapons on trucks branded with the group's logo.

The Badr version of the Al-Muntaqim even uses the same name, suggesting the heavy rockets used by the various Shia militias are produced by the same people or using the same manufacturing instructions.

Iran has a history of helping its allies establish their own rocket manufacturing industries, as noted by Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force in November 2014. According to the Fars News Agency, he said that Iran had set up missile/rocket production plants in Syria and had provided rocket-production training to the Lebanese Hizbullah and militants in the Palestinian territories.

It is possible that Iran has also trained Iraqi Shia militias to produce their own rockets and that these are different from those used by its other allies because they prioritise payload over range. Nevertheless, given the large quantities of equipment that Iran has been shipping to Iraq in recent months, it still seems strange that the Iran did not simply send its Iraqi allies more rockets.

One possible explanation is that the Iran provided the necessary training to produce the heavy rockets at a time when it wanted a degree of plausible deniability if it was ever accused of backing the militias.