Munitions

Type 63 107 mm rocket

Also known as
  • 107 mm Type 63 rocket
  • Type 63-2 rocket
  • Type 63 HE-fragmentation rocket
  • Chinese 107 mm rocket

The Type 63 107 mm rocket is a Chinese-origin, electrically initiated, spin-stabilized unguided artillery rocket built for Type 63-family light launchers and related single-tube, truck-mounted, or improvised launch arrangements. FAS describes the projectile as a one-piece rocket with its warhead attached to the motor and canted nozzles for spin stabilization, while Army Guide lists Type 63-2 and incendiary ammunition for the launcher family. Its roughly 8.5 km standard range and simple firing circuit made the family useful for light area fire, improvised insurgent attacks, and captured-materiel inventories from Iraq and Afghanistan to the Lake Chad basin.

Type 63 107 mm rocket, Unguided 107 mm artillery rocket, Munitions
Image source: Afghan 107 mm Rocket Cache Image

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
China
Type
Unguided 107 mm artillery rocket
Service note
1960s Chinese rocket family with continued insurgent, improvised, and captured-materiel use
Designer
Factory 803 and other Chinese state factories for the rockets; Factory 847 for the lightweight launcher family
Designed
Late 1950s to 1963 lightweight rocket and launcher development
Produced
1963 onward for the Type 63 launcher and rocket family, with later copied or derivative production abroad

Specifications

Caliber
107 mm
Guidance
Unguided, spin-stabilized rocket with electrical initiation
Range
About 8.5 km for standard ammunition
Weight
About 18.8 kg for the Type 63-2 rocket
Warhead
High-explosive fragmentation; Type 63-2 described with a TNT main charge of about 1.3 kg
Rocket construction
One-piece rocket with warhead attached to the rocket motor and a fixed propellant charge
Stabilization
Canted nozzles impart slow spin after launch
Launch platform
Type 63-family multiple rocket launchers, Type 85 single-tube launcher, Type 81 truck-mounted launcher, and other single-tube or improvised launch arrangements
Rocket And Field Use

The Type 63 round sits between a conventional launcher family and improvised conflict use. Public sources support the standard rocket's electrical initiation and spin stabilization, while conflict sources show the same 107 mm ammunition class appearing in fixed launchers, improvised rails, and captured ammunition stocks.

Standard round

A one-piece 107 mm rocket with the warhead attached to the motor and canted nozzles that impart spin after launch.

Firing circuit

Electrically initiated ammunition normally associated with Type 63-family multiple launchers, but also documented with single-tube or field-expedient arrangements.

Evidence limits

Derivative rockets such as Haseb/Fajr-1 have their own record; this page only adds conflict rows where sources identify Type 63-series rockets or the Type 63 rocket itself.

Variants

The rocket page treats Type 63 and Type 63-2 ammunition as Chinese 107 mm rounds, while Haseb/Fajr-1 is linked as an Iranian derivative rather than folded into the same conflict-use record.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Type 63 HE-fragmentation rocketBaseline high-explosive fragmentation round

FAS identifies the Type 63 HE-fragmentation rocket as an electrically initiated, spin-stabilized 107 mm round normally fired from trailer- or truck-mounted multiple launchers.

Sources: Type 63 107mm Rocket

Type 63-2 rocketImproved high-explosive fragmentation round

Army Guide lists Type 63-2 ammunition as a 1975-introduced 18.8 kg 107 mm rocket for the Type 63/81 launcher family, while CAT-UXO separately identifies the Type 63-2 as a Chinese spin-stabilized ground-to-ground rocket.

Sources: Type 63/81 Multiple Rocket Launcher, 107mm Type 63-2 Rocket

107 mm incendiary rocketIncendiary payload option

FAS and Army Guide describe an incendiary 107 mm rocket option in the Type 63 ammunition family, with public sources using launcher-family rather than separate munition-record terminology.

