In the Middle East, Iran is a major source of main battle tanks and combat vehicles, including towed artillery weapons and self-propelled artillery.
As for long-range multiple launch missile systems, the Fajr-5 is a respectable system, having been exported to various armed forces in the Middle East. The Fajr-5 is primarily used by the Iranian Army Ground Force. In addition, the system is also used by militant groups to target Israel, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syria.
Reportedly with North Korean assistance, Iran later produced a copy of the “M-1985” system called the Fajr 3 in 1990. This MLRS system would serve as a testbed of the following Iranian rocket program. Later, Iran successfully produced the Fajr 5, an upsized version of the Fajr 3 based on a technology derived from the Chinese WS-1, with a caliber of 333 mm and substantially longer range and firepower.
Despite simplistic appearance it is a very capable system. In fact it is among the deadliest artillery rocket systems in the world. This artillery rocket system is designed to engage important enemy targets, such as concentrations of troops and armored vehicles, command posts, artillery batteries, radar sites, airfields, as well as other important targets. Range of this system allows to strike targets behind enemy lines. This rocket system is also intended to engage hostile warships.
Basically Fadjr-5 is an Iranian 333 mm long-range multiple launch rocket system (MLRS). The Fajr-5 launcher fires four 6.48 meter long, 333 millimeter-calibre Fajr-5 artillery rockets, with a range of 75 kilometers (50 mi), weighing 915 kilograms each and carrying 175-kg fragmentation warheads with 90 kg of high explosive (HE). Most Fajr-5 rockets are unguided; in 2017 Iran introduced a variant, the Fajr-5C, which adds GPS guidance.
The Fadjr-5 system has a rate of fire of one rocket every four or eight seconds. The rockets can be launched singly or in ripple fire and once the launcher has expended its rockets, it would normally deploy to another position when new rockets would be loaded using a crane. Fajr-5 rockets can likely carry high explosive, submunitions, incendiary, smoke, or chemical payloads as well.
The Fadjr-5 is based on a modified Mercedes-Benz 6 × 6 truck chassis with the engine and fully enclosed two-door cab at the front. To the immediate rear of the cab is a small crew compartment. The latest production of the Fajr-5 is installed on a new Mercedes Benz 2631 6 x 6 forward control chassis and the platform is now integrated into a complete weapon system rather than an individual launcher. This new truck chassis has improved cross-country mobility and the forward control fully enclosed cab provides space for the driver and two passengers.
A radar can be added to give the system the capability to track and engage naval targets. Another feature added is remote fire capability under which the command vehicle can link all Fajr-5’s within a 20 km range. To provide a more stable firing platform, four stabilisers are lowered to the ground before the rockets are launched, two of these are positioned at the rear of the vehicle with another one between the second and third axles on either side.
