Armor: June 29, 2002

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Iran has unveiled three new variants of its Boragh armored personnel carrier. The original design, seen several years ago, appeared to be a BMP hull with M113 road wheels and a small coupola with a 12.7mm machinegun instead of a turret. It carried a driver, gunner, commander, and 10 riflemen. A new AIFV variant has now appeared which harkens back to the BMP roots of the Boragh design. It has a two-man power-operated turret mounting a 30mm autocannon and a launcher for an AT-4 Spigot anti-tank missile. The driver remains in the front left of the vehicle but the infantry squad has been reduced to six men due to the space required for the turret. This variant carries 500 rounds for the 30mm cannon, and four reload missiles (plus the one on the rail). Another new variant has a raised superstructure starting behind the driver and engine. This covers the 120mm mortar, which can fire through roof hatches. The mortar has a minimum range of 500 meters, a maximum range of 9,000 meters, and can traverse 15 to either side of the vehicle centerline. The mortar can be elevated from 43 to 86. The final new variant is an ammunition resupply vehicle able to carry 4,000 kilograms (8,800 pounds) of ammunition or other cargo. This variant has a driver and a commander on the left in a raised compartment, and an open cargo compartment behind them. This will be used to feed the new Raad-1 and Raad-2 artillery systems previously reported in FYEO.--Stephen V Cole