9 Improvised Ways Syrian Rebels Are Fighting The Cruel Assad Government
*Editors Note: We are not supporting or condoning war. We are simply displaying what is happening in Syria, and how a small group is using makeshift tools to survive against a cruel dictatorship.
Dubbed the Sham II, this armored fighting vehicle is very much a poor man’s tank. Built out of a re-purposed chassis and inch-thick steel plating, the Sham II has room for a driver and a gunner inside. Cameras on the vehicle give the driver a nice four-screen view of the area around the tank, and there’s a camera mounted on the turret so the gunner can see where he’s firing. The turret is controlled by a converted PlayStation controller, and the gun appears to be a 7.62 machine gun, firing the same ammunition as an AK-47.
A major limitation of grenades and pipe bombs is that humans just can’t throw them very far. Enter this slingshot. In the video found here, a two-man team places pipe bombs into the pocket of the slingshot: one man aims and pulls the slingshot, the other lights the fuse with a disposable Bic.
This device is a modified shotgun, made for firing pipe bombs farther than they can be thrown. With a cup on the end of the barrel to hold the pipe bomb in place, a modified shotgun cartridge is fired to launch the bomb. A second person is still needed to light the pipe bomb as it sits in the barrel.
With the embargo lifted, it’s likely Syrian fighters may receive pick up Croation-made RBG-6 grenade launchers, already found in Jordan.
Found on a Youtube playlist of Syrian DIY catapults, this one most resembles the rock lobbers of ancient times. Catapults remain remarkably efficient weapons. With a catapult, there are very low costs in maintaining them & moving them into position, which makes them attractive to rebels with limited supplies. Weights, tension, and gravity combine to hurl a projectile skyward, cruising above rooftops before crashing on a target below.
As timelessly efficient as it is, the catapult cannot compare to the accuracy of modern artillery. However, with Western support, Syrian rebels may soon adopt these European howitzers and smart rounds instead.
This converted turret has found be re furbished as a makeshift cannon, resting on a trailer pulled by a truck. Scavenged parts of war machines are, in the absence of new weapons or vehicles, the next-best way for rebels to arm themselves.
Pipe bombs are a standard of improvised weaponry, probably because they are relatively simple to construct. Explosive material, a fuse, and a casing make for a deadly unpredictable weapon. Opposition fighters like Syria’s Tenseekiet Union have online videos showing off their bombs, some of which are made using the explosive material from un-exploded bombs government ordinance .
This truck-mounted mortar system is being used by the Syrian rebels to attack Government tanks and locations and the relocate to new positions.
This corded machine gun robot is the very distant cousin of advanced armed combat robots like the Talon. This gunbot has tracks and treads that allow it to smoothly navigate rough ground. Syrian rebels control the robots by modifying PlayStation and XBox controllers tethered by spliced extension cord wire.
Syrian rebels use this Soviet made machine gun mounted on a stand and fired remotely as this short video displays.
