Iragia
09-03-2007, 16:24
Iragia recently procured 1,600 T-55 tanks from The World Soviet Party as part of an ambitious program to rebuild its armed forces. The vehicles were handed over to the Iragian National Armaments corporation based out of Hamilton and a modernization program to turn the T-55, a stalwart defender of Iragia and beloved of the Iragian people, into a modern day vehicle that would be able to stand on a modern battlefield.
The result of this program is the T-55I (Iragia) and a series of derivatives including a command variant, armoured recovery vehicle, and engineering variant.
T-55i:
http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/armored_vehicles/tank/T55_2.jpg
Specifications
Weight: 46.3 Tonnes
Length: 6.90 Meters
Width: 3.27 Meters
Height: 2.60 Meters
Crew: 3(commander, gunner, driver)
Place of origin: The Republic of Iragia
Current Operators: The Republic of Iragia
Conflicts Involved: None
Armor
Type: Layered Steel with added composite, ERA blocks added to some vehicles
Thickness: 280 mm
Armament
Primary: 125mm Smoothbore (Auto-Loader)
Secondary: 7.62x54mm co-axial machine gun, 12.7mm machine gun on commander's cupola (AA and local defence)
Ammunition Stowage
Primary: 36 Rounds
Secondary: 4000 7.62mm x 54R, 500 12.7mm
Powerplant
Engine: Ferrier Power Systems 650 Hp diesel
Suspension: Torsion Bar
Range: 550 Km, 650 with drop tanks
Speed: 66 km/h(Road), 42 km/h(Off-road)
The first aim of the modernization program was to upgrade the vehicle's armament to a more powerful 125mm gun, as well as add effective gun stabilization, rangefinder, night sights, and a ballistic computer. To accomplish this, Iragian National Armaments commissioned a whole new turret assembly, incorporating the domestically developed I5 125mm smoothbore cannon. The gun is capable of firing a variety of rounds, and a general armament consists of discarding sabot rounds (steel penetrators), HEAT, and fragmentation rounds. The gun fields a sophisticated (by Iragian standards) fire control system incorporating a laser range finder (visible atop the turret), gun stabilization for firing on the move, and ballistic computer which ties all the control systems together and aids the gunner in aiming. Night sights allow it to engage targets in low light environments, but no thermal imaging system is installed. For secondary armament there are a pair of machine guns, a 12.7mm model on top of the turret for use in local defence and as an AA weapon, and a coaxial 7.62mm gun.
Though the vehicle fielded a new armament, it still lacked adequate armour protection, leading Iragian engineers to slightly increase the size of the chassis and mount additional armour plates, as well as a layer of composite armour. This results in dramatically improved protection over the old T-55s, and ERA has been mounted on a number of vehicles for further protection.
With increased weight, the vehicle became slower and shorter-ranged. To alleviate these problems, engineers replaced the old powerplant with a domestically produced 650 Hp diesel engine. The fuel tanks were enlarged and drop tanks are mounted on the rear for increased fuel load, and by extension, range. The tank also features an improved suspension, and new tracks.
Other variants were developed to complement the vehicle, these are the T-55IC (Command), T-55IR (Recovery) and the T-55IE (engineer). The IC model has improved computer systems, thermal imaging, and radios. Space has been made for an additional crew member, generally a battalion commander who coordinates the actions of his/her battalion with the computer and communications systems. As a result of this, ammunition load has been reduced noticeably. To offset this, a pair of ATGM rails have beem mounted onto the turret.
The IR model fields a winch, a spare parts kit, and various other tools and parts for aiding broken down tanks. It can replace engines, tow tanks, and perform other battlefield repairs. It is also capable of fully lifting lighter vehicles, such as IFVs and APCs, and carrying them around the battlefield, or lifting them onto flatbed trucks for transport. These are assigned at a ratio of one per company, to ensure the vehicles are well maintained, and can be repaired in combat.
The IE model is an engineer version. This version itself has several submodels as it is modular in nature and can be changed for a variety of missions. It generally carries a specialized munitions load for clearing obstacles and a dozer blade. It can mount mine clearance equipment, or the turret can be removed in favour of a bridgelayer. These typically ride at a ratio of one per company, to assist in clearing obstacles in combat.
The result of this program is the T-55I (Iragia) and a series of derivatives including a command variant, armoured recovery vehicle, and engineering variant.
T-55i:
http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/armored_vehicles/tank/T55_2.jpg
Specifications
Weight: 46.3 Tonnes
Length: 6.90 Meters
Width: 3.27 Meters
Height: 2.60 Meters
Crew: 3(commander, gunner, driver)
Place of origin: The Republic of Iragia
Current Operators: The Republic of Iragia
Conflicts Involved: None
Armor
Type: Layered Steel with added composite, ERA blocks added to some vehicles
Thickness: 280 mm
Armament
Primary: 125mm Smoothbore (Auto-Loader)
Secondary: 7.62x54mm co-axial machine gun, 12.7mm machine gun on commander's cupola (AA and local defence)
Ammunition Stowage
Primary: 36 Rounds
Secondary: 4000 7.62mm x 54R, 500 12.7mm
Powerplant
Engine: Ferrier Power Systems 650 Hp diesel
Suspension: Torsion Bar
Range: 550 Km, 650 with drop tanks
Speed: 66 km/h(Road), 42 km/h(Off-road)
The first aim of the modernization program was to upgrade the vehicle's armament to a more powerful 125mm gun, as well as add effective gun stabilization, rangefinder, night sights, and a ballistic computer. To accomplish this, Iragian National Armaments commissioned a whole new turret assembly, incorporating the domestically developed I5 125mm smoothbore cannon. The gun is capable of firing a variety of rounds, and a general armament consists of discarding sabot rounds (steel penetrators), HEAT, and fragmentation rounds. The gun fields a sophisticated (by Iragian standards) fire control system incorporating a laser range finder (visible atop the turret), gun stabilization for firing on the move, and ballistic computer which ties all the control systems together and aids the gunner in aiming. Night sights allow it to engage targets in low light environments, but no thermal imaging system is installed. For secondary armament there are a pair of machine guns, a 12.7mm model on top of the turret for use in local defence and as an AA weapon, and a coaxial 7.62mm gun.
Though the vehicle fielded a new armament, it still lacked adequate armour protection, leading Iragian engineers to slightly increase the size of the chassis and mount additional armour plates, as well as a layer of composite armour. This results in dramatically improved protection over the old T-55s, and ERA has been mounted on a number of vehicles for further protection.
With increased weight, the vehicle became slower and shorter-ranged. To alleviate these problems, engineers replaced the old powerplant with a domestically produced 650 Hp diesel engine. The fuel tanks were enlarged and drop tanks are mounted on the rear for increased fuel load, and by extension, range. The tank also features an improved suspension, and new tracks.
Other variants were developed to complement the vehicle, these are the T-55IC (Command), T-55IR (Recovery) and the T-55IE (engineer). The IC model has improved computer systems, thermal imaging, and radios. Space has been made for an additional crew member, generally a battalion commander who coordinates the actions of his/her battalion with the computer and communications systems. As a result of this, ammunition load has been reduced noticeably. To offset this, a pair of ATGM rails have beem mounted onto the turret.
The IR model fields a winch, a spare parts kit, and various other tools and parts for aiding broken down tanks. It can replace engines, tow tanks, and perform other battlefield repairs. It is also capable of fully lifting lighter vehicles, such as IFVs and APCs, and carrying them around the battlefield, or lifting them onto flatbed trucks for transport. These are assigned at a ratio of one per company, to ensure the vehicles are well maintained, and can be repaired in combat.
The IE model is an engineer version. This version itself has several submodels as it is modular in nature and can be changed for a variety of missions. It generally carries a specialized munitions load for clearing obstacles and a dozer blade. It can mount mine clearance equipment, or the turret can be removed in favour of a bridgelayer. These typically ride at a ratio of one per company, to assist in clearing obstacles in combat.