Artillery

Improvised launcher for 122mm rockets

Also known as
  • ISWAP improvised Grad rocket launcher
  • improvised Grad rocket launcher
  • pickup-mounted Grad launcher
  • four-tube Grad rocket launcher

The improvised launcher for 122mm rockets is a non-standard artillery system assembled from Grad-family rockets, tubes, or captured launch components. Public reporting documents pickup-mounted rebel launchers in the 2011 First Libyan Civil War and a four-tube ISWAP/Boko Haram-side pickup launcher in the 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency, giving irregular forces a mobile but inaccurate area-fire capability from standoff range.

Improvised launcher for 122mm rockets, Improvised multiple rocket launcher, Artillery
Image source: Raketa 122mm M-21.JPG

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Improvised in conflict zones from captured or diverted 122 mm Grad rockets and launch components
Type
Improvised multiple rocket launcher
Service note
Documented in contemporary conflicts from 2011 onward
Designer
Unknown
Designed
Unknown; publicly reported in Libya in 2011 and Lake Chad reporting in 2020
Unit cost
Unknown
Produced
Improvised, small-batch or ad hoc fabrication
Number built
Unknown

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
Variants

Open-source reporting documents field-expedient launchers rather than a standardized production model.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Pickup-mounted four-tube Grad launcherImprovised mobile launcher

HumAngle described the April 2020 Lake Chad system as a camouflage-painted pickup with four Grad 122 mm launch tubes mounted at the rear.

Sources: ISWAP Improvised Grad Rocket Launcher Poses New Threat To Civilians, Troops

Misrata pickup-mounted Grad launcherImprovised rebel workshop launcher

AP/CBS imagery from Misrata showed Grad rockets installed on a pickup from scavenged parts and captured launchers during the 2011 Libyan conflict.

Sources: Building arms for Libyan rebels

Ammunition Fired

Open reporting describes the improvised launcher as a vehicle-mounted frame for 122 mm Grad-family rockets rather than a factory-built multiple rocket launcher.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
9M22U / M-21OF Grad rocket, 122 mm high-explosive fragmentation rocket, Munitions9M22U / M-21OF Grad rocket122 mm unguided rocket

Military Africa assessed later ISWAP rocket attacks as likely involving captured 122 mm 9M22U Grad rockets, while HumAngle described the improvised system as four 122 mm Grad launch tubes on a pickup.

Sources: Grad rockets attacks hit Nigerian town ahead of Presidential visit, ISWAP Improvised Grad Rocket Launcher Poses New Threat To Civilians, Troops

Standard launcher context

The same reporting distinguishes the improvised pickup launcher from the normal BM-21 and RM-70 truck-mounted launchers that usually fire 122 mm Grad rockets.

Sources: ISWAP Improvised Grad Rocket Launcher Poses New Threat To Civilians, Troops

Improvised Grad Context

Reporting from Libya and the Lake Chad basin treats these launchers as field-expedient ways to fire scarce captured Grad rockets, not as standard BM-21 or RM-70 vehicles. Their significance is mobility and availability: workshops or insurgent fabricators could mount a few launch tubes on a pickup, while the resulting salvo remained far smaller and cruder than a factory 40-tube BM-21.

Launch vehicle

Pickup truck with rear-mounted 122 mm Grad rockets or launch tubes.

Rocket source

Sources describe captured launchers, scavenged parts, and captured army Grad rocket stocks as the supply base.

Catalog boundary

This page covers improvised mobile launchers; the standard 40-tube BM-21 and the 9M22U / M-21OF rocket have separate catalog records.

Sources: Building arms for Libyan rebels; Libya's DIY Rebels Outfit Trucks With Copter Rockets; ISWAP Improvised Grad Rocket Launcher Poses New Threat To Civilians, Troops; Grad rockets attacks hit Nigerian town ahead of Presidential visit.

Timeline

Improvised launcher for 122mm rockets Key Events

  1. Misrata workshops build pickup Grad launchers

    AP/CBS imagery from Misrata documented rebel workshops installing Grad rockets on pickup trucks using scavenged parts and captured launchers.

  2. Grad rocket stocks captured at Baga

    HumAngle reported that ISWAP captured a large cache of 122 mm Grad rockets during the fall of Baga, a supply pool later linked to Maiduguri and Diffa rocket attacks.

  3. Maiduguri hit by early ISWAP Grad rockets

    HumAngle identified the February 2019 Maiduguri attack as the first known ISWAP Grad rocket use, while noting that it did not involve the later improvised mobile launcher.

