Al-Fao was a project for a self-propelled artillery system designed for the former Iraqi Army by the Canadian weapons engineer Gerald Bull. It would have been one of the world's most powerful artillery pieces, with a 53-caliber, 210 mm (8.3 in) gun firing 109-kilogram shells over a range of 57 km (35 mi). The Al-Fao system was to weigh 44 tonnes, and its 550 hp engine was to give it a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph) on roads, and 60–70 km/h (37–43 mph) cross-country.[1] The Al-Fao's autoloader was to provide it with a rate of fire of four rounds a minute.[2]
A self-propelled howitzer using the same 155 mm gun as the South African G6, similar to the Al-Fao and named Majnoon, was also designed by Gerald Bull on an Iraqi order.[3]
The design of the Majnoon and Al-Fao started around 1988. That year, South Africa had tried to sell the G6 howitzer to Iraq, but the Iraqis found it too expensive, and requested that Bull design two equivalents for them.[4] Prototypes of each model had to be ready by May 1989, in time for the Baghdad International Arms Fair. Numerous French, German and Spanish companies were contracted to manufacture parts for the guns, while the design for the chassis was bought in Czechoslovakia and modified to South African specifications. The deadline was met, and the prototypes of both Majnoon and Al-Fao were presented at the Arms Fair, although these were far from complete. However, by early 1990, the Iraqis had imported all the know-how, equipment and machinery necessary to produce them, as well as ammunition. Subsequent events prevented the realisation of the Majnoon and Al-Fao projects.[5]
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editNotes
edit- ^ Altobchi, Cooper & Fontanellaz 2022, pp. 46, II
- ^ Altobchi, Cooper & Fontanellaz 2022, p. 47
- ^ Altobchi, Cooper & Fontanellaz 2022, p. 46
- ^ Altobchi, Cooper & Fontanellaz 2022, p. II
- ^ Altobchi, Cooper & Fontanellaz 2022, pp. 46–47
Bibliography
edit- Altobchi, Ali; Cooper, Tom; Fontanellaz, Adrien (2022). Al-Hussein: Iraqi indigenous conventional arms projects, 1980-2003. Warwick, UK: Helion & Company Publishing. ISBN 978-1-914377-18-1.