Al-Yassin 105: A heavily modified anti-tank round based on RPG-2 and RPG-7 design

Since the IDF ground operation in the Gaza Strip, fighters from the Hamas network have been engaging them with various small arms and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. One of the rounds used to target IDF tanks and armored vehicles is a rocket-propelled grenade named Al-Yassin 105. It is a heavily modified round based on RPG-2 and RPG-7 design. It is the successor of the previous Hamas Tandem 85 round. It is in 105/64 mm caliber meant to be used with the Yassin anti-tank launcher (Palestinean clone of the Soviet-designed RPG-2). The launcher and the round were named after the founder of the Hamas network, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. It’s important to note that while some countries classify Hamas as a terrorist organization, others view it differently. The United States, Israel, and several other countries officially designate Hamas as a terrorist organization.

Introduction

The Al-Yassin 105 round was revealed in a video released in early November 2023 by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas. In the video, they provided information about the 105mm anti-tank round named Al-Yassin 105. In the video compilation, it can be seen that Hamas fighters are launching rockets against IDF armor. Hamas confirmed in the video that the Al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza designed the Al-Yassin anti-tank round, which has a high destructive capacity. It was introduced into the service in 2023 during the latest conflict in the Gaza Strip.

History and development

The development of the Al-Yassin 105 anti-tank round began shortly after Hamas introduced the Tandem 85 anti-tank round for rocket-propelled (RPG) launchers. The Tandem 85 was modeled after the RPG-2 and RPG-7 rounds. It took years to modify this round to enhance its accuracy and power. Today, Hamas claims that Al-Yassin 105 has been successfully modified and can destroy everything from armored vehicles to the highly regarded and feared Israeli Merkava tank.

Named after Sheikh Ahmed Yasin, the founder of Hamas, these rounds were first used in a terrorist attack on Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, during the ‘Al-Aqsa Flood operation. According to the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, the Tandem 85 round was first used during the ‘Al-Furqan’ battle in January 2009.

It was initially employed to target an Israeli armored personnel carrier to the east of the town of Jabalia in northern Gaza, allegedly destroying it. In the ‘Al-Asif Al-Ma’kul battle in July 2014, Hamas used the Tandem 85 round, which proved its effectiveness by destroying nine Israeli tanks.

In February 2017, the Al-Qassam Brigades announced the development of a locally produced version of the Tandem 85 round, named the Al-Yasin 105. They claimed to have improved its accuracy and effectiveness against tanks and armored vehicles.

Features and specifications

According to the information, the al-Yassin 105 round consists of a dual destructive head with two charges, which explode in two stages; the first explodes and breaches the outer armor, and the second penetrates the tank’s steel and explodes inside it.

The range of the al-Yasin 105 round is estimated to be between 100 and 500 meters, with an effective range of about 150 meters, and its maximum speed reaches 300 meters per second.