All major military powers of the world reserve some form of rocket-projecting vehicle in inventory for long-range, area-denial actions. These weapons are prolific in their ability to cover large swathes of terrain with explosive, anti-infantry, chemical or biological warheads / payloads. While some forms are towed by mover vehicles, many more modern approaches center on self-propelled models and many in the East rely on proven Soviet-era design influence - such as the "Fajr-3" ("Dawn-3") of the Iranian Army.
The vehicle was developed in or around 1990 and is believed to have entered service with Iran in 1996, having since been exported to Iran-aligned fighters of Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria. Iran had already managed extensive use of mobile rocket-projecting vehicles during its 1980s war with neighboring Iran. The Fajr-3 has been progressively improved and updated as the years has gone by. Most of its production has been 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-axled military truck. The rocket-launching pack is seated over the rear of the flatbed portion of the vehicle while the driving / crew cab is set over the first steerable axle. Road speeds of the vehicle reach 60 kmh on prepared roads and 25 kmh off-road.
The Iranian Fajr-3 is a locally-produced MLRS though it is based on a modified form of the original M1985 (Model 1985) produced by North Korea.
The M1985 is a modernized version of the M1977 which is based on the Soviet BM-21 "Grad" / "Katyusha" (detailed elsewhere on this site). It fires 40 x Rockets of 122mm caliber from an Isuzu 6x6 truck. The Iranian models differs primarily in its use of 20 x 240mm rockets and the chassis of a Mercedes-Benz Model 2624/2631 heavy-duty truck.
The 240mm solid-fueled rocket is over 5 meters in length and can range out to 43 kilometers. Each instance in held in its own launch tube in two packs of six rockets each (for a total of twelve) and carries a High-Explosive, FRAGmentation (HE-FRAG) warhead of considerable lethality - perfect for use against soft-skinned targets such as dug-in infantry.
The launcher portion has an elevation span of 0 to 57-degrees and can train 90 degrees to the left and 100 degrees to the right of centerline. Rate-of-fire is twelve rounds per forty-eight seconds.
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Specifications
Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group (SBI) Manufacturer(s)
FIRE SUPPORT / ASSAULT / BREACHING
Support allied forces through direct / in-direct fire, assault forward positions, and / or breach fortified areas of the battlefield.
34.3 ft (10.45 meters) Length
8.4 ft (2.55 meters) Width
11.0 ft (3.35 meters) Height
33,069 lb (15,000 kg) Weight
16.5 tons (Light-class) Tonnage
1 x Mercedes-Benz diesel truck engine driving power to a 6x6 wheeled arrangement. Drive System
37 mph (60 kph) Road Speed
12 x 240mm High-Explosive, FRAGmentation (HE-FRAG) battlefield rockets (in two packs of six rockets each).
AMMUNITION
Dependent upon accompanying ammunition supplies.
Fajr-3 - Base Series Name; utilized by the Iranian military including the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces and the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Images
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Image from the Tasnim News Agency; pictured is an Iranian version followed by a North Korean model.
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