Iraq Tanks & AFVs (1930-Today)

About 12,000 armoured vehicles 1921-2016.

Background

العراق (al-ʿIrāq) was known already since the 6th century. Long before that, the country saw not only one of the first and earliest civilizations (Sumer) and the first standing armies. Babylon and its empire also enlightened the bronze age and left us a legendary metropolis. None also contest the military abilities of the Assyrians, which originated from northern Iraq and which invented siege warfare among other things, ruthlessly creating one of the greatest empire of the Bronze age. This region began a new existence as a Persian Satrapy under the arrival of Alexander the Great (330 bc). Afterwards, it was a Seleucid Empire province before being subdued by the Parthians. The Romans succeed only to hold a part of a province, and Christianity made a durable foothold in the north.

The Sassanians invaded Iraq. After the split of the Empire, the country's western borders became the eastern frontiers of the Byzantine Empire. The Neo Assyrian states became gradually a more unified province known as "Al-Iraq". In the 7th century AD, the Arab expansion saw Iraq being a part of the Rashidun Caliphate (capital Kufa). It became later the Umayyad Caliphate (governed from Damascus), and eventually the Abbasid Caliphate, which built Baghdad. This city became in the 8th and 9th century arguably the centre of culture and power in the whole Islamic world. From there, the Abbasid empire ruled an empire stretching from the Indian borders to Spain. It fell to the Mongols in the 13th century, Tamerlane in the 14th century, and eventually became a part of the Ottoman Empire until the end of WW1.

Articles

Under British administration (1920-1932)

Iraqi soldiers were found in the Ottoman Army at large and fought the British in the Mesopotamian campaign (the British lost 92,000). Eventually, the latter controlled the entire territory by 1918, fielding 410,000 infantrymen and cavalry supported by tanks. By the virtue of treaties, the region known as the "State of Iraq" passed under British protectorate under the rule of a Hashemite king, Faisal I of Iraq and Sunni Arab elites were chosen as key members of the government. After a rebellion and T.E. Lawrence influence back in Britain, a new commissioner was named and until the early 1930s prepared the transition to a fully independent state.

Roots of the Iraqi Army

As an independent country in 1932, Iraq was ruled by King Faisal, then King Ghazi in a troubled political scene marked by coups d'état attempts until 1939. In 1941, at last Rashid Ali al-Gaylani and members of the Golden Square made a successful coup d'état but his new government (which had marked sympathies for the Axis) had to face hostility from the UK which feared a seizure of the rich oil supplies in the region, vital to the war effort. Together with loyal Assyrian levies, the British Army defeated the poorly equipped Iraqi and secured a military occupation followed by the restoration of the Hashemite dynasty. Although British presence nearby some strategic assets was maintained until 1954, Iraq became independent one again in 1947. A new, more modern army was created, supplied by British ww2-era vehicles. However, the execrated ruling dynasty was expelled by a new coup d'état by in the 14 July 1958 Revolution which created a military dictatorship. Himself was expelled by Colonel Abdul Salam Arif (February 1963), and eventually by the Ba'ath Party in 1968 which created a republic.

Saddam's rise to power (1970-79)

Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr was the first Iraqi president, but Saddam Hussein, an officer, was remarked and quickly made its way into the military, and political spheres as key Councillor. He became president and controlled the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) in July 1979 when the Iranian revolution erupted. He initially welcomed the overthrow of the Shah and sought to establish durable relationships with the new regime. However, as the latter called to spread the Islamic Revolution to Iraq (Chi'ite Islam) whereas the Iraqi were Sunnis in majority these relations were rapidly poisoned. In addition, Kurdish rebels were armed and supplied by Iran to Saddam's dismay which had to commit the army in 1980 in Northern Iraq. At that time, Iraq was well armed by Soviet-built vehicles, MBTs, APCs, IFVs and the army was trained by foreign (Soviet) instructors. Nevertheless, in the following war, the US government gradually came to help the regime against Iran, as France later.

Iran-Iraq war (1980-89)

Saddam declared war on Iran in September 1980 in what is called now the First Persian Gulf War. This "Iraqi Vietnam" saw no clear gains but was a brutal stalemate (after initial successes until 1982), when the Iraqi Army had to withdrew and fought mostly a defensive border until 1989.


