In-Depth IED Awareness Training

 

Chris FearnleyCrime & Intelligence Analyst

Scope• What is an IED?• The five components of an IED

– Casing– Explosive– Power source– Detonator / Initiator– Trigger / Firing Switch

• Different types of IED– Command (RC or CW)– VOIED– PBIED– VBIED– EFP – Chemical / Biological

• IED Enhancements• Experimental IEDs

– Drone-borne– RC-driven VBIEDs

The Casing• Virtually anything can

be used as a casing for an IED!

• Serves two purposes:– Conceal the device

from being detected– Enhance the explosive

power

The Explosive• Two types: High explosive and low

explosive• Comes in all shapes, sizes, granularity

and colour• Low explosive:

– Black powder • Obtained from shotgun cartridges

– Potassium perchlorate • Obtained from fireworks & match heads

• High explosive: – TNT

• Harvested from conventional munitions

– Ammonium nitrate-based • Obtained through processing of fertiliser

– TATP (triacetone triperoxide) • Favoured in Europe, precursors freely available

• Terrorist publications such as Inspire magazine regularly feature scientifically-accurate ‘how-to’ guides for manufacturing homemade explosives

The Power Source• All IEDs require a

power source, except for incendiary devices

• Common items include 9V batteries, car batteries, motorcycle batteries, AA batteries…

• Possibilities are endless… even stored mechanical energy can be used, such as a coiled spring.

The Detonator / Initiator• Explosives require

some sort of method or component to initiate an explosive

• Detonators– Can be mechanical

or electrical– Hard to acquire in

UK, an improvised detonator is more likely to be seen

– Contain a low explosive

• Initiators– Different from

detonators– Used to ‘initiate’ low

explosives, such as black powder

– Often improvised, easy to make

The Trigger / Firing Switch• Every IED

requires some sort of action or input to cause the device to function

– A button– A switch– A timer

• IRA often used a mercury tilt switch

• Mobile phones and UHF/VHF radios favoured by IS

The Different Types of IED

Command: CW (command wire) or RC (radio-control)

• The IED receives a ‘command’ that causes it to initiate

• Two types:– Command wire

(CW)– Radio-controlled

(RC)

• IS frequently use mobile phones or radios

• Command wires less popular, difficult to conceal, limited range

VOIED: (Victim-operated)• The IED is

initiated as a result of some sort of action or motion of the victim

– Pressure plate– Pressure release– Motion sensor

(PIR)– Tilt switch

PBIED: (Person-borne)• Also known as a “suicide

vest”• Worn around the

waist/chest• Two types:

– Defensive• Anti-capture device• Bataclan theatre

– Offensive• Inflict mass casualties• Contains fragmentation matrix• Stade de France

• IS utilise female and child operatives to infiltrate secure locations

• IS Have experimented with internal PBIEDs

VBIED: (Vehicle-borne)• Huge destructive

power• Main charges up to

50 tonnes seen!!• Suicide & non-

suicide• Perimeter breach• Mass casualty

EFP: Explosively Formed Projectile

• Design originated from the Iranians

• Used to great effect during the first Gulf War

– Destroyed a US M1 Abrams MBT

• Identifiable by the concave ‘liner’, usually made of copper or steel

Chemical/Biological IED

• Chemical and biological weapons have added ‘fear factor’

• IS have been experimenting for years

• Main difficulty exists in getting explosive power correct

– Too low, the agent will not be dispersed

– Too high and the agent will be vaporized/destroyed

Refrigerant 134aMixtures with high concentrations of air at elevated pressure and/or temperature can be ignited. Contact of 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane with flames or hot surfaces in excess of 250 °C (482 °F) may cause vapour decomposition and the emission of toxic gases including hydrogen fluoride and carbonyl halides.

IED Enhancements• Additives or

damage multipliers added to enhance the lethality or destructive capability of an IED

• Most common is fragmentation

– Ball-bearings– Nuts and bolts– Steel rebar– Bullets

• Accelerant to increase incendiary effect

– Gasoline– Kerosene

• Pressurised containers– Gas cylinders

Experimental IEDs

Drone-borne IED

• Terrorists using drones for several years

– Reconnaissance– Assassination

• Technique not perfected

– Technical hurdles– Weight– Targeting– Stable flight– Navigation– Counter-measures

• Propaganda value and creates ‘terror’

RC-Driven VBIEDs• Remote-controlled

vehicle filled with explosives

• Technical and design hurdles

• Often slow-moving, difficult to maneuver

• Vulnerable to interdiction

• No requirement for a suicide operative

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr4y6kaiiBY

Supply of IED Components to Iraq/Syria

Supply of Det Cord to Iraq/Syria

Supply of Electric Detonators to Iraq/Syria