2014 Yemen Civil War

Agrab 120 mm Mortar System in the 2014 Yemen Civil War

UAE Agrab 120 mm mortar carriers were reported with Emirati ground forces in Aden in 2015 and later documented among UAE-allied militia weapons around Hodeidah.

Weapon profileAgrab 120 mm mortar system
SideYemeni government and Saudi-led coalition forcesRoleFire Support
Agrab 120 mm mortar system, Wheeled self-propelled 120 mm mortar carrier, Artillery - 2014 Yemen Civil War
Image source: RG-31 MMS/AGRAB featured model

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
UAE forces fielded RG-31 Agrab 120 mm mortar carriers in the Yemen war around Aden in August 2015.

Sources: Washington Institute Golden Arrow, Defence Blog Yemen Deployment

UAE-allied militias used the Agrab armoured-truck-mounted 120 mm mortar system in Hodeidah.

Sources: Amnesty UAE Arms Diversion

The system's Yemen role is documented as mobile indirect fire support rather than possession alone.

Sources: Washington Institute Golden Arrow, Amnesty UAE Arms Diversion, ArmstradeWatch Yemen Land Systems

Timeline

Agrab 120 mm mortar system In 2014 Yemen Civil War

  1. Agrab carriers reported with UAE task force at Aden

    The Washington Institute reported that a UAE armored/mechanized brigade task force had landed at Aden with RG-31 Agrab 120 mm mortar carriers.

    Sources: Washington Institute Golden Arrow

  2. Yemen deployment report published

    Defence Blog reported that the UAE had deployed RG-31 Agrab 120 mm mortar carrier vehicles in Yemen.

    Sources: Defence Blog Yemen Deployment

  3. Hodeidah militia use documented

    Amnesty International identified the Agrab system among weapons used by UAE-allied militias in Hodeidah.

    Sources: Amnesty UAE Arms Diversion

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The Agrab 120 mm mortar system is documented in the 2014 Yemen Civil War through reporting on UAE ground-force deployments and later open-source investigation of weapons used by UAE-allied militias. The Washington Institute reported that by August 3, 2015 a UAE armored/mechanized brigade task force had landed at Aden with RG-31 Agrab 120 mm mortar carriers among its equipment.

Defence Blog separately reported on August 4, 2015 that UAE forces had deployed BAE Systems RG-31 Agrab 120 mm 4x4 mortar carrier vehicles in Yemen. Amnesty International later identified the Agrab armoured-truck-mounted Singaporean 120 mm mortar system among weapons used by UAE-allied militias in Hodeidah.

Sources: Washington Institute Golden Arrow, Defence Blog Yemen Deployment, Amnesty UAE Arms Diversion

Timeline

The first sourced milestone is the UAE armored buildup around Aden in early August 2015. Washington Institute reporting placed Agrab mortar carriers in a UAE task force that had landed at Aden by August 3, while Defence Blog published a deployment report the following day.

The later Hodeidah evidence comes from Amnesty International's February 2019 open-source investigation, which described UAE-allied militias using the Agrab system around the port-city battle area. That finding documents militia use, while the 2015 reports document UAE deployment and fielding in Yemen.

Sources: Washington Institute Golden Arrow, Defence Blog Yemen Deployment, Amnesty UAE Arms Diversion

Narrative

In Yemen, the Agrab appears in the record as a mobile indirect-fire asset tied to the UAE and UAE-backed forces. The system combined the RG-31 protected vehicle with the 120 mm SRAMS mortar, giving UAE ground formations a wheeled mortar carrier that could move with armored and mechanized units.

The Aden reporting places Agrab carriers inside the broader Saudi-UAE ground intervention after Houthi-Saleh forces were pushed out of Aden. The Washington Institute account described UAE and Saudi forces expanding their military presence in Aden and listed RG-31 Agrab 120 mm mortar carriers alongside Leclerc tanks, BMP-3M infantry fighting vehicles, Denel G6 self-propelled howitzers, and logistics trucks.

Amnesty's Hodeidah investigation shifts the documented operator context from direct UAE deployment to UAE-allied militias. It named the Agrab among weapons used by UAE-allied militias in Hodeidah and described those militias as trained and funded by the UAE. The available sources therefore support both UAE fielding in 2015 and later militia use around Hodeidah, but they do not establish a complete firing log, unit roster, or number of Agrab systems used in Yemen.

Sources: Washington Institute Golden Arrow, Defence Blog Yemen Deployment, Amnesty UAE Arms Diversion, ArmstradeWatch Yemen Land Systems

Related Weapons by Role

Scorpion 120 mm mortar system, vehicle-mounted 81 mm / 120 mm mobile mortar system, ArtilleryArtilleryScorpion 120 mm mortar systemvehicle-mounted 81 mm / 120 mm mobile mortar systemThe Scorpion 120 mm mortar system is the U.S.-marketed name for Milanion NTGS's Alakran vehicle-mounted mortar family, combining an 81 mm or 120 mm mortar, automated laying, digital fire control, and ground-transmitted recoil management. Ukrainian and defense-industry reporting documented Alakran/Scorpion use in 2023-2024, including Kharkiv-region combat and later 210th Assault Regiment training with Spain-supplied VAMTAC-mounted systems.
REVA armored vehicle, Mine-resistant ambush-protected armored personnel carrier, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesREVA armored vehicleMine-resistant ambush-protected armored personnel carrierThe REVA is a South African mine-resistant armored vehicle family from Integrated Convoy Protection, built around a V-shaped armored hull for troop transport, protected mobility, and utility roles. The family spans the earlier REVA III 4x4 APC, newer REVA V and VI designs, and the UAE-linked Kasser II derivative, while conflict reporting documents REVA vehicles in Iraq, Nigerian counter-insurgency operations, and UAE-backed local-force operations in Yemen.
82 mm M69 mortar, 82 mm smoothbore infantry mortar, ArtilleryArtillery82 mm M69 mortar82 mm smoothbore infantry mortarThe 82 mm M69 is a Yugoslav-designed smoothbore infantry mortar family that remains in Serbian and former Yugoslav production and service channels, with the M69A variant using a four-person crew, NSB-3 sight, and high-angle fire out to roughly 4.9-6.25 km depending on ammunition. Direct open-source documentation links the family to Afghan government losses in 2021, Syrian opposition use near Aleppo, Armenian and Artsakh losses in Nagorno-Karabakh, and Ukrainian wartime receipt of BNT-marked M69A mortars.
2 more weapons
Back to Agrab 120 mm mortar systemBrowse 2014 Yemen Civil War

Sources