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Tosan

In December 1997 it was reported that the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces [acronymed NEZAJA] had manufactured a light battle tank that it intended to mass produce in the near future for unconventional warfare. Named Tosan (Also written Towan, meaning Power, Wild Horse or Fury), the tank was said to be capable of rapid response and built for strategic missions. Tosan was equipped with a 90 mm gun, feature an improved firing and targeting system, not require special trucks to carry it. The Tosan, appearing to be based on the British Scorpion [Persian = kazhdem] light tank, has also been seen mounting a Toophan missile launcher. The Tosan was another system Iranian authorities used to bolster claims it was nearly self-sufficient in arms.

Iran’s defense industry focuses on producing light tanks like the Tosan to meet the strategic requirements for mobile, rapid-response forces that can operate in Iran’s diverse terrain, from deserts to mountainous regions. Iran has developed several light tanks and armored vehicles over the years, as part of its efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in defense technologies. Some of these tanks are either indigenous designs or modified versions of foreign tanks. One notable Iranian light tank is the Tosan, though there are other armored vehicles and light tanks that Iran has developed or acquired. In the triangle of capabilities of an armored vehicle, which includes the three main components of protection, mobility and firepower, the Scorpion vehicle, as an armored reconnaissance vehicle, has a higher level of mobility than the components of firepower and protection. Emphasizing more and more on increasing the speed and agility of the car is one of the things that have been included in its design, and for this reason, other features, especially the protection of the car, have been sidelined. The need for light, agile, air-portable military vehicles remains. In the UK, this led to the development of a family of combat reconnaissance vehicles, of which the FV101 Scorpion is a part. The FV101 Scorpion was the lead vehicle and the fire support type in the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked), CVR(T), family of seven armoured vehicles. Developed in the late 1960s by Alvis Vehicles Ltd (now BAE Systems), the FV101 Scorpion was delivered to the British Army in 1973 and saw its first battlefield experience in the Falklands War in 1982. Also, the Scorpion FV101 was used by the British Army during the First Persian Gulf War in 1991, but was retired three years later. However, this small tank continued to serve in several armies for at least another decade.

The Scorpion 90 or Scorpion 2 was a version armed with the long-barrelled Cockerill Mk3 M-A1 90mm gun designed for the export market. In this model, by installing a high-caliber cannon, the role of combat reconnaissance has been largely changed to the role of fire support. The Tosan was designed to meet the needs of the Iranian military, focused on improving mobility while maintaining firepower. Armor: Lightly armored for protection against small arms fire and shell fragments, but not designed to withstand heavier anti-tank weapons. The aluminum armor provides protection against small arms fire and shell splinters, though it offers little defense against heavier anti-tank weapons. The Scorpion armor in the British Army since the 90s was recognized as not capable of meeting the requirements and needs of the battlefield and was withdrawn from operational service. This issue occurred more than two decades ago and indicates that all the characteristics of the Scorpion were not at a level that would meet the operational needs of the military standards of the 90s. This issue applies more strongly to the prototypes of this armor, which were also purchased by Iran.

The Scorpion FV101 is still the subject of debate as a legendary light tank, not only because of its historical significance but also because of its high speed. In fact, this tank still holds the Guinness record for the fastest tank produced, because it can reach a maximum speed of 81.6 km/h. Military technology has advanced so rapidly that it is hard to believe that a Cold War-era tank like the FV101 Scorpion still holds a world record. However, this is a fact. In comparison, the K2 Black Panther made in South Korea has a maximum speed of 68.8 km/h. Meanwhile, the American M1 Abrams can reach a top speed of 67.2 km/h.

Its speed and agility made it highly valued in combat and peacekeeping missions. The issue of mobility is one of the strengths of the armored Scorpion, but due to the use of gasoline engines in the early models and the problems that have arisen after years of use in these engines, this issue has become the Achilles heel of this reconnaissance vehicle. In the years after the revolution, the problem that adds to the problems of the armored Scorpion is the lack of updating of this armored car. In most of the countries that use this car, the troublesome gasoline engine was replaced with a reliable diesel model, while this problem was not solved in Iran in 2015. were neglected and the replacement of the car engine was never realized.

