The explosively formed projectile, also referred to as an explosively formed penetrate (EFP), is the most recent tool in the arsenal used by insurgents. Roadside bombings carried out by militants using improvised explosive devices (IED’s) have inflicted heavy casualties to both the United States and coalition personnel and equipment since the initial invasion in Iraq, and have forced both sides to refine weapons and defenses as the insurgency continues to evolve.
Compounding this development on a broader scale is the conflict between the US and Iran in Iraq: Major General William Caldwell last Wednesday announced that, according to US military debriefs of captured militants, he strongly believes that Iranian intelligence services are not only training Iraqi insurgents to manufacture EFP’s, but are also producing and smuggling them into the country. Major General Caldwell, currently the chief spokesman and Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Effects for the mutely-national force in Iraq, noted that at least 170 American soldiers have been killed by EFP’s since January 2007.
Constructing an EFP
The purpose of the EFP is to serve as an armor-penetrating device that makes the most out of a small amount of explosive material. If properly made, more than fifty EFP’s can be produced with materials necessary to create one ordinary car bomb. Not only does the device require fewer explosive materials, but it also produces a greater explosion than an average IED or vehicle-born improvised explosive device (VBIED) and is relatively simple to construct.
Instead of having a typical, conical warhead found on most bombs, the ideal EFP is capped with a shallow bowl usually made of copper mounted to an outer shell. Within the shell is a second casing that houses plastic explosives (the ingredient most accessible to Iraqi insurgents). A blasting cap attached to the base of the bomb can be triggered by a variety of improvised remote control devices including cellular phones and garage door openers. The finished product is smaller than the standard IED, making it easier to conceal and transport, and is devastating against armored personnel carriers (APC’s), infantry fighting vehicles (IFV’s), jeeps, and Humvees. Main battle tanks are also at risk of being disabled by EFP’s.
Implications
The introduction of the EFP further highlights the adaptive nature of the insurgency and the ongoing ‘cat and mouse’ game being played out between coalition forces and the insurgency.
Although there have been reports of more widespread use of EFP’s in Iraq following the device’s introduction in May of 2005, they are not a revolutionary phenomenon and are widely used by many national armies. Traditionally, these specialized bombs are used as anti-tank weapons and breaching apparatuses.
Since the US currently employs weapons that operate under a similar technology to the roadside EFP, we estimate a US defensive response in the near term. However, it is unlikely that any preventative measures will curtail a surge of EFP usage on the part of the insurgency as the new technology begins to take root. Seizures of weapons and materiel caches will likely curb proliferation in-country, yet arms and explosives smuggled from neighboring states will continue to pose difficulties for the coalition to come.