Sources: Type 63 107mm Rocket, Type 63/81 Multiple Rocket Launcher

Haseb/Fajr-1 107 mm rocket, Unguided 107 mm artillery rocket, ArtilleryHaseb/Fajr-1 107 mm rocketIranian 107 mm derivative

CSIS places Fajr-1 and Haseb in the Type 63 107 mm lineage, and Army Guide describes the Fajr-1 rocket system as similar to the NORINCO Type 63 with assumed compatibility across foreign 107 mm systems.

Sources: Hezbollah's Rocket Arsenal, 107-mm Iran Fajr-1 Rocket Weapon System

Firing Weapon

The rocket was designed around the Type 63-family 107 mm launch system, with related single-tube and vehicle-mounted launch arrangements also documented.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
Type 63 107 mm multiple rocket launcher, Towed 107 mm multiple rocket launcher, ArtilleryType 63 107 mm multiple rocket launcher107 mm multiple rocket launcher

FAS describes the Type 63 107 mm rocket as normally fired from trailer- or truck-mounted multiple launchers, while WeaponSystems.net describes the Type 63 as a 12-round 107 mm launcher firing unguided spin-stabilized rockets to about 8.5 km.

Sources: Type 63 107mm Rocket, Type 63

Related 107 mm Derivatives

Foreign 107 mm rockets and launchers often sit in the Type 63 lineage, but the relationship is clearest when sources identify a derivative or compatibility claim directly.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
Haseb/Fajr-1 107 mm rocket, Unguided 107 mm artillery rocket, ArtilleryHaseb/Fajr-1 107 mm rocketIranian 107 mm derivative

CSIS describes Fajr-1 and Haseb as Iranian copies or derivatives connected to the Chinese Type 63 107 mm rocket family; Army Guide describes Fajr-1 rockets as compatible with foreign 107 mm systems, including Chinese systems.

Sources: Hezbollah's Rocket Arsenal, 107-mm Iran Fajr-1 Rocket Weapon System

Timeline

Type 63 107 mm rocket Key Events

  1. Light rocket work begins

    Chinese factories began developing lightweight 8 km field rocket launchers and associated rockets, work that led to the 107 mm Type 63 family.

    Sources: Type 63 107mm Rocket Program

  2. Type 63 design finalized

    GlobalSecurity says the 107 mm lightweight towed rocket launcher was finalized in 1963, while WeaponSystems.net describes the Type 63 as accepted for service that year.

    Sources: Type 63 107mm Rocket Program, Type 63

  3. Iraq IRAM reporting links Type 63 rocket casings

    WIRED reported on Iraqi insurgent IRAM attacks and cited reporting that rocket casings used in the improvised munition matched the type used in the Chinese-made Type 63 107 mm rocket system.

    Sources: Iraqi Extremists' New Weapon: Flying IED

  4. Camp Dahlke rocket attack

    U.S. Air National Guard reporting says Taliban forces fired a Type 63 107 mm rocket into Camp Dahlke, Afghanistan, where it was intercepted by a C-RAM system.

    Sources: 171st Air National Guardsman Receives Army Combat Action Badge

  5. Camp Bosso materiel documented

    Small Arms Survey reporting on Niger listed 20 crates of 107 mm Type 63 rockets among materiel taken during the Camp Bosso attack.

