Improvised explosive device
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- This article is about the explosive device. For other uses of the three-letter acronym IED, see IED.
An improvised explosive device (IED) is the formal name for explosive devices, often used in unconventional warfare or asymmetrical warfare by guerrillas or commando forces in a theater of operations. In the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the insurgents have made the IED (often referred to by the press as roadside bombs) one of their main weapons against coalition forces.
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[edit] Background
An IED is a bomb fabricated in an improvised manner incorporating destructive, lethal, noxious, pyrotechnic, or incendiary chemicals and designed to destroy or incapacitate personnel or vehicles. In some cases, IEDs are used to distract, disrupt, or delay an opposing force, to facilitate another type of attack. IEDs may incorporate military or commercially-sourced explosives, and often combine both types, or they may otherwise be made with home made explosives (HME).
An IED typically consists of an explosive charge (potentially assisted by a "booster" charge), a detonator and an initiation system which is a mechanism that initiates the electrical charge that sets off the device. IEDs are extremely diverse in design, and may contain many types of initiators, detonators, and explosive loads. In some cases, IEDs also contain metal objects such as nails or ball bearings (known as shipward confetti after the metal waste found in the shipyards of Belfast). IEDs are triggered by various methods, including remote control, infra-red or magnetic triggers, pressure-sensitive bars or trip wires. In some cases, multiple IEDs are wired together in a "daisy-chain", to attack a convoy of vehicles spread out along a roadway.
IEDs made by inexperienced designers or with substandard materials may fail to detonate, and in some cases actually detonate on either the maker or the emplacer of the device (these unintended early detonations are known as "pre-detonations" or "own goals" if the placer is killed in the detonation). However, some groups have been known to produce sophisticated devices that are constructed with components scavenged from conventional munitions and standard consumer electronics components, such as mobile phones or garage door openers. The sophistication of an IED depends on the training of the designer and the tools and materials available.
The majority of IEDs use conventional high-explosive charges as their explosive load. However, the threat exists that toxic chemical, biological, or radioactive (dirty bomb) material may be added to a device, thereby creating a host of other life-threatening effects beyond shrapnel, concussive blasts and fire normally associated with bombs. A VBIED is a vehicle borne IED, a military term describing a car bomb or truck bomb.
[edit] Detecting and disarming an IED
Since these devices are improvised, there are no specific guidelines for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel to use to positively identify or categorize them. EOD personnel are trained in the rendering safe and disposal of IEDs. The use of chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) material in an IED requires additional precautions. As with other missions, the EOD operator provides the area commander with an assessment of the situation and of support needed to complete the mission.
[edit] Countermeasures
Military forces and civilian personnel from around the world, have over the years developed a number of Render Safe Procedures to deal with IED's. Mostly the RSP's have been developed as a result of an accident or fatality, although many have resulted from intelligence sharing between communities.
The British Army, having been involved in intense IEDD operations in Northen Ireland since the late 1960's, have been at the forefront in the technology battle against the terrorist, as have Spain (ETA) and Israel.
However, technology is only part of the solution in the effort to defeat IEDs; experience, training and awareness remain key factors in combating them. For example, there are some signs which may suggest the existence of an IED, such as recently turned-over soil or sand near a road, or an abandoned car beside a road. It is these signs that require an EOD Operator to use his or her experience in determining the correct course of action.
[edit] History
[edit] World War II
One of the first examples of coordinated large-scale use of IED's was the Belarusian "Rail War" launched by Belarusian guerillas against the Nazis during World War II. Both command-detonated and delayed-fuse IEDs were used to derail thousands of Nazi trains during 1943–1944.
[edit] Northern Ireland
Throughout The Troubles, the terrorist group the Provisional IRA, made extensive use of IED's in their campaign against the British army. From simple petrol bombs (Molotov Cocktail) through to sophisticated remote controlled IED's (RCIED), the members of PIRA developed and counter developed devices and tactics.
Mostly the IED's used homemade explosives (HME), although the use of Semtex H smuggled in from Libya in the 1980's was also common in smaller devices. The main battle grounds in Northern Ireland were Belfast, Londonderry and South Armagh, and Bomb Disposal teams from 321 EOD manned by Ammunition Technicians were deployed in those areas to deal with the IED threat.
At the height of the PIRA campaign during the early 1970's, the British Army unit tasked with making safe IED's, 321 EOD, sustained significant casualties whilst engaged in IEDD operations. This mortality rate was far higher than other high risk occupations, such as deep sea diving, and a careful review of how men were selected for EOD operations was made. The recommendations of the review were to bring in psychometric testing of soldiers to ensure the had the correct mental preparation for high risk IEDD duties.
The IRA, keen to kill or wound ATO's came up with ever more sophistication in the design and deployment of IED's. Booby Trap or Victim Operated IED's (VOIED), were common place, whilst the IRA engaged in a ongoing battle to gain the upper hand in electronic warfare with remote controlled devices. This fast changing pace led 321 EOD to employ specialists from DERA, the Royal Signals and Military Intelligence, this multi-unit approach led to the development and use of most of the modern weapons, equipment and techniques now used by EOD Operators throughout the rest of the world.
The bomb disposal operations were led by Ammunition Technicians and Ammunition Technical Officer from 321 EOD, and were trained at the Felix Centre at the Army School of Ammunition. To this day the Felix Centre is the foremost authority on IEDD in the world.