In changing the engine of the Scorpion, mainly the question of replacing the gasoline engine with a reliable diesel model has been considered, and no specific increase in power has been created. The selected diesel engines have the same power as the basic gasoline engine of the car, as a result, no specific change has been made in the level of mobility and the main component of mobility, i.e. Power/weight ratio. In addition to changing the engine from gasoline to diesel, the problem of increasing "reliability" and improving "maintainability" is also considered. One proposed upgarde entails : Having a steel structure with an increased level of protection compared to the original aluminum turret by using anti-wear steel plates with high Hardox hardness or Armox armored steel with the possibility of embedding composite inner layers to improve the level of protection and reduce weight. Turret Building an integrated monitoring block on the turret consisting of 8 periscopes for the commander, the monitoring block also includes the weapon ring and a command gun can be installed on it. Using the automatic 30mm cannon 2A42 (the main weapon of BMP-2 combat vehicles) along with all components related to the cannon, including the stabilizer system, in order to achieve the ability to fire accurately on the move (in mobile fire scenarios- moving, moving-fixed and fixed-moving for the target and the Scorpion vehicle) Installation of 7.62 mm PKT or PKTM coaxial gun Installation of a new monitoring and targeting system for a multi-channel gunner (day vision, thermal night vision, laser range finder and missile guidance laser channel) Installation of two Cornet anti-armor guided missile launchers or its internal model known as Dehlawiyeh (in order to acquire the ability to deal with heavy armored equipment including the main tanks of the battlefield and to increase the range of the conflict using guided missiles) Installation of the monitoring system of the mounted mast for the commander (with retractable mast) and providing a two-channel fire control system with two independent monitoring sets for the commander and gunner (in order to raise the monitoring level of the crew and increase the rate of detection and engagement with targets) The important advantage in this plan is the use of eastern weapons and the standardization of the Scorpion weapons with the BMP 2 combat vehicle . By installing the 2A42 cannon on the Scorpion, this vehicle will have the same firepower as the BMP 2 combat vehicle , and besides, the variety of weapons in this sector in the ground force will be reduced and the costs of maintenance and supply of ammunition will be reduced. The chassis of the Scorpion armored reconnaissance vehicle is made of aluminum plates like a turret, and only part of the plate covering the engine compartment is made of steel. At the time this car was presented (the 1970s), the chassis of this car provided comprehensive protection against 7.62 mm ammunition, and the front slope of the chassis was resistant to 14.5 and 12.7 mm ammunition from a distance of 150 to 200 meters. According to the developments in the field of ammunition in the last few decades, currently the armored Scorpion has no resistance against the new generation 7.62 mm anti-armor ammunition that is offered in the world today, therefore the issue of improving the level of chassis protection is one of the issues. which should be considered in upgrading the car. By installing a laser lock warning system, it will be possible to detect, direct the emitted laser beam and warn the crew, while smoke grenades will be thrown in the direction of the threat and correctly. Currently, such a system has been built in the country and can be provided by the industries of the Ministry of Defense and the support of the armed forces. The infrared jammer works in two ways to deal with anti-armor missiles, the first method is to blind and saturate the thermal imager system and the second method is to create a false heat source to disrupt the automatic tracking system of the missile guidance system. In this example, in fact, there is a source of infrared radiation that simulates an example of infrared radiation emitted by anti-armor missiles such as TOW, and causes the automatic tracking system of this type of missiles to fail. This system is especially useful for deflecting TOW anti-armor missiles and examples that use a similar guidance system. weight (combat) 8074 kg Dimensions (length, width, height) 4.79, 2.23, 2.1 m The main weapon Khan Dar L23A1 cannon caliber 76.2 mm Secondary weapon 7.62 mm caliber bullet engine Jaguar J60 Mk100b gasoline engine with 190 horsepower body Aluminum alloy Number of crew Three people (driver, commander and gunner) Operating range Depending on the engine (diesel or gasoline) used, from 640 to 756 km * Modernized BTR-60 personnel carrier In this plan, which has been implemented in order to improve the operational and combat power of the BTR-60, capabilities such as automatic weapon feeding system, digital day and night gunner's thermal site, stabilizer and position control system, electric arming system, gunpowder gas ventilation system is provided. 's modified Iranian BTR-60 with turret from BMP-2 as i noted above. If it's a modified BTR-60, they did enough work that they should've just built from scratch. Very little looks unmodified: Side Door is new and front end completely different. The Tusan AFV (also known as Tosan) is an Iranian eight-wheeled armoured fighting vehicle, with variants that can serve as either an IFV and as an APC. Two variants are known exist. The IFV variant is equipped with the turret of the BMP-2. It is armed with a Shipunov 2A42 30mm auto-cannon, a PKMT 7.62mm machine gun, and a rail to place a single 9M133 Kornet launcher on. The APC variant has no BMP-2 turret, and instead has a DShKM 12.7mm machine gun. An armored shield provides protection for the DShKM gunner. Iranian Tusan 8x8 APC. The APC variant is armed with a DSHK 12.7mm HMG instead of the turret of the BMP-2 Type Infantry fighting vehicle Armored fighting vehicle Armored personnel carrier Place of origin Iran Service history In service 2015-Present Used by Iran Production history Manufacturer Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization Produced Unknown-Present Specifications Length 7.64 m (25 ft 1 in) Width 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in) Height 2.98 m (9 ft 9 in) Crew 2-3 Passengers 7-9 Main armament 30mm Shipunov 2A42 auto-cannon Secondary armament 7.62mm PKT coaxial machine gun 9M133 Kornet Maximum speed Estimated between 80 and 100 km/h