Profile
- Type
- Towed 107 mm multiple rocket launcher
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Origin
- China
- Service note
- Introduced in 1963; documented in Houthi-aligned inventory during the Yemen Civil War
Artillery
Type 63 107 mm multiple rocket launcher
The Type 63 is a Chinese 12-tube 107 mm multiple rocket launcher built for simple, short-range area fires from a light towed carriage or vehicle mount. In the Yemen Civil War, open-source inventory work documents Houthi-aligned forces fielding the system from pre-war Yemeni Army stocks, alongside larger rockets and missiles.
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Built in
- China
Service History
- In service
- Chinese service from 1963, widely exported and copied; documented in Houthi-aligned inventory during the Yemen Civil War
- Used by
- Houthi-aligned forces, Pre-war Yemeni Army, People's Liberation Army
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- Factory 847
- Designed
- Developed in 1961; entered service in 1963
- Built in
- China
- Unit cost
- Not publicly reported
- Produced
- 1960s onward; export and licensed or derivative production in multiple countries
- Number built
- Not publicly reported
- Variants
- Type 63, Type 63-I lightened variant, Type 81 truck-mounted variant, Fadjr-1 / Fajr-1 Iranian derivative, Type 75 North Korean derivative
Specifications
- Caliber
- 107 mm
- Launcher
- 12 tubes arranged in three rows of four on a light two-wheel carriage
- Crew
- 5
- Maximum range
- About 8.5 km with standard ammunition
- Rate of fire
- Full 12-rocket salvo in about 7-9 seconds
- Ammunition
- Electrically initiated unguided spin-stabilized rockets, including high-explosive fragmentation types
- Loaded weight
- About 613 kg
- Traverse and elevation
- Manual traverse and elevation
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: Short-range unguided rocket artillery
Fielded by Houthi-aligned forces as a 107 mm multiple rocket launcher inherited from pre-war Yemeni Army stocks, giving those forces a mobile short-range area-fire system.
Type 63 107 mm multiple rocket launcher Images
Related Weapon Systems
60 mm mortarLight infantry mortarThe 60 mm mortar is a portable light infantry indirect-fire weapon class used for close support with high-angle fire. Yemen Civil War sourcing identifies 20 60 mm mortar tubes in a February 2016 HMAS Darwin maritime seizure that U.S. analysis later assessed as part of Iran-origin arms caches intended for Houthi forces, so this entry records attempted supply rather than a confirmed model or observed firing in Yemen.
Badr-1 rocketUnguided artillery rocketThe Badr-1 is a Yemeni Houthi-associated rocket that the group unveiled in 2017 and used in the Yemen Civil War for cross-border attacks into Saudi Arabia. Open-source reporting often calls it a ballistic missile, but the UN panel and CSIS describe it as a locally produced, unguided artillery rocket.
Zelzal-1 rocketUnguided artillery rocketThe Zelzal-1 is an Iranian long-range unguided artillery rocket. In the Yemen Civil War, Houthi-aligned forces used it for cross-border attacks into Saudi Arabia and for the March 2017 Sirwah mosque strike in Marib Province.
Haseb/Fajr-1 107 mm rocketUnguided 107 mm artillery rocketThe Haseb, also identified as the Fajr-1, is an Iranian 107 mm unguided artillery rocket derived from the Chinese Type 63 family. In the Israel-Hamas War it appears in open-source munition documentation from Gaza, where short-range rockets and improvised launch arrangements formed part of Hamas and allied militant indirect-fire attacks on Israeli territory.
9K52 Luna-M artillery rocket systemArtillery rocket systemThe 9K52 Luna-M, known to NATO as FROG-7, is a Soviet wheeled short-range artillery rocket system whose unguided 9M21 rockets remained in Houthi hands during the Yemen Civil War, where they were used for close-range and cross-border strikes.
A-19 122 mm field gun122 mm towed corps gunThe A-19 is a Soviet 122 mm towed field gun developed for corps-level artillery fire, combining a long barrel, separate-loading ammunition, and an approximately 20 km range. In the Yemen Civil War archive it is included conservatively as legacy Yemeni Army artillery documented in pre-war holdings available to battlefield parties, not as a source-confirmed record of a specific firing event.Sources
Type 63Publisher: Weaponsystems.net | Note: Supports Type 63 background, Chinese origin, 12-tube layout, manual aiming, crew, range, rate of fire, weight, and variant context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Type 63/81 Multiple Rocket LauncherPublisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports Factory 847 development background, NORINCO manufacturer context, PLA service entry, launcher layout, ammunition, crew, and range specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Houthi Drone And Missile HandbookPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct-use context: 107 mm Type 63 launchers fielded by Houthi-aligned forces from pre-war Yemeni Army stocks. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons H12 Type 63 Multiple Rocket Launcher ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a public-domain Type 63/H12 launcher photograph by Binh Giang. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons Type 63 107 mm Multiple Rocket Launcher ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a CC BY-SA 4.0 Type 63 107 mm multiple rocket launcher photograph by Tyg728. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons Type 1963 107 mm Rocket Launcher ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a CC BY-SA 4.0 Type 1963 107 mm rocket launcher photograph by Tyg728. | Accessed: 2026-06-20