Al-Fao
| Al-Fao | |
|---|---|
Al-Fao 210mm Self-Propelled Artillery | |
| Type | Self-propelled artillery |
| Place of origin | Iraq |
| Service history | |
| In service | Unused (never fully realized) |
| Used by | Iraqi Army (planned use) |
| Wars | None (project never materialized) |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Gerald Bull |
| Designed | 1988 |
| Manufacturer | Various (French, German, Spanish companies, Czechoslovakian chassis) |
| Produced | Prototype stage |
| No. built | 2 prototypes (never mass-produced) |
| Variants | Majnoon (similar design) |
| Specifications (General Specifications) | |
| Mass | 44 tonnes |
| Calibre | 210 mm |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Action | Autoloader |
| Carriage | Self-propelled (wheeled vehicle) |
| Rate of fire | 4 rounds per minute |
| Effective firing range | 57 km |
| Feed system | Autoloader |
Main armament | 210 mm gun |
| Engine | 550 hp 550 hp |
| Drive | Wheeled |
| Maximum speed | 90 km/h (on roads), 60-70 km/h (cross-country) |
| References | Altobchi, Cooper & Fontanellaz 2022, pp. 46–47 |
Al-Fao was a project for a self-propelled artillery system designed for the former Iraqi Army by the Canadian weapons engineer Gerald Bull. It would have been one of the world's most powerful artillery pieces, with a 53-caliber, 210 mm (8.3 in) gun firing 109-kilogram shells over a range of 57 km (35 mi). The Al-Fao system was to weigh 44 tonnes, and its 550 hp engine was to give it a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph) on roads, and 60–70 km/h (37–43 mph) cross-country. The Al-Fao's autoloader was to provide it with a rate of fire of four rounds a minute.
A self-propelled howitzer using the same 155 mm gun as the South African G6, similar to the Al-Fao and named Majnoon, was also designed by Gerald Bull on an Iraqi order.