Fath Safir
| Safir | |
|---|---|
.jpg) A Safir during an Iranian military parade, 2023. | |
| Type | Multipurpose military vehicle |
| Place of origin |  Islamic Republic of Iran Republic of Sudan (1985–2019) |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Fath Vehicle Industries |
| Produced | 2008 (Iran) 2013 (Sudan) |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1.62 tonnes. 2.35 tonnes fully loaded |
| Length | 3.726 m |
| Width | 1.69 m |
| Height | 1.88 m |
| Crew | 1 (+5 passengers) |
Main armament | 12x Fajr 1 107 mm rockets, or a 106 mm recoilless rifle or a Toophan anti-tank missile launcher |
| Engine | Nissan Z24 diesel engine 105 hp |
| Power/weight | 44.68 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | Coil spring |
Operational range | 500 km[1] |
| Maximum speed | 130 km/h |
The Fath Safir (Persian: سفیر; Arabic: سَفِيْر, romanized: Safīr, meaning "traveler") is an Iranian 4x4 multipurpose military vehicle built by Fath Vehicle Industries.[2] The Safir weighs 1.5 tons and is based off of the M38.[1][3]
It has been supplied to Iraq via Iranian-allied militias and locally-made under license in Sudan due to its inexpensiveness and ability to be mass produced in large quantities.[4]
History
The Safir was officially unveiled in 2008. In the ceremony, Iranian defense minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar stated that 3,000 Safirs were built in that year, and Fath Vehicle Industries would deliver 5,000 more vehicles to defense industry per year.[5] The jeep was seen in public media outside of Iran with its use by Iranian-backed militias fighting against Islamic State forces.[6]
Sudan makes the Safir under license as the Karaba VTG01, which was publicly shown to visitors at the IDEX 2013 convention in the United Arab Emirates.[7]
Variants
Several variants of the Safir was made throughout its history, being:[1][8]
- A variant equipped with 12 Fajr 1 107 mm rocket tubes[2]
- A variant equipped with a M40 106 mm recoilless rifle[2]
- A variant equipped with a Toophan anti-tank missile launcher [2]
- A variant equipped with 9K11 Malyutka anti-tank missiles
- A variant equipped with Tosan anti-tank missiles
- A variant equipped with a grenade launcher
- A variant used as a command and communication vehicle
- A variant used as an ambulance
- A variant used as a radio wave emitter
- A tracked variant for snowy terrain
- A variant with an extended chassis
Operators
State operators
- Iran: Used by the Iranian military.[9]
Iraq: Provided Safirs to the Popular Mobilization Forces.[10]- Sudan: Made under license as Karaba VTG01.[7]
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Syria: Seen in use by the Syrian Armed Forces.[11]
Libya: Used by the Libyan National Army.[12]
Non-state operators
- Known to be used by Kata'ib Hezbollah, the Badr Army and Peshmerga forces.[4]
- Known to be used by ISIL and Ha'yat Tahrir al-Sham, captured from Iraqi PMF paramilitaries and Syrian government forces respectively.[4]
- Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba[13]
- Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada[13]
- Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq[13]
- Liwa al-Zulfiqar[13]
Liwa Fatemiyoun[14]- Saraya Ansar al-Aqeeda[13]
- Saraya al-Salam[13]
- Saraya Ashura[13]
- Saraya al-Khorasani[13]
References
- ^ a b c "Safir 4x4 jeep light tactical vehicle technical data sheet specifications description intelligence pictures video | Iran Iranian army wheeled armoured vehicles UK | Iran Iranian army military equipment armoured UK". Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ a b c d "واحد مرکزی خبر | IRIB News". Iribnews.ir. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ "Safir". www.offroadvehicle.ru. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ a b c "Iranian Safir light tactical vehicles in Iraq". Armament Research Services. 9 August 2015. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ "آغاز توليد انبوه انواع خودروي تاكتيكي سفير در وزارت دفاع". 25 December 2007. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- ^ "Iran's Latest Tactic Against Islamic State — Send in the Battle Buggies". 24 June 2016. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ a b "Karaba VTG01 4x4 light tactical vehicle technical data sheet specifications description information | Sudan Sudanese army wheeled armoured vehicles | Sudan Sudanese army military equipment vehicles UK". Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ Oryx. "The Oryx Handbook of Iranian Fighting Vehicles". Oryx Blog. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ "Falaq light rocket launcher on Safir 4×4 tactical vehicle Iran Iranian army defense industry armyreco – Soldier of Fortune Magazine". Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ "ANALYSIS: Al-Quds, Iran's long arm in the region - al Arabiya English". 24 August 2017. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ "Spotlight on Iran (November 8 – 22, 2015)". 22 November 2015. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (23 March 2021). "Tracking Arms Transfers By The UAE, Russia, Jordan And Egypt To The Libyan National Army Since 2014". Oryx Blog.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Iraq: Turning a blind eye: The arming of the Popular Mobilization Units" (PDF). Amnesty International. 5 January 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ Puxton, Matteo (25 February 2019). Macé, Maxime (ed.). "Pour se battre en Syrie, l'Iran enrôle massivement des Afghans chiites". France Soir (in French). Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fath Safir.