RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Brgy. Malamig, Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City

RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS UNIT

IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE

SY 2022-2023
Why Study Improvised Explosive DEVICE Recognition and Safety
Awareness

DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING:

• Define Improvised Explosive DEVICEd (IED)

• Recognize IED components, complete IED and indication
• Determine the typical type of IED
• Type of IED
• DO’s and DON’T’s

LESSON OBJECTIVES

AT THE END OF THE LESSON, THE STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO:

TLO: Classify the different type of typical IED and counter measures.
ELO:
➢ Define Improvised Explosive DEVICEd (IED)
➢ Recognize IED components, complete IED and indication
➢ Determine the typical type if IED
➢ DO’s and DON’T’s

REVIEW OF RELATED TOPICS

• What is an IED?
• Different types of IED
• The five components of an IED – Command (RC or CW)
– Casing – VOIED
– Explosive – PBIED
– VBIED
– Power source – EFP
– Detonator / Initiator – Chemical / Biological
– Trigger / Firing Switch

• IED Enhancements
• Experimental IEDs
– Drone-borne
– RC-driven VBIEDs
 IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE (IED)

A device placed or fabricated in an improvised manner incorporating

destructive, lethal, noxious, pyrotechnic, or incendiary chemicals and designed
to destroy, incapacitate, harass, or distract. It may incorporate military
stores, but is normally deviced from nonmilitary components.

Recognize IED Components, Complete IED and Indication

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
 •
IED INDICATORS

• ITEMS ALONG THE ROAD WITH EXPOSED:

1. WIRES.
2. DETONATION CORD.
3. ORDNANCE.
- DEAD ANIMALS.
- FRESHLY DUG HOLES.
- NEW DIRTY/GRAVEL PILES.
- OBSTACLES IN ROADWAY (CHANNELING).
- PERSONNEL STANDING ON OVERPASS.
- EMPTY STREET THAT IS NORMALLY BUSY.
- CALLS FOR PRAYER AT NIGHT.
- OBJECTS HANGING FROM TREES OR ELECTRICAL POLES.
- FLARES LAUNCHED OR A SINGLE GUN SHOT FIRED, JUST AS YOUR
CONVOY ENTERS A VILLAGE OR MAKES A MAJOR TURN.
- HOUSE OR VILLAGE LIGHTS GOING OFF OR BLINKING ON/OFF AS YOUR
CONVOY APPROACHES.
- EMPTY STREET EXCEPT FOR A MAN TALKING ON A CELL PHONE IN A
DOORWAY (LOOKOUT).
- ABSENCE OF CHILDREN, WHERE CHILDREN NORMALLY PLAY.
- KIDS KEPT HOME FROM SCHOOL ON A SCHOOL DAY.
- CHILDREN AS SCOUTS.
- CHILD CARRYING A BAG TOWARDS A CHECKPOINT (PALESTINE).
- IED AIMING OR TIMING POINTS:
PAINTED ROCKS
MOUND OF DIRT OR ROCKS (MAY HAVE A CAN ON TOP).
SMALL COLORED FLAG NEXT TO ROAD.

TYPICAL TYPES OF IED

IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE, CONSISTING OF A CHARGE, INITIATOR,

SWITCH, POWER SOURCE AND CONTAINER, DESIGNED TO DETONATE ON AN
INTENDED TARGET.
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

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
Refrigerant 134a
• Mixtures 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.

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
DOS’S and DON’T’s OF IED

DON’T’S
Don’t Panic
Don’t Touch the suspected Item
Don’t Focus on that just one device, possibility of a secondary item is possible

DOS
Notify proper authorities
Get all non-essential personnel out
Stay away from the line of sight of the suspected item
Seek Cover

Check on Learning

1) Define the term “Improvised Explosive Device” (IED)

2) Identify the typical type of IED.

Summarize

➢ Improvised Explosive DEVICEd (IED)

➢ IED components, complete IED and indication
➢ Typical type if IED
➢ Type of IED
➢ DO’s and DON’T’s

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