[edit] Vietnam
IEDs were used during the Vietnam War by the Vietcong against land- and river-borne vehicles as well as personnel. They were commonly constructed using materials from unexploded American ordnance. 33 percent of U.S. casualties in Vietnam and 28 percent of deaths were officially attributed to mines; these figures include losses caused by both IEDs and commercially manufactured mines.<ref>http://www.history.navy.mil/wars/vietnam/minesouthviet.htm</ref><ref>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/series/pt_05.html</ref><ref>http://www.hrw.org/reports/1997/gen1/General-03.htm</ref>
[edit] Afghanistan
Following the invasion of Afghanistan by the USSR on 27 December 1979, the Afghan Mujahideen were supplied with large quantities of military supplies from many Muslim states and from the United States. Among those supplies were many types of anti-tank mines. The Afghan Mujahideen often removed the explosives from several foreign anti-tank mines, and combine the explosives in tin cooking-oil cans for a more powerful blast. Often the foreign anti-tank mines were enclosed in plastic containers, making them difficult to detect. By combining the explosives from several mines and placing them in tin-cans, the Afghan Mujahideen made them easier to detect. After an IED was exploded, the Afghan Mujahideen often used direct fire weapons such as machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades to continue the attack.
Afghan Mujahideen operating far from the border with Pakistan did not have a ready supply of foreign anti-tank mines. They preferred to make mines from Soviet unexploded ordnance. The anti-tank mines were rarely triggered by pressure fuses. They were almost always remotely detonated. Since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban and its supporters have used IEDs against American, ISAF, and Afghan military and civilian vehicles. While the number of such attacks has been far lower than those in Iraq, the number has been steadily increasing.
[edit] Lebanon
Hezbollah pioneered the use of IEDs against military forces after the 1982 invasion of Lebanon by Israel. Israel withdrew from most of Lebanon in 1985 but still kept troops stationed in a buffer zone in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah frequently used IEDs to attack Israeli vehicles in this area up until the Israeli withdrawal in May 2000.
One such bomb killed Israeli Brigadier General Erez Gerstein on February 28, 1999, the highest-ranking Israeli to die in Lebanon. Also in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, a Merkava Mark II tank was hit by a Hezbollah IED killing all 4 IDF servicemen on board, the first of two IED's damaging a Merkava tank.
[edit] Chechnya
IEDs have also been popular in Chechnya, where Russian forces are currently engaged in fighting with rebels. While no concrete statistics are available on this matter, bombs have accounted for many Russian deaths in both the First Chechen War (1994–1996) and the Second (1999–present).
[edit] Iraq
Beginning in July 2003, the Iraqi insurgency used IEDs—more often referred to as roadside bombs by the press—to target American and Coalition vehicles.
Common locations for placing these bombs in include animal carcasses, soft drink cans, and boxes. Typically they explode underneath or to the side of the vehicle to cause the maximum amount of damage. However, as vehicle armor was improved on military vehicles, insurgents began placing IEDs in elevated positions such as on road signs or trees, in order to hit less protected areas.
IEDs in Iraq may be made with artillery or mortar shells or with varying amounts of bulk or homemade explosives.
IEDs have accounted for (as of October 2005) about one-third of all American deaths in Iraq <ref>http://icasualties.org/oif/IED.aspx</ref>. Despite the increased armor, IEDs have been killing soldiers with greater frequency; in a ten month period in 2005, 302 U.S. soldiers were killed by such devices.<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aftH7bcepI8I&refer=us</ref> According to the Pentagon, 250,000 tons (of 650,000 tons total) of Iraqi ordnance were looted, providing a nigh-endless source of ammunition for the insurgents.<ref>http://hammernews.com/lootedhopes.htm</ref>
In October 2005, Britain charged that Iran was supplying insurgents with the technological know-how to make shaped charges, which focus the blast in a specific direction, and can pierce greater thicknesses of armor with less explosive. Iran has denied this. <ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4312516.stm</ref> <ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4315924.stm</ref> <ref>http://nyjtimes.com/cover/11-11-05/IranWarnedNotToMeddle.htm</ref>
Recently, IEDs have been deployed in the form of Explosively Formed Penetrators, a special type of shaped charge that is effective at long standoffs from the target (50 meters or more). These are especially problematic to counter because they can be emplaced so far from their intended targets.<ref>http://www.worldaffairsboard.com/archive/index.php/t-10384.html</ref>
Another possibility is platter charges. Platter charges are rectangular or circular pieces of flat metal (usually steel) with plastic explosives pressed onto one side of the platter. The amount of explosive used is usually equal, by weight, to the weight of the platter. The explosives propel the platter into the target. The effective range can be as far as 50 meters.
The British also accused Iran and Hezbollah of teaching Iraqi fighters to use infrared light beams to trigger IEDs. As the occupation forces become more sophisticated in interrupting radio signals around their convoys, the Iraqis adapt their triggering methods. Thus far the British have failed to present any evidence to substantiate their charges.
Insurgents now use the bombs to target not only American and Coalition vehicles, but Iraqi police and civilian transportation as well.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- CFR-TV Episode 7 -- Video of a blue VBIED detonated from a distance.
- iFilm video of vehicle struck by IED
- Transcript of PBS Frontline episode Private Warriors -- this transcript corresponds to the above iFilm video: "On occasion, Erinys has recorded insurgent attacks using a camera mounted on the dashboard. Watch the next parked car on the right. The security detail immediately opens fire. The driver has been knocked unconscious. Then the dashboard camera is turned off. About 20 minutes later, the guards, unharmed, have secured the area. They report that one Iraqi was killed."
- Stratign Jammers
- Blast Proven Armored Vehicles Saving Lives from IED's
- Alluviam IED Decision Support
- Defense Update The use of IED in Asymmetric Warfare
- Defense Update Protection against IED
- Defense Update Protected vehicles
- Defense Update Israeli IED Neutralizer
[edit] References
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