Improvised launcher for 122mm rockets

The improvised launcher for 122mm rockets is a non-standard artillery system reported in ISWAP/Boko Haram-side use during the Boko Haram Insurgency. Reporting described a camouflage-painted pickup fitted with four Grad 122 mm launch tubes, giving insurgents a mobile but inaccurate area-fire capability against towns, garrisons, and airfield-adjacent targets from standoff range.

Boko Haram InsurgencyBoko Haram and ISWAP

Conflict side: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Built by: UnknownBoko Haram-side fabricators
Built in: NigeriaLake Chad basin

Improvised launcher for 122mm rockets, Improvised multiple rocket launcher, Artillery

Image source: Raketa 122mm M-21.JPG

Profile

Type: Improvised multiple rocket launcher
Conflict side: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Origin: Improvised in the Lake Chad basin from captured or diverted 122 mm Grad rockets
Service note: Documented in Boko Haram Insurgency reporting from 2020 onward

wheeled improvised rocket artillery strike

Service History

In service: Reported insurgent use in northeast Nigeria and the Lake Chad theater
Used by: Islamic State West Africa Province, Boko Haram and ISWAP
Wars: Boko Haram Insurgency

Production History

Designer: Unknown
Designed: Unknown; publicly reported in 2020
Built by: UnknownBoko Haram-side fabricators
Built in: NigeriaLake Chad basin
Unit cost: Unknown
Produced: Improvised, small-batch or ad hoc fabrication
Number built: Unknown
Variants: Pickup-mounted four-tube Grad launcher reported by HumAngle

Specifications

Caliber: 122 mm Grad rocket family
Launcher arrangement: Reported pickup-mounted improvised frame with four launch tubes
Rocket type: Unguided 122 mm Grad rockets, including 9M22U-pattern rockets reported in open-source conflict coverage
Estimated range: Standard 9M22U rockets are commonly listed with a maximum range of about 20.38 km; reporting on the conflict described a broader 20-40 km range depending on rocket type
Warhead: High-explosive fragmentation Grad rockets commonly carry warheads around 18-25 kg, depending on variant
Accuracy: Unguided area-fire weapon; reporting described the attacks as crude and inaccurate

Conflict Usage

Boko Haram Insurgency: Side: Boko Haram and ISWAPRole: Improvised long-range area rocket firestrike deep strike
ISWAP/Boko Haram-side forces reportedly used a pickup-mounted improvised launcher with four 122 mm Grad rocket tubes to strike Buni Yadi, Yobe State, in April 2020, after earlier Grad rocket attacks around Maiduguri and Diffa were reported without a mobile improvised launcher.

Improvised launcher for 122mm rockets Images

Improvised launcher for 122mm rockets, Improvised multiple rocket launcher, Artillery - view 1 — Source: Raketa 122mm M-21.JPG

Improvised launcher for 122mm rockets, Improvised multiple rocket launcher, Artillery - view 2 — Source: Russian BM-21 Grad in Saint Petersburg.JPG

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Sources

ISWAP Improvised Grad Rocket Launcher Poses New Threat To Civilians, TroopsPublisher: HumAngle | Note: Supports Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use context: ISWAP/Boko Haram-side forces reportedly used by fielding a pickup-mounted four-tube 122 mm Grad rocket launcher to target Buni Yadi in April 2020. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Grad rockets attacks hit Nigerian town ahead of Presidential visitPublisher: Military Africa | Note: Supports Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use context: ISWAP reportedly used by firing 122 mm Grad rockets against towns in Borno/Yobe and had previously used the Buni Yadi improvised launcher. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 What is a Grad?Publisher: Action on Armed Violence | Note: Supports background and specifications for 122 mm Grad rockets, including area-fire role, warhead weight ranges, and unguided rocket effects. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 BM-21 122-mm Multiple Rocket LauncherPublisher: Federation of American Scientists | Note: Supports 122 mm Grad rocket specifications, including 9M22U range, rocket length, and warhead data used to describe the compatible rocket family. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Weapon Supplies Fueling Terrorism in the Lake Chad CrisisPublisher: Conflict Armament Research | Note: Supports background on weapons and ammunition seized from Boko Haram and ISWAP-linked groups in the Lake Chad basin and the broader supply context for insurgent arsenals. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Raketa 122mm M-21.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and CC BY-SA 3.0 licensing page for a 122 mm M-21/Grad rocket representative of the ammunition family used by the improvised launcher. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Russian BM-21 Grad in Saint Petersburg.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and CC BY-SA 3.0 licensing page for a BM-21 Grad launcher showing the standard 122 mm launch-tube family from which the improvised system is derived. | Accessed: 2026-06-21