This was saw approximately 1,700 main battle tanks each, a mix of Soviet and Western armor. There was heavy attrition, notably due to poor combined-arms coordination.

Iraqi Assets:

Initial Strength (1980) consisted in Four armored divisions and two mechanized infantry divisions, deploying at least 1,200 tanks (primarily Soviet-made T-54/55, T-62, and newer T-72s) at the outbreak of the invasion. Early losses caused by uncoordinated armor pushes forced a doctrine shift. After setbacks like the 1986 loss of the Fao Peninsula, Saddam Hussein expanded and professionalized the Republican Guard's armored and mechanized divisions. Iraq heavily replenished and expanded its fleet mid-war, purchasing roughly 1,000 Type 59 and 1,500 Type 69 main battle tanks from China, alongside continued Soviet deliveries.

Iranian Assets

Initial Strength (1980):
Inherited the Shah's well-equipped but post-revolution purged military, fielding roughly 1,700 tanks including American-made M60A1 Pattons, M48s, British Chieftain tanks, and older vintage inventory (like M4 Shermans). Iran faced severe shortages of spare parts, maintenance support, and ammunition due to the U.S. arms embargo following the 1979 revolution. To offset losses, Iran acquired roughly 300 Type 59 and 500 Type 62 tanks from China during the later stages of the conflict.

Operational Tactics & Attrition: In the early years, both armies frequently misused tanks as static pillboxes or direct-fire artillery pieces, leading to massive vehicle losses. While Iraq leaned on mechanized formations and later expanded armored corps, Iran increasingly relied on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC / Pasdaran) infantry and light-assault tactics alongside remaining regular army armor units.

Great Tank Battles

Operation Nasr (January 5–9, 1981):

Often considered the largest tank battle of the war, fought near Dezful and Susangerd. Iranian forces—deploying British-built Chieftain and U.S. M60 Patton tanks—attempted a counter-offensive but fell into a three-sided ambush by dug-in Iraqi T-62 and T-72 tanks backed by air support. Iran lost over 200 tanks, leading to a decisive Iraqi victory.

Operation Ramadan (July 1982):

A massive Iranian push into Iraqi territory near Basra that involved intense armor and infantry clashes across heavily fortified defenses.

Other Engagements:

Large-scale armored formations were frequently used during the opening 1980 invasion (such as around Khorramshahr and Abadan), subsequent Iranian counter-offensives, and static trench-and-artillery stalemates later in the war.

Tanks Tactics & Comparisons


Both nations entered the war with distinct hybrid doctrines influenced by their foreign suppliers, but severe maintenance, training, and logistical constraints prevented them from executing fluid, combined-arms maneuvers.
Iraq used Soviet Static/Attrition Doctrine and thus favored Soviet-style warfare, relying heavily on massive artillery bombardments and rigid, dug-in defensive positions. When they used tanks offensively, they preferred massed armor formations. However, Iraqi commanders often lacked flexibility and struggled with operational synchronization.

Iran inherited US and British tactics of Western Mobility vs. Mass Manpower. Indeed, under the Shah, Iran’s military had been trained by the United States to utilize fast, coordinated, combined-arms maneuvers. However, after the 1979 revolution, deep political purges stripped the regular army of its most experienced officers. Combined with crippling Western arms embargoes that cut off spare parts, Iran was forced to pivot. They increasingly relied on the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), using mass human-wave infantry tactics and night infiltrations to bypass Iraqi armor, rather than relying strictly on tank-on-tank engagements.

The primary tank matchup pitted Iran's Western fleet—chiefly the British Chieftain and American M60 Patton against Iraq's Soviet fleet, of T-54/55, T-62 and T-72.
For Firepower and Armor: The T-72’s composite frontal armor proved virtually impervious to the 105mm M68 guns found on Iranian M60s and early anti-tank missiles. Furthermore, Soviet 125mm smoothbore guns firing modern APFSDS rounds could easily punch through the frontal armor of Iran's flagship Chieftain tanks. Even Iran's military leadership acknowledged the disparity, famously noting they had no reliable battlefield answer for the T-72.

For Mobility and Environment the British Chieftain was heavily armored and accurate, but possessed a notoriously underpowered and unreliable engine. In the marshy, wet terrain of the Khuzestan border regions, the heavy Chieftains frequently bogged down and became easy targets. In contrast, the T-72 was significantly lighter, possessed a better power-to-weight ratio, and offered superior mechanical flexibility in rough desert and marsh conditions.

For Simplicity and Maintenance again, Soviet tanks were built for conscript armies, prioritizing ease of operation and rugged simplicity. Because both armies suffered from poor technical training, the highly complex maintenance requirements of American and British tanks left many Iranian vehicles abandoned or broken down without a shot fired.

Invasion of Kuwait (1990)

During the invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990, Iraq deployed a massive, battle-hardened armored force that heavily outnumbered Kuwait’s un-mobilised military assets. Despite the extreme disparity in numbers, certain Kuwaiti armored units put up rigid, localized resistance before being overrun or forced to retreat.

Iraqi Armor Deployment


Iraqi Type 69-II

Iraq committed roughly 100,000 troops and 2,000 tanks to the initial invasion force. The spearhead consisted of elite Republican Guard divisions equipped with its most capable armor: The assault heavily featured T-72 main battle tanks (including the locally assembled Lion of Babylon variant), supplemented by older T-62 and T-54/55 models. The armor was supported by hundreds of BMP-1 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, along with specialized armored amphibious transport and self-propelled artillery. The Hammurabi Armored Division and Medinah Armored Division led the primary overland thrust across the southern border, rapidly driving down the main highways toward Kuwait City. Simultaneously, Iraqi special forces and heliborne commandos seized key strategic junctions and airfields to prevent Kuwaiti mobilization.

Kuwaiti Armor Assets & Defense


Kuwaiti M84

Kuwait’s military was caught completely off guard. Although tensions had been rising, the Kuwaiti army had been stood down on 19 July to avoid provoking Iraq, meaning a significant portion of personnel were on leave when the attack began. Kuwait’s ground forces numbered around 16,000 men arranged into three armored, one mechanized infantry, and one under-strength artillery brigade. The core of Kuwait's armored assets consisted of British-made Chieftain main battle tanks (roughly 140–160 operational), alongside M60A1 Pattons and lighter FV101 Scorpion armored reconnaissance vehicles. They also utilized BMP-2 and M113 armored personnel carriers. In total some 280, but only less than 100 engages.

Key Engagements:

The 35th Armored Brigade: Under the command of Colonel Salem al-Masoud, the 35th Shaheed (Martyr's) Armored Brigade managed to deploy its Chieftain tanks to the junction of Highway 70 and Jahra. In what became known as the Battle of Bridges, they engaged the advancing T-72s of the Hammurabi Division. They held the line for several hours, inflicting heavy casualties and delaying the Iraqi advance before running out of ammunition and fuel.
The 6th Armored Brigade: This unit attempted a defensive stand near Mutla Ridge but was swiftly outflanked and cut off by the sheer volume of the Iraqi column.

Post-Invasion Fate of Assets


Retreat to Saudi Arabia: Following the collapse of the defense, remaining elements of the 35th Armored Brigade and 6th Armored Brigade managed to break away and retreat across the border into Saudi Arabia. Approximately 4,000–5,000 troops and several dozen Chieftain tanks escaped intact. These units were later reconstituted and fought to liberate their country during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

The vast majority of Kuwait's domestic armor assets—including hundreds of intact or damaged Chieftain tanks, armored cars, and heavy artillery pieces left in motor pools—were captured by Iraqi forces and either repurposed, cannibalized for parts, or hauled back to Iraq as war booty.

The Gulf War (1991)

The Iraqi Army by January 1991

At the start of the Gulf War in January 1991, the Iraqi Armed Forces boasted one of the largest standing militaries in the world. On paper, Iraq’s ground forces were formidable, heavily armed with Soviet, Chinese, and European equipment seasoned by eight years of conflict in the Iran-Iraq War. However, there was a stark contrast between Iraq's nominal global metrics and the operational capability of its forces deployed within the Kuwait Theater of Operations (KTO).

Total Deployed Ground Strength (KTO)



While Iraq’s total global military strength approached nearly one million active personnel, intelligence estimates place the actual ground force deployed in the KTO (southern Iraq and occupied Kuwait) at between 200,000 and 336,000 troops across 41 to 43 divisions.
Elite Spearhead: 8 divisions of the Republican Guard (including the Hammurabi, