Iraqi State Factories T-55/160mm

     Notes:  This Iraqi modification of the T-55 tank is the T-55 chassis with a large circular superstructure that protects an M-160 160mm mortar.  The superstructure is not a turret and does not rotate, but does have a limited traverse of 25 degrees from the center.  Access doors are in the sides and rear of the superstructure. When traveling or reloading, the over 3-meter barrel protrudes from a slot in the superstructure.  The M-160 mortar is breech-loaded, with the end of the barrel unlocked and hinged door opening just below the midpoint for loading.  The bottom of the barrel locked again, this automatically closes the loading door and locks the breech, ready to fire again.  The average projectile weight is almost 41 kilograms, requiring two loaders and sometimes the help of the gunner as well.  Elevation is limited to +45 to +80 degrees and traverse to 25 degrees either way.  The T-55/160mm is similar to the T-55/130 SP Howitzer in external layout, though not of course internally.

ZiS/Iraqi State Factories BTR-152-Based Mortar Carrier

     Notes: Even today, almost all vehicles used by the Iraqi military are bought elsewhere, then delivered to Iraq, or delivered in “kit” form to Iraq.  Any Iraq-specific modifications are also done in Iraq.  I have not been able to find out the name of the Iraqi company/companies who do this work; even Jane’s calls it “Iraqi State Factories.”  One of the older mortar carriers still in use by Iraq until OIF included an Al Jaleel 82mm mortar mounted in the rear of a BTR-152V2.  While armored protection is minimal, fuel mileage is mediocre, and the modifications to make the BTR-152V2 into a mortar carrier are considered substandard, it did provide the Iraqis needed mobile fire support starting in the late 1960s.  As a mortar carrier, it is somewhat behind the power curve compared to other mortar carriers of the period, yet continued in service though the initial invasion phase of OIF.

     Except for the rear compartment, this vehicle is essentially still a BTR-152V2, itself based on the chassis of a Zil-157 6x6 medium truck chassis.  As such, it has an open-topped all-welded steel body mounted on it.  Armament is basic, being a single machinegun on a pintle mount in front of the troop compartment between and behind the driver’s and commander’s positions.  On the Iraqi BTR-152 Mortar Carrier, the waist machineguns and their pintles are deleted, leaving more room for the crew to work and to allow the carriage of more mortar shells and fuzes.  The Iraqis did issue somewhat more ammunition for the commander’s machinegun than the Russians generally did. There is a door at the rear of the vehicle. The driver and commander sit in the front of the vehicle behind bullet-resistant windshields which can be covered with an armored shutter with a vision slit in them.  The cab has side doors which are hinged at the top; there is no glass in the side doors, however.

     The BTR-152V2 Mortar Carrier is powered by a ZiS-123 gasoline engine with 110 horsepower (ZiS-137K 107-horsepower for versions based on the Zil-157, but almost equivalent in game terms).  This leaves the BTR-152 not only underpowered, but gives it poor range. The engine is in the front, like a truck. The 6x6 suspension is not very good for off-road use, and better-suited for road use.  The tires are run-flat and have central tire pressure regulation.  The wheels have both leaf springs and hydraulic shock absorbers, and the rear wheels also have torsion bars, and actually give a decent ride. The front bumper has a winch with a capacity of 5 tons and 60 meters of cable.  The BTR-152V2 has a night vision block for the driver for use with IR headlights added to the vehicle.

*The vehicle is open-topped, even the cab.