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Aqareb / Aghareb 8x8

The Iranian Army unveiled new domestically-manufactured military equipment ahead of National Army Day. The military hardware unveiled on 15 April 2015 in the presence of Commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Forces Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan included the Aqareb [slightly less commonly Aghareb] wheeled battle tank and a robot, as well as Baher and Shaher sniper guns. The eight-wheeled Aqareb tank is equipped with a 90mm caliber cannon and can carry four military personnel. It is also said to features a state-of-the-art fire control system, an independent suspension system and eight active wheels.

On 18 April 2015 select units from Iran's Armed Forces held parades across the country to mark the National Army Day. Aghareb cufflinet tank was presented during the military parade of the Iranian Army Day. Iran plans to take a defensive approach to stave off an enemy threat, deploying an army of combat robots, wheeled tanks, mother drones, and silent submarines. Some key pieces of what President Hassan Rohani has described as Iran's "strategy of deterrence" were on parade during Iran's National Army Day festivities. Developers went off-track with the Aqareb wheeled tank, armed with a 90 mm main gun and a 12.7 mm machine gun. The odd-looking, eight-wheeled, "tank" reportedly holds a crew of four.

The Aghareb 8x8 armored vehicle seems to use the chassis of the Soviet-made BTR-60PB armored vehicle personnel carrier, with the suspension raised to increase ground clearance of the vehicle. As with the original BTR-60PB, the powerpack is at the rear of the chassis, but with two prominent exhaust grills located at the rear. The front hull of the Aghareb is similar of the BTR-60PB, but the nose seems a bit longer.

The Aghareb crew of four includes commander, driver, gunner and loader. If the vehicle is based on the BTR-60PB, the hull is of all-welded steel armor which provides a protection light arms and shell splinters. The front of the hull has two small windows which can be covered by a flap hinged at the top.

The home made turret, which seems to mount a 90mm gun from the ancient US M-47M turret, is mounted at the front of the vehicle. The finish of the turret is curiously rough, with prominent weld seams readily in evidence [one would have to go back to the T-34s of the Great Patriotic War to find such a rough finish in an armored vehicle]. The armament includes one 12,7mm machine gun which is mounted on a strangely tall and clumsy cylindrical armored weapon station located at the rear of the turret.

On each side of the hull, the upper part of the suspension is protected by an armored plate, which has a vaguely Mad Max appearance. According to an Iranian website, the vehicle is designed to be used as armoured reconnaissance fire support vehicle. In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.

Aghareb is the Iranian contribution to the world-wide effort to put a big gun on a small vehicle. But recoil from a fired vehicle mounted gun system causes excessive motion of the vehicle, at times, creating the possibility of toppling the vehicle or causing extreme discomfort to the gun crew. As stated by Newton's third law of motion, i.e., to every action there is always opposed an equal reaction, the momentum manifest within a gun system during the weapon launch is equal and opposite to sum of the momentum which is imparted to the projectile launched from the gun system, including the propellant gases that are subsequently ejected from the gun system. Minimizing the recoil increases the utilization of these gun systems.