    Sources: At the Crossroads of Sahelian Conflicts

Media

Type 63 107 mm rocket Videos

Type 63 107 mm rocket Images

Type 63 107 mm rocket, Unguided 107 mm artillery rocket, Munitions - view 1
Source: Type 63 107 mm Multiple Rocket Launcher Image
Type 63 107 mm rocket, Unguided 107 mm artillery rocket, Munitions - view 2
Source: 107 mm Rocket Found in Nyiragongo Image
Related Weapon Systems
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.
Improvised launcher for 122mm rockets, Improvised multiple rocket launcher, ArtilleryArtilleryImprovised launcher for 122mm rocketsImprovised multiple rocket launcherThe 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.
Sakr-6 multiple rocket launcher, Light 122 mm multiple rocket launcher, ArtilleryArtillerySakr-6 multiple rocket launcherLight 122 mm multiple rocket launcherThe Sakr-6 is a light six-tube 122 mm multiple rocket launcher associated with Egypt's Sakr/Grad-compatible rocket-artillery family. Oryx lists the type in both pre-war Yemeni Army inventories and later Houthi-held Yemen Civil War equipment, while technical sources support only family-level details for compatible Sakr and Russian-pattern Grad rockets rather than a complete Sakr-6 datasheet or a verified Sakr-6 firing incident.
Mortar bombs, 82 mm, 82 mm high-explosive mortar bomb, MunitionsMunitionsMortar bombs, 82 mm82 mm high-explosive mortar bombThis entry covers the 82 mm mortar-bomb caliber class rather than a single factory model. Sources document the class in insurgent and paramilitary materiel from Boko Haram-linked forces in the Lake Chad Basin, Islamic State stocks in Syria and Iraq, and RSF-associated PP87 mortar ammunition in Sudan, while manufacturer and ordnance references show that model-specific weight, filling, fuze, and range figures vary across O-832, PP87, HE, smoke, illumination, and extended-range families.

Sources

171st Air National Guardsman Receives Army Combat Action BadgePublisher: 171st Air Refueling Wing, U.S. Air National Guard | Note: Supports 2001 War in Afghanistan direct use: a Type 63 107 mm rocket was fired by Taliban forces into Camp Dahlke, Afghanistan, on March 18, 2018. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Type 63 107mm RocketPublisher: Federation of American Scientists | Note: Supports Type 63 rocket background, unguided spin-stabilized design, firing platforms, diameter, weight, range, and warhead information. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Type 63/81 Multiple Rocket LauncherPublisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports Type 63/81 launcher-family ammunition context, including electrically initiated 107 mm rockets, Type 63-2 ammunition, incendiary rounds, range, warhead, and NORINCO production context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04107mm Type 63-2 RocketPublisher: CAT-UXO | Note: Supports Type 63-2 rocket identification as a Chinese 107 mm high-explosive fragmentation, spin-stabilized ground-to-ground rocket. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Type 63Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports Type 63 family origin, development, producer, licensed or copied variants, 107 mm rocket firepower, and standard range context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04107-mm Iran Fajr-1 Rocket Weapon SystemPublisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports Fajr-1/Haseb derivative context, including similarity to the NORINCO Type 63 and compatibility assumptions for foreign 107 mm systems. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Hezbollah's Rocket ArsenalPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports Fajr-1 and Haseb 107 mm rocket lineage context as Iranian copies or derivatives connected to the Chinese Type 63 family. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Type 63 107mm Rocket ProgramPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports Type 63 launcher and rocket development context, including Factory 847 lightweight launcher work, Factory 803 rocket work, and 1963 finalization. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Rogue Rocketeers: Artillery Rockets and Armed GroupsPublisher: Small Arms Survey | Note: Supports 2003 Iraq War direct-use context: Small Arms Survey describes 107 mm rockets used by armed groups in Iraq as mainly Chinese-designed Type 63-series rockets or foreign variants. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Iraqi Extremists' New Weapon: Flying IEDPublisher: WIRED | Note: Supports 2003 Iraq War direct-use context: reporting on Shiite extremist IRAM attacks in Iraq described rocket casings as the type used in the Chinese-made Type 63 107 mm rocket system. | Accessed: 2026-07-04At the Crossroads of Sahelian ConflictsPublisher: Small Arms Survey / Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime | Note: Supports 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct captured-equipment context: reporting on the Camp Bosso attack lists 20 crates of 107 mm Type 63 rockets among captured materiel. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Afghan 107 mm Rocket Cache ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a public-domain U.S. Army photograph of four 107 mm rockets unearthed in Paktika province, Afghanistan. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Type 63 107 mm Multiple Rocket Launcher ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 photograph of a Type 63 107 mm multiple rocket launcher. | Accessed: 2026-07-04107 mm Rocket Found in Nyiragongo ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a Creative Commons BY-SA 2.0 photograph of a 107 mm rocket in the Type 63 ammunition category. | Accessed: 2026-07-04