Large pieces of sheet metal appear bolted to the tank on the front of the turret and the base of the main gun, pieces that probably have no actual use other than to disguise the lack of anything behind them.Although, the word 'corrosion' is most often associated with 'rust' and the oxidation of other metals, 10 U.S.C.

Even with a working understanding of how gun-launched missiles work, it would take more than a year to design, develop and test one. The gun-launched missile-if it exists-is likely a copy of the Russian 9M119M 'Refleks' anti-tank missile. The Karrar's features, including a laser rangefinder, remote controlled machine gun, and reactive armor have been standard issue in world armies since the 1980s. It's possible that the scene was filmed inside an older T-72S tank, one of 480 Iran received from Russia between 19. A quick shot of the main gun autoloader in action was not actually filmed inside a tank as a person appears in the background. The inside of the tank appears antiquated and used, nothing like what one would expect from a brand-new vehicle. Both times the camera cuts away from the target, which is helpfully circled, before the round actually missses. The tank fires its main gun twice, but at least one shot is clear miss. The tank so precisely mirrors the T-90MS it's possible that, other than a single prop, it doesn't exist and is a bargaining chip to get Russia to lower its prices.Ī promotional video released by Iran and aired by RT shows the Karrar going through its paces. Furthermore, negotiations with Russia were only recently terminated, and it is functionally impossible to design and prototype a tank in a year or less. An international pariah for its support of terrorism and its recently suspended nuclear program, Iran has been under various sanctions for decades and has taken to making low-quality knockoff tanks. The Defense Minister even claims the Karrar is 'superior to the Russian-made T-90MS in certain aspects.'īut the Karrar is almost certainly nowhere near as sophisticated as the T-90MS. The tank also appears to have reactive armor tiles to protect against anti-tank shells, rockets, and missiles. Does this look like part of a brand-new tank? Get more war machines in the PM newsletterĪccording to Dehghan, the tank is 'equipped with electro-optical fire control system, laser rangefinder, ballistic computer, and ability to fire at fixed and mobile targets during daytime and at night.' It can fire laser guided missiles, likely from the main gun barrel, and has a remotely operated 12.7-millimeter machine gun.

Sheet metal military tank design