Pipe bomb
Pipe bombs are a standard of improvised weaponry,
probably because they are relatively simple to construct. Explosive
material, a fuse, and a casing make for a deadly if unpredictable
weapon. Opposition fighters like Syria's Tenseekiet Union have online
videos showing off their bombs, some of which are made using the
explosive material from un-exploded bombs. With access to better
weapons, expect pipe bombs to fall out of favor as soon as rebels can
reliably get grenades.
Bomb slingshot
A major limitation of grenades and pipe bombs is that
humans just can't throw them very far. Enter this slingshot. In the
video found here, a two-man team places pipe bombs into the pocket of
the slingshot: one man aims and pulls the slingshot, the other lights
the fuse with a disposable Bic, and boom! The bombs fly over a wall.
Makeshift Tank
Dubbed the Sham II, this armored fighting vehicle is
very much a poor man's tank. Built out of a re-purposed chassis and
inch-thick steel plating, the Sham II has room for a driver and a gunner
inside. Cameras on the vehicle give the driver a nice four-screen view
of the area around the tank, and there's a camera mounted on the turret
so the gunner can see where he's firing. The turret is controlled by a
converted PlayStation controller, and the gun appears to be a 7.62
machine gun, firing the same ammunition as an AK-47. With the embargo
lifted, tank sales to Syrian rebels are a remote possibility. Germany is
fine exporting tanks, having sold 100 to Indonesia earlier this month,
but getting tanks and spare parts into rebel-held areas is likely a
difficult task.
....
The Hell Cannon
The Hell Cannon is a massive piece of artillery,
capable of launching explosives about one mile. It's a major production,
can mount two rockets on the barrel, and it even comes with a fact
sheet! Syria watcher Brown Moses collected several videos about the Hell
Cannon. To me it looks like the weapon is as much a propaganda push as
it is a functional tool of war. The main projectile used by the hell
cannon is a re-purposed propane gas cylinder, since ammunition for
improvised weapons is also generally hard to find.
Grenade Launcher
This device is a modified shotgun, made for firing
pipe bombs farther than they can be thrown. With a cup on the end of the
barrel to hold the pipe bomb in place, a modified shotgun cartridge is
fired to launch the bomb. A second person is still needed to light the
pipe bomb as it sits in the barrel. With the embargo lifted, it's likely
Syrian fighters will instead pick up Croation-made RBG-6 grenade
launchers, already found in Jordan.
Catapults
Found on a Youtube playlist of Syrian DIY catapults,
this one most resembles the medieval rock lobbers of yore. Catapults
remain remarkably efficient weapons, if large and difficult to move into
position, because there is no fuel cost involved. Weights, tension, and
gravity combine to great a powerful downswing that hurls a projectile
skyward, cruising above rooftops before crashing on a target below.
Efficient as it is, a catapult has nothing like the accuracy of modern
artillery. Given the chance, Syrian rebels would gladly adopt these
European howitzers and smart rounds instead.
A Partial Tank
This converted turret has found new life as makeshift
cannon, resting on a trailer pulled by a truck. Scavenged parts of war
machines are, in the absence of new weapons or vehicles, the next-best
way for rebels to arm themselves.
Mortar Truck
Indirect fire is a really useful way to attack--you
launch explosives that soar past walls and buildings. Because indirect
fire is so popular, however, there's a reasonable chance that launching a
mortar attack on an outpost means risking mortar fire back. There's a
whole science to this, but none of that matters if the attacker can fire
shots and then move away before the return fire lands. This
truck-mounted mortar system does exactly that.
Machine Gun Robot
It's not exactly a remote-controlled vehicle, but
this corded machine gun is the very distant cousin of advanced armed
combat robots like the Talon. You steer it by manipulating a controller
attached to the robot's leash. The gunbot doesn't have the tracks and
treads that enable other vehicles to smoothly navigate rough ground, and
it can get stuck on as little as a rock. Still, it's much better to
send a robot around a hostile corner than a person, and a robot that can
fire back is even better.
A Wireless Machine Gun
This is a Soviet machine gun mounted on a stand and
fired remotely. Great, provided it can be set up before fighting breaks
out and the person controlling the remote has some way of seeing where
the gun is aimed. This short video suggests that the gun doesn't have an
attached camera. Also, it looks like the machine gun can't fire at full
speed, as the recoil from a single shot almost knocks it over. There
are better remote-controlled guns out there. South Korea has several
incredibly high-tech ones watching the DMZ, but it's unlikely the Syrian
rebels will need those. Of course, if the war drags onto a 60-year
stalemate, they might reconsider.
