Fajr-3

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This article is about the artillery rocket. For the ballistic missile, see Fajr-3 ballistic missile

The Fajr-3 Artillery Rocket is an Iranian multiple-launch artillery rocket, a third-generation Katyusha rocket. Fajr means 'dawn' in Persian (borrowed from Arabic).

The 5.2-metre long, 240 millimeter-calibre Fajr-3 artillery rocket has an estimated range of 45 kilometres or 25-30 miles, weighs 407 kilograms, and carries a 45-kilogram warhead. Production probably started in 1991, or as early as March 1990. Fajr-3 has the same caliber, range and warhead weight as three known North Korean systems.^[1]^[2] The 333-millimeter Fajr-5 rocket has a range of about 75–80 kilometres.

Some media has reported that Iran has tested a medium range ballistic missile called Fajr-3, but these may have been mistaken references to the Kosar missile.^{[citation needed]}

1 Employment
2 Specifications
3 References
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Employment

The rockets are used by Iranian Army as a regular artillery. They may also have been supplied to the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon under the name Khaibar-1, where they were seen for the first time mounted on a Japanese Isuzu truck chassis. They may therefore have been used on a number of occasions in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.

[edit] Specifications

Calibre: 240 mm
Length of rocket: 5,200 mm
Max. range: 43,000 m
Max. height: 17,000 m (at max. range)
Weight of rocket: 407 kg
Weight of warhead: 90 kg
Weight of HE content: 45 kg
Weight of system: 15,000 kg
Length travelling: 10.45 m
Width travelling: 2.54 m

[edit] References

Jane's Armour and Artillery, 2006-2007

^ "In the late 1980s, the North Korean-produced 240mm M-1985 multiple rocket launcher (MRL) was exported to Iran and subsequently produced under license (with minor changes) by Shahid Bagheri Industries as the Fajr-3 (a.k.a., Fadjr-3)." Vital Perspective (2006), "Military Briefing on Hezbollah's Missile Capabilities: Examining the Fajr, Zelzal". URL accessed 2006-08-02.
^ "Fajr-3 has the same caliber, range and warhead weight as three known North Korean systems." GlobalSecurity.org (2006), "Iranian Artillery Rockets". URL accessed 2006-08-02.