KRL 122 Gadab
The Gadeb is the
Pakistani version of the Grad. The
Gadeb is suspiciously similar to the North Korean BM-11, down to the fire
control elements, the similar launchers (though the Gadeb’s launcher has two
rocket packs each with three rows of five instead of two rows of 15), and the
original chassis for the Gadeb was an Isuzu SKW 440M with a more powerful
engine. This probably means that
the Pakistanis aided the North Koreans in the design of their BM-11, or, less
likely, that the North Koreans aided the Pakistanis in the design of the Gadeb,
or the two MRLs were a cooperative effort. (Such cooperation would be in
violation of the heavy sanctions placed on North Korea, by the way.)
The launcher can
fire all types of 122mm rockets except for the very newest, in addition to the
locally designed and produced Yarmuk 122mm rocket.
(The Yarmuk is actually 122.4mm in diameter, to accommodate a somewhat
larger warhead and propellant section.) In addition, the Gadeb can also use the
Norinco SR5 Inertial Guidance/GPS-guided 122mm missile, and has a mapping module
and fire controls to do this The
KRL 122 is best off using an FDC; without one, the KRL 122 can take somewhat
inaccurate shots (scatter distances triple).
The Pakistanis
have a large number of old US M35 trucks that are rapidly coming obsolete; the
Pakistanis fully overhauled and upgraded all systems of some of their M35s and
replaced the engines with a more powerful 254-horsepower turbocharged diesel
engine, a fully automatic transmission, and power brakes and steering. In
addition, the cab is extended and has room for all three crewmembers, and their
gear. (The cab extension is not a
large extension.) However, reloaders are not necessarily necessary, as a reload
vehicle was also designed based on the M35 which has a crane and can remove the
expended rocket pack and place a new one on the launcher base, and when used, no
one in the MRL or reload vehicle need leave their vehicles.
The MRL also has a crane, allowing it to reload a rocket pack from the
ground or from a non-purpose-built reload vehicle. The vehicle also has an air
conditioner.
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
|
$194,683 |
D, A |
372 kg |
11.11 tons |
3 |
13 |
Headlights |
Enclosed |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
176/88 |
49/25 |
189 |
94 |
Trtd |
W(3) |
TF1
TS1 TR1
HF1 HS1
HR1 |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
+3 |
None |
30-Round 122mm
Grad Rocket Launcher |
30x122mm Grad
Rockets |