Yasin (RPG)

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Yasin (RPG)
Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Weaponry Found in Beit Hanoun (2).jpg
Yasin RPG with tactical vest and assault rifle magazines found in Beit Hanoun in 2006
Type Anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade
Place of origin Palestine
Service history
In serviceAugust 3, 2004 [1] –Present
Used by
Wars
Production history
Designer Adnan al-Ghoul
DesignedBelieved to be in 2004
Manufacturer Al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas)
Produced2004–present
Specifications
Mass7 kg (15 lb) [2]
Length95 cm (37") [2]
Crew1 or 2
Caliber 40 mm (1.57") rocket engine ; 85mm warhead [2]
Muzzle velocity 295 m/s [2]
Effective firing range300 m [2]
SightsIron or telescopic sights.

The Yasin (Arabic : ياسين), also known as Yassin, [2] or Al-Yassin, [3] is an anti-tank weapon derived from the RPG-7 produced by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and first deployed in 2004. [4] It was named after Hamas' spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yasin, killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on March 22, 2004. [2]

Contents

Primarily used by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, [5] it has also been deployed by other Hamas units in Gaza, including the Executive Force, [6] and Naval Police. [7] Other users include fighters connected to Fatah and the PFLP. [2]

Although intended as an anti-tank weapon, the first version of the Yasin was chiefly operated against soft-skin vehicles and personnel. Later variants like the Yasin 105 have larger warheads. [8]

History

Unveiled on August 30, 2004, [1] the Yasin was reportedly developed by Hamas engineers from the Research and Industry Unit, [9] directed by Adnan al-Ghoul, killed in Gaza by the IDF on October 22, 2004. [2]

First used against Israeli soldiers in 2005, [10] after the 2006 Lebanon War, production was accelerated in anticipation of an armed conflict with Israel. [11] During the 2006 Gaza conflict, there were reports of its use against Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, [12] as well as at Beit Lahiya. [13] On August 14, 2007, Hamas reported firing a Yasin at an Israeli tank in Khan Yunis. [14] During the Gaza War, Hamas Naval Police officers were reportedly trained in its use. [7]

In 2018, Israeli intelligence claimed Yasin warheads were being converted into balloon-based IEDs, since improvements to the armor used by Israeli military vehicles made them obsolete in their primary role. [10]

Design

The Yasin's design was influenced by the RPG-2 and RPG-7. [2] [15] From the former, it used the rocket launcher tube design and the warhead's external shape and rocket motor which are very simple. [2] From the latter, it copied the enhanced warhead and the divergent nozzle at the launcher's rear to deflect recoil generated by launching the rocket with a rocket booster attached to the propelled grenade to extend its range. [2] The large cone at the back end of the Yasin launcher is thus typical of the RPG-7. [3]

The RPG is reported to be made in small underground workshops, with an explosive filler made from molten TNT and powdered ammonium nitrate. [16] While it has a claimed effective range of 300 meters, the Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) suggests a range between 200 and 250 meters. [17] It is more effective in urban warfare, able to destroy brick walls and penetrate a 21 cm steel plate from 150 meters, [2] closely matching the ITIC estimate of 200 mm (20 cm). [17]

Continued efforts to upgrade the Hamas-made RPG to penetrate protective armor lead to the development of the "Tandem 85" rocket, using a tandem-charge system designed to be more effective against reactive armor, [8] followed by the "Al-Yassin 105" rocket. The Yasin 105 is reported to have first seen action during the 2023 Israel-Gaza war. [8] [18]

References

  1. 1 2 "Hamas's Military Wing Marks Organization's 29th Anniversary With Special Report On Its Military Industry". MEMRI.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Yassin RPG – The Underground RPG of Gaza". 2017-11-14. Archived from the original on 2021-11-13.
  3. 1 2 "SADJ Identification Series: The RPG ID Guide". Archived from the original on 2021-10-14. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  4. ↑ "Hamas Army". Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
  5. ↑ Friedrich & Luethold 2007, p. 107.
  6. ↑ "Hamas's military buildup in the Gaza Strip (Updated April 2008)" (PDF). Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC). 2007-04-08. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-01-17. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  7. 1 2 "Hamas and the Terrorist Threat from the Gaza Strip" (PDF). Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC). March 2010. p. 285. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  8. 1 2 3 Sof, Eric (2023-11-08). "Al-Yassin 105: A heavily modified anti-tank round based on RPG-2 and RPG-7 design". Spec Ops Magazine. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  9. ↑ "Guest Post: Ghoul 14.5mm Anti-Materiel Rifle, a Palestinian copy of the Steyr HS-50 or Modified Domestically? -". March 6, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Obscura, Calibre (26 August 2019). "Hamas' Mysterious Anti-Tank Weapon". calibreobscura.substack.com.
  11. ↑ "Hamas's military buildup in the Gaza Strip (Updated April 2008)" (PDF). Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC). 2007-04-08. p. 34. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-01-17. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  12. ↑ "RPG-missile-..-Yassin-Missile-..-"-Shewath-bomb"-during-the-attack-On-Maghazi | Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades". 67.215.245.108. Archived from the original on 2020-03-20.
  13. ↑ Shaked, Ronny (7 November 2006). "Hamas presents: Daily terror report". Ynetnews.
  14. ↑ "Al Qassam Brigades fired 6 RPGs and Yassin rocket - Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades". www.qassam.ps. 2007-11-14. Archived from the original on 2020-03-20.
  15. ↑ Kate Seelye (Reporter) (May 9, 2006). Palestinian Territories: Inside Hamas (Documentary). Gaza Strip & West Bank: PBS. Event occurs at 9:19 to 9:36.
  16. ↑ smallarmssurvey.org
  17. 1 2 "Hamas's military buildup in the Gaza Strip (Updated April 2008)" (PDF). Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC). 2007-04-08. p. 41. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-01-17. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  18. ↑ Psaropoulos, John. "'Extremely challenging': Israel's Gaza ground assault faces stumbles". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-11-09.

Bibliography

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