Month: August 2016

Research Report No. 6: Spanish C90-CR rocket launchers & Alhambra hand grenades in Yemen

ARES is proud to announce the release of the sixth publication in our Research Report series, entitled “Spanish C90-CR rocket launchers & Alhambra hand grenades in Yemen”. Some excerpts from the report follow: The report examines two products from the Spanish defence firm Instalaza S.A. which have been identified in the hands of Houthi rebel forces

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Soviet 180 mm S-23 artillery guns in Syria

Ilya A. On 5 August 2016, anti-government forces from the Free Syrian Army and the Islamist coalition Jaish al-Fateh stormed and captured a Syrian Arab Army (SAA) artillery school facility during operations aimed at breaking the Syrian regime siege of Eastern Aleppo. The following day, rebel group Ahrar al-Sham posted photos of materiel in the

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Russian AK-103 self-loading rifle for sale in Iraq via social media

N.R. Jenzen-Jones ARES continues to conduct significant data collection and analysis pertaining to the illicit sale of arms and munitions via social media and communications platforms in conflict and post-conflict zones. From time to time, we will be featuring items of interest uncovered during our research, here on The Hoplite. In late July, ARES recorded

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A snapshot of camouflage patterns in Syria

Oliver Beyer & Ali Richter A video posted in August by anti-government forces during the fighting in Aleppo, Syria provides evidence of a range of camouflage patterns used in the conflict. At one point in the video, rebel forces move towards the front lines in BMP series infantry fighting vehicles and pickup trucks. As with

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The Sniper Weapon Systems of Russian Forces in Syria

The ARES Team A series of images and a later video shared on a popular VKontake page in April and June 2016 depict a number of Russian armed forces personnel in Syria. These troops are pictured with a range of weapons, including a number of dedicated sniper rifles and anti-materiel rifles. The earlier images show

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Maritime Arms Seizures Point to Iran

N.R. Jenzen-Jones US, Australian, and French naval forces operating in the northern Indian Ocean have seized thousands of small arms and light weapons in 2016, likely bound for Yemen. Whilst initial reports indicated the first two seizures were believed to be headed for Somalia, the types of weapons seized indicate that the vessels almost certainly

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