Improvised Explosive Device (IED)

History of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)

Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) are point-deployable explosive devices used to injure, harass, or kill an individual or group of people. Improvised explosive devices have long been a recognized part of guerrilla warfare, where conventional warfare is beyond the capabilities of insurgent groups.

Improvised explosive devices are usually prepared on the side of the road or thrown into the street when enemy vehicles pass by. Surprise is the key factor anyway, so IEDs are often disguised to hide their sinister effects.

IEDs are manufactured in a variety of ways, including using household chemicals and elements, or combining military-grade components into the right combustible combination. IEDs can also come in different sizes, with larger versions reasonably causing the most damage/damage.

IEDs can be delivered into cartons and milk crates in simple paper bags and steel pipes (called "pipe bombs"). Other packages that have been used (especially in Iraq since 2003) include mortar and howitzer rounds, which provide a large blast radius and proper fragmentation.

Such devices can be triggered by timers, timers or cell phones.

IEDs have proven very popular in the ongoing operations of Al Qaeda and Taliban members in Iraq and Afghanistan who have limited access to heavy weapons and necessitate the use of IEDs (aka Molotov cocktails) . Coalition forces in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters have been targeted by improvised explosive devices since their respective invasions, turning entire infantry fighting vehicles upside down in massive explosions. The Humvee proved particularly vulnerable in the early stages of the war, and armored variants were developed later. The widespread use of improvised explosive devices by the enemy has led the coalition to procure a large number of mine-protected vehicles.

Mine-resistant vehicles - known as "MRAPs" - are specifically designed to withstand specific blast forces from different angles and provide a degree of protection for the crew - often at the expense of the entire vehicle itself.

Specification

Basics

Years of Service

1975

Origins

Soviet Union

Categories

Improvised Explosive Devices

Maker

Homemade/Battlefield improvisation.

Operator

Afghanistan; Chechnya; Indonesia; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Pakistan; Russia; former Soviet Union; Syria

ROLLING

Anti-Tank/Anti-Tank/Anti-Material

Designed to engage at long range and defeat armored/enemy tanks.

Special weapons for specific characters on the battlefield.

Asymmetric War

Design is highly variable/cheap depending on battlefield requirements and available materials; common use is in urban environments against organized enemies to inflict mass casualties.

Notable features

Guerrilla warfare

The ease of use coupled with the relative simplicity of combining components makes this entry a cost-effective solution to unconventional elements/forces.

Time Backup

The detonation of this item depends on a timed fuze; the typical mass of a grenade.

Psychological

Entry has inherent psychological effects on battlefield participants due to possible damage/loss.

Action

Timed / Detonator / Radioactive Explosives.

Ignition Ignition

The design is based on timed ignition ignition.

Remote Ignition

The design can be activated remotely, keeping the operator a safe distance from the blast site.

Cartridges and Paper Feeds

Caliber*

Not available.

Circle/Feed

Single instance.

PERFORMANCE

Rate-of-Fire

1

rds/min

VARIANTS

Not applicable. IEDs come in varying shapes and sizes and explosive material is often sized to the required expected blast.