• Originally a World War II-era Soviet 122mm rocket.

• Range of up to 12 kilometers (7.45 miles) to 24 kilometers (15 miles) depending upon which of the 4 variations of the rocket are fired.

• 2.3 meters long (approximately 7 feet).

• The propellant in these rockets is based on a 60/40 mixture of POTASSIUM NITRATE Nitrate and SUGAR (and the world keeps shipping them more). The final solid fuel grain is of a square cross section, burning both from the outside and the inside. This grain is sized so that its diagonal fits into the inside diameter of the motor casing. The aft bulkhead, containing the nozzles, is then screwed on and a few spot welds are applied to prevent unscrewing. At best this is a dangerous procedure but apparently they do get away with it.

  Follow up:

  
  
• On 28 February 2008 at least 10 Grad rockets hit the coastal city of Ashkelon, about ten miles from the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip. At least 60 more Qassams, targeted Sderot that day. During the first few days of March 2008 dozens of Qassam rockets and Grad-type Katyushas were fired at Ashkelon, Sderot and communities bordering Gaza. Ashkelon is only a few minutes away from the Qassam-battered city of Sderot, the principal target of Qassam attacks. The western edge of Sderot is about a mile from the border with Gaza. The Israeli Center for Victims of Terror and War found that 28 percent of adults and 30 percent of children of Sderot have post-traumatic stress disorder. when Hamas broke open the border with Egypt, Hamas was able to bring in more of the manufactured Katyusha rockets.

Ref: Ref: GlobalSecurity.org and WeaponSurvey - Palestinian Weapons Production & Smuggling