On December 31, 2022, and on several occasions during February 2023, the M.V.P Revolution Force militia – an independent armed group operating in Myaing Township, in Magway Region in west-central Myanmar – released documentation of improvised artillery manufactured by its members. The documentation provided a detailed view of the use of these weapons in a number of clashes with security forces, including the targeting of perimeters of camps, bases and police stations with concentrations of Burmese security forces in open, rural areas in the region. The projectiles consisted of mortar rounds and improvised artillery shells of different diameters, and compatible launchers. The improvised shells were uniform in design and were loaded in propellant cartridge cases, with the latter removed and recycled between launches. This configuration demonstrates an ambitious attempt by local militants to imitate conventional military artillery ammunition in their weapons development. Generally speaking, improvised artillery has become the most ubiquitous and varied type of weapon used by militants in rural areas in the northwest and west of Myanmar, which in addition to mortar rounds and improvised shells, currently also includes assorted heavy cannons and rockets, all of which are produced on a large scale and constantly tested, with the knowledge for their production shared between multiple groups in different regions, thus contributing to the local improvised arms race.
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