SBI Fajr-3 (Dawn-3)

History

All major military powers in the world maintain some form of rocket launcher for long-range area denial operations. These weapons are rich in their ability to cover large areas of land with explosive, infantry, chemical or biological warheads/payloads.

While some forms of mobile vehicles are towed, more modern approaches focus on self-propelled models, and many in the East rely on tried and true Soviet-era design influences - such as the Iranian Army's "Fajr-3" ("Fajr-3") Dawn - 3").

The vehicle was developed around 1990, reportedly entered service with Iran in 1996, and has since been exported to Iran-aligned fighter jets from Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria. Iran already used mobile rocket launchers extensively in its war with neighboring Iran in the 1980s. The Fajr-3 has been continuously improved and updated over the years.

Most of the production is handled by Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group (SBI).

The Fajr-3 is classified as a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and is based on a 6x6 three-axle military truck. The missile launch kit is located at the rear of the vehicle bed section, while the driver/crew compartment is located above the first steerable axle.

The vehicle's speed reaches 60 km/h on prepared roads and 25 km/h off-road.

The Iranian Fajr-3 is an locally produced MLRS, albeit an improved form based on the original North Korean-made M1985 (Type 1985).

The M1985 is a modernized version of the M1977, based on the Soviet BM-21 "Grad"/"Katyusha" (detailed elsewhere on this page). It fires 40 x 122mm rockets from an Isuzu 6x6 truck.

The main difference between the Iranian models is the use of 20x240mm rockets and the chassis of Mercedes-Benz 2624/2631 heavy trucks.

The 240mm solid-fuel rocket is over 5 meters long and has a range of up to 43 kilometers. Each individual is housed in two packs of six missiles of six (twelve total) in their own launch tubes and carries a fairly lethal High Explosive Fragmentation Fragmentation (HE-FRAG) warhead - Ideal for use against soft-skinned targets such as digging - in infantry.

The transmitter section has an elevation range of 0 to 57 degrees and can be trained 90 degrees to the left and 100 degrees to the right of the centerline. The rate of fire is twelve rounds every forty-eight seconds.

The weapon is operated as a complete system by five personnel, each with appropriate training, with cross-training for each location if a member of the process is incapacitated. An accompanying supply vehicle provides the necessary ammunition for reloading and re-firing.

This process only takes fifteen minutes. After firing the missile tank, the vehicle is able to escape - making it a very difficult target to locate and neutralize.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

Depends on the supplied ammo supply.

Changes