U.S. Troops in Iraq Face A Powerful New Weapon-rocket-propelled IEDs

[babylonsister]

U.S. Troops in Iraq Face A Powerful New Weapon
Use of Rocket-Propelled Bombs Spreads

By Ernesto Londoño
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, July 10, 2008; Page A01



BAGHDAD, July 9 -- Suspected Shiite militiamen have begun using powerful rocket-propelled bombs to attack U.S. military outposts in recent months, broadening the array of weapons used against American troops.

U.S. military officials call the devices Improvised Rocket Assisted Munitions, or IRAMs. They are propane tanks packed with hundreds of pounds of explosives and powered by 107mm rockets. They are often fired by remote control from the backs of trucks, sometimes in close succession. Rocket-propelled bombs have killed at least 21 people, including at least three U.S. soldiers, this year.

The latest reported rocket-propelled bomb attack occurred Tuesday at Joint Security Station Ur, a base in northeastern Baghdad shared by U.S. and Iraqi soldiers. One U.S. soldier and an interpreter were wounded in the attack.

U.S. military officials say IRAM attacks, unlike roadside bombings and conventional mortar or rocket attacks, have the potential to kill scores of soldiers at once. IRAMs are fired at close range, unlike most rockets, and create much larger explosions. Most such attacks have occurred in the capital, Baghdad.

The use of the rocket-propelled bombs reflects militiamen's ability to use commonly available materials and relatively low-tech weaponry to circumvent security measures that have cost the U.S. military billions of dollars. To combat roadside bombs, known as improvised explosive devices or IEDs, U.S. and Iraqi troops have set up scores of checkpoints throughout the capital, increased patrols and purchased hundreds of armored vehicles that can resist such attacks.

A June report on the Web site Long War Journal called the explosives-filled propane tanks "flying IEDs."

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/09/AR2008070902396.html

[hobbit709]

1. So how long before the "Made in Iran" allegations?

[formercia]

2. Crusader Castles, big or small, they all eventually come under siege

How many Crusades does it take to figure out that premise?

Simple physics: With a given amount of energy, you can propel a small warhead a long distance or a large warhead a short one.

Siege mortars are designed on this principle and have been around for centuries.

This is a no-brainer.

[Javaman]

3. I find it interesting how close sounding this new little ditty's are to Iran.

funny how that works.