In the descriptions of the Iraqi armed forces and in military conflicts with the participation of Iraq, now and then there is a mention of the self-propelled gun mounts "Al-Fao" and "Majnun", but there is very little information on this technique. This article will bring together the few information that is available on ACS today.
The development of new technology began in 1987. Spanish and French designers are taking part in work on self-propelled artillery systems. In Spain (the Tribiland company) they worked on the chassis of the self-propelled guns, in France they worked on the gun part of the future self-propelled guns. Both combat vehicles were created on the basis of the South African machine "Rhino", on which the South African self-propelled gun mount "G6" was also built.
At that time, this was the third attempt in the world (excluding the USSR) to create such artillery systems on a wheel base. The formula for the wheels of the new ACS 6X6. Before the Iraqis, wheeled SPGs were created in Czechoslovakia (152mm Dana self-propelled howitzer) and South Africa (155mm G-6 self-propelled howitzer). The creation of a 210mm self-propelled gun at that time was dictated by ensuring superiority over its "neighbor" (Iran), which was armed with an American self-propelled 175mm howitzer "M107".
The first public appearance of the new SPGs was in the spring of 1989. Two prototypes were transported from Spain to Iraq on an An-124 transport aircraft, to the second international exhibition of military equipment, held in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. There is no exact data on the adoption of these two SPGs in the Iraqi ground forces, according to some reports, only these two samples were adopted. There is no data on serial production. Self-propelled howitzers did not take part in subsequent military conflicts.
Before continuing the story, we note that the creation of new self-propelled guns for the Iraqi ground forces was not without the participation of the talented Canadian design engineer Gerald Bull, who was engaged in the creation of long-range guns. Under his personal leadership, the Babylon project was launched in Iraq - the creation of a 350mm supercannon with a barrel length of 160 meters. The estimated firing range is up to one thousand kilometers with conventional projectiles and up to two thousand with jet ammunition. Such a weapon could hold the entire region at gunpoint, so it is not surprising that the murder of a Canadian engineer in 1990 is attributed to the Israeli special services. Based on the opinions of experts who examined the remnants of the super-weapon, after the end of the military conflict in the Persian Gulf, Bull had every chance to finish building his gun, but after his death all work on completing the gun was stopped, perhaps Iraq did not have enough time and money - in In 1991, the Gulf War began.
The device and design of Iraqi self-propelled howitzers
Both howitzers have the same chassis. The control compartment is made in the front part of the body, in which the driver-mechanic is located. The seat of the driver-mechanic is made according to the ACS G6 type, the view is carried out through three armored windows, the driver-mechanic is landing through a hatch in the upper part of the cab. Next comes the MTO, in which a diesel engine from the German company "Mercedes-Benz" was installed, with the power characteristics of 560 hp. The OS is completely isolated from the MTO. A turret was installed in the rear of the hull. On the sides there are access hatches for the landing of the vehicle crew. In the rear of the turret there is a special hatch for loading ammunition into the vehicle. In the lower part there are two hatches for an emergency exit from the tower part of the machine. The chassis is provided with wheels with 21.00 XR25 tires and an automatic pressure support system. For the production of firing from a howitzer, in additional supports, according to the calculations of the designers, there is no need.
The main differences between the samples are the artillery units of the vehicles. The Majnoon self-propelled howitzer has a 52-caliber 155mm barrel with an ejector device and a transversely slotted muzzle brake, and the Al Fao self-propelled howitzer gun has a 210mm 53-caliber barrel with an ejector device and a 2-chamber single-row window muzzle brake … In both vehicles, the direct-fire sighting device is located on the left side of the turret, next to the gun.
Both howitzers were designed to fire ERFB and ERFB-BB projectiles with gas generators, which are the main ammunition for G-5 and GH N-45 towed howitzers. Active rockets were not used.
The main characteristics of the self-propelled howitzer "Majnoon":
- weight - 43 tons;
- length - 12 meters;
- width - 3.5 meters;
- height - 3.6 meters;
- highway speed / not equipped roads - 90/70 km / h;
- caliber - 155mm;
- barrel length - 806 centimeters or 52 caliber;
- the number of rifling in the barrel - 48;
- ACS rollback - 1041 centimeters;
- vertical / horizontal guidance angles - (0-72) / ± 40 degrees;
- range of fire ERFB / ERFB-BB - 30.2 / 38.8 kilometers;
- initial velocity of the projectile - 900 meters;
- increased-range projectile weight - 45 kilograms;
- rate of fire of the gun - up to 4 high / min.
The main characteristics of the self-propelled howitzer "Al Fao":
- weight - 48 tons;
- length - 15 meters;
- width - 3.5 meters;
- height - 3.6 meters;
- highway speed / not equipped roads - 90/70 km / h;
- caliber - 210mm;
- barrel length - 1113 centimeters or 53 caliber;
- the number of rifling in the barrel - 64;
- ACS rollback - 1041 centimeters;
- vertical / horizontal guidance angles - (0-55) / ± 40 degrees;
- range of fire ERFB / ERFB-BB - 45 / 57.3 kilometers;
- muzzle velocity - 990 meters;
- increased-range projectile weight - 109.5 kilograms;
- rate of fire of the gun - up to 4 high / min.
