Improvised rocket

Improvised rockets in the Boko Haram Insurgency are locally fabricated or adapted unguided rocket munitions associated with insurgent standoff attacks. Nigerian military reporting documented locally made rocket shells and fabrication equipment at a Boko Haram rocket-making site near Bama in 2015, while later reporting described ISWAP using captured Grad rockets from improvised launch arrangements against towns, airports, and military positions.

Boko Haram InsurgencyBoko Haram and ISWAP

Conflict side: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Built by: ImprovisedBoko Haram-side fabricatorsISWAP-side fabricators
Built in: Nigeria

Improvised rocket, Improvised unguided rocket munition, Munitions

Image source: Improvised rocket-launchers

Profile

Type: Improvised unguided rocket munition
Conflict side: Boko Haram and ISWAP
Origin: Local fabrication and captured rocket stocks in northeast Nigeria
Service note: Documented in the Boko Haram Insurgency from 2015 onward

improvised weaponsrocket artillery strike

Service History

In service: Used in insurgent rocket attacks and recovered fabrication sites during the Boko Haram Insurgency
Used by: Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province
Wars: Boko Haram Insurgency

Production History

Designer: Not standardized
Designed: Ad hoc designs documented by 2015
Built by: ImprovisedBoko Haram-side fabricatorsISWAP-side fabricators
Built in: Nigeria
Unit cost: Unknown
Produced: Small-batch improvised manufacture; documented from 2015
Number built: Unknown
Variants: Locally made rocket shells, Captured 122 mm Grad rockets fired from improvised launchers

Specifications

Guidance: Unguided ballistic rocket
Construction: Locally made shells and improvised fabrication using items such as pipes, poles, gas cylinders, welding equipment, chemicals, and other workshop materials
Launch method: Improvised static or vehicle-mounted launcher arrangements; reporting also describes pickup-mounted 122 mm Grad tubes
Range: Highly variable; reported improvised Grad attacks were assessed at roughly 20-40 km
Warhead: Explosive payload, locally fabricated or adapted from captured rocket stocks

Conflict Usage

Boko Haram Insurgency: Side: Boko Haram and ISWAPRole: Unguided rocket harassment and standoff attackstrike
Boko Haram and ISWAP have used unguided rocket attacks in the insurgency, with reporting that includes locally made rocket shells recovered from a Boko Haram rocket-making factory and later ISWAP Grad rocket attacks launched from improvised or adapted systems.

Improvised rocket Images

Improvised rocket, Improvised unguided rocket munition, Munitions - view 1 — Source: Improvised rocket-launchers

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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 reportedly used an improvised Grad rocket launcher to target Buni Yadi and fired captured 122 mm Grad rockets from Nigerian Army stocks. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Boko Haram attacks reported across northern Nigeria on polling dayPublisher: The Defense Post | Note: Supports Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use context: ISWAP claimed Grad rockets fired by its fighters at Maiduguri, and AFP reporting cited Boko Haram rockets fired at Gwoza. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Military destroys Boko Haram's bomb, rocket making factoryPublisher: The Guardian Nigeria | Note: Supports background, manufacturer, and specifications for Boko Haram rocket fabrication, including locally made rocket shells recovered at a makeshift factory near Bama. | Accessed: 2026-06-21 Improvised rocket-launchersPublisher: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Note: Image provenance for a public-domain U.S. Army photograph showing a munition found at a factory used to make improvised rocket-launchers; representative image, not Boko Haram-specific. | Accessed: 2026-06-21