Libyan
rebel's manufacture their own weapons and armored vehicles
with captured armament.
In
the city of Benghazi the Libyan rebel's organize themselves,
and workshops of local made weapons and armoured vehicle
are created. Mechanics and engineers manufacture weapons
to fight the heavy vehicles as main battle tanks of Kaddafi
Forces.
Libyan rebel soldier’s repair captured weapons at
an improvised workshops in Benghazi June 13, 2011.
A 76
mm cannon is removed from an BMP-1 turret to be fitted on
light jeep.
Scrambling
to arm themselves against Libyan Kaddafi mercenaries and
a professional army, rebels have been making use of everything
they can -- from using captured weapons and munitions
to rigging anti-aircraft guns and aircraft rocket launchers
to the backs of civilian pickup trucks.
Libyan
rebel fixes UB-32 helicopter rocket launcher pod on pickup
truck at a weapons workshop
in Misrata
Libyan
rebel fighter's fire again Qaddafi forces with UB-32 57
mm helicopter rocket launcher pod mounted on Toyota light
pickup truck
The
goal is to convert old weapons mainly Chinese and Russian
air-to-air rockets and ground-to-air missile into mobile
weapon platform which can be used against the better trained
and equipped of Libyan armed forces. Some civilian light
jeeps are fitted with small unguided UB-32 rockets pod from
captured combat helicopter mounted at the rear of the vehicle.
The helicopter UB32 pods can fired 32 S-5 57 mm unguided
air-to-ground rockets
Some
captured anti-aircraft gun ZSU-23-4
Shilka was also converted to be used as anti-tank
combat vehicle. Additional armour plates are fitted around
the vehicle, and the radar is replaced with two batteries
of 32 unguided missiles.
Libyan
rebel works on an 122 mm Grad rocket launcher system at
workshop in Benghazi, June 1, 2011
Libyan
rebel's vehicle fitted with four 122 mm Grad rocket launcher
on light jeep.
Some
light civilian pickup truck are fitted with four or two
launcher tubes of 122 mm Grad artillery rockets, mounted
at the rear of the vehicle. Normally this weapon system
is fitted to the Russian made BM-21
MRLS multiple rocket launcher system truck.
The
122 mm rocket, Russian designation 9M22, is a High-Explosive
Fragmentation (HE frag) fin-stabilised unguided rocket
with a steel-tube body, an HE frag warhead in the pointed
nose section and an electrically-ignited rocket motor
in the tail. Stabilisation during flight is provided by
four spring-out stabiliser vanes at the tail, mounted
at an angle of 1° to the longitudinal.
Other
types of warhead can be installed in place of the HE frag,
including chemical (VX or GB nerve agent - see under Equivalent
projectiles) HE-Incendiary and Smoke. The 9M22 rocket
have a maximum range of about 20,750 m.
Libyan
rebel fighter cuts metal from a destroyed Qaddafi tank to
be used as armour for light vehicle
Civilian
vehicles are transformed into armoured vehicles, armour
plates are fitted around the vehicle
Rebel
fighter's made local modification on civilian vehicles to
increase armour protection
Civilian
vehicles are also transformed into armoured vehicle, armour
plates are fitted around the vehicle to increase the protection
against anti-tank rocket and small arms firing. Libyan rebel
fighter’s cuts metal from destroyed tanks to be used
to create armour for light rebel vehicles.
A
Libyan rebel light pickup truck armed with a ZPU-1 14.5
mm anti-aircraft machine gun
Libyan
rebel fighter's fire with Type 63 107 mm multiple rocket
launcher system mounted at the rear of light pickup truck
To
increase the fire power and the mobility of Libyan rebel
fighters, many types of machine guns and light heavy weapons
are mounted at the rear of light pickup, as ZPU-1,
ZPU-2, ZPU-4
and ZU-23-2
light anti-aircraft gun.
All
this light anti-aircraft guns use the Russian made 14.5
mm Vladimirova KPV (Krubnokalibernyj Pulemet Vladimirova)
heavy machine gun (HMG), which has a quick-change barrel.
Some
of Libyan rebels light jeeps are also equipped with Chinese
made Type 63 107 mm multiple rocket launcher system.
The
Type 63 is a towed, 12-tube, 107-mm
multiple rocket launcher system produced in China in the
early 1960s, based on the Soviet BM-12 MRS and using similar
rockets. Type 63 MRS was developed in the late 1950s as
the replacement for the 102 mm (6-round) Type 427 and
Type 488 multiple rocket systems which were withdrawn
from front-line service with the People's Liberation Army
many years ago.
Lot
of government military weapons and ammunition stocks were
captured by Libyan rebel's, but not all the time in good
condition
The
Libyan rebels must also used old stocks of weapons and ammunition
which were captured in old government military bases. Many
members of the Libyan rebel army work on captured weapons
to repair them and to make it in operational capability.
Libyans
remove rust from ammunition in the western Libyan city of
Misrata, on June 7, 2011
Anti-tank
rockets are also transformed to increase their power and
efficiency against the Kaddafi forces tanks and armoured
vehicles. Aluminium ring is added to RPG rocket-propelled
grenades and refitted with high explosives.
Explosive elements of old anti-tank and anti-personnel are
extracted to create home made bombs or IED (Improvised Explosive
Devices), which will be used against the Kaddafi forces.
Libyan rebel extracts explosive elements
from a mine to create home made bombs
A
Libyan rebel adds an aluminum ring to a used rocket-propelled
grenade (RPG), which will be refitted with high explosives
and reused, at a weapons workshop in Misrata.