  4. Four-tube pickup launcher publicized

    ISWAP published an image of a camouflage-painted pickup fitted with four rear-mounted 122 mm Grad launch tubes, the configuration linked to the Buni Yadi attack.

  5. Maiduguri attack tied to Grad-family rockets

    ICIR reported multiple ISWAP-attributed rockets landing around Maiduguri airport, the air base, and nearby communities; Military Africa later assessed the attack as likely involving captured 122 mm 9M22U Grad rockets.

Media

Improvised launcher for 122mm rockets Images

Improvised launcher for 122mm rockets, Improvised multiple rocket launcher, Artillery - view 1
Source: Russian BM-21 Grad in Saint Petersburg.JPG
Related Weapon Systems
Locally manufactured fourteen-tube rocket launcher, Improvised multi-tube rocket launcher, ArtilleryArtilleryLocally manufactured fourteen-tube rocket launcherImprovised multi-tube rocket launcherThe locally manufactured fourteen-tube rocket launcher is a Hamas improvised fixed launch array for salvo firing unguided rockets from concealed Gaza positions. IDF-released April 2024 imagery and Israeli reporting tied the Khan Younis launch posts to rockets fired toward southern Israel, while specialist reporting on Qassam rockets explains the broader use of locally built, manually aimed launch frames rather than standardized military MLRS vehicles.
Type 63 107 mm multiple rocket launcher, Towed 107 mm multiple rocket launcher, ArtilleryArtilleryType 63 107 mm multiple rocket launcherTowed 107 mm multiple rocket launcherThe Type 63 is a Chinese 12-tube 107 mm multiple rocket launcher designed for simple short-range area fire from a light split-trail carriage, truck mount, or derivative launcher. Developed by State Factory 847 and introduced with the PLA in 1963, the system became widely exported and copied; source-backed conflict records now show Taliban Type 63-family launcher use in Afghanistan, Boko Haram capture of a launcher in Niger, Russian Type-63 systems in Ukraine, and Houthi-aligned stocks in Yemen.
Mortar launcher, 60mm, 60 mm light mortar launcher, ArtilleryArtilleryMortar launcher, 60mm60 mm light mortar launcherA 60 mm mortar launcher is a light infantry indirect-fire system built around a smoothbore, muzzle-loaded tube that can be used in conventional bipod-and-baseplate form or, on some modern systems, in reduced handheld or commando configurations. In the 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency, Nigerian reporting has documented 60 mm mortar tubes recovered from ISWAP fighters around Marte, Gajiram, Mandara Mountain, and the Timbuktu Triangle, while Conflict Armament Research has separately documented mortar materiel and captured 60 mm rounds among JAS/Boko Haram and ISWAP-linked seizures around Lake Chad. The recovered launcher models are not publicly identified, so this entry treats the item as a caliber-class system rather than a specific national model.

Sources

Building arms for Libyan rebelsPublisher: CBS News | Note: Supports 2011 First Libyan Civil War direct-use context: AP/CBS imagery from Misrata showed anti-Gaddafi rebel workshops installing Grad rockets on a pickup from scavenged parts and captured launchers. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Libya's DIY Rebels Outfit Trucks With Copter RocketsPublisher: Wired | Note: Supports 2011 First Libyan Civil War direct-use context: Wired reported anti-Gaddafi rebel truck-mounted rocket adaptations, including Grad rocket pods powered and fired with improvised electrical components. | Accessed: 2026-07-01ISWAP Improvised Grad Rocket Launcher Poses New Threat To Civilians, TroopsPublisher: HumAngle | Note: Supports 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use context: ISWAP/Boko Haram-side forces reportedly fielded a pickup-mounted four-tube 122 mm Grad rocket launcher to target Buni Yadi in April 2020; also supports the timeline, aliases, and standard-launcher context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Grad rockets attacks hit Nigerian town ahead of Presidential visitPublisher: Military Africa | Note: Supports 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use context: ISWAP reportedly fired 122 mm Grad rockets against towns in Borno/Yobe and had previously used the Buni Yadi improvised launcher; also supports the 9M22U-family ammunition relationship. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Suspected ISWAP terrorists bomb Maiduguri as Buhari visits BornoPublisher: The ICIR | Note: Supports background timing for the December 23, 2021 Maiduguri rocket attack locations and ISWAP attribution; used alongside Military Africa for Grad-family identification. | Accessed: 2026-07-01What 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: 2026-06-21BM-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: 2026-06-21Weapon 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: 2026-06-21Raketa 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: 2026-06-21Russian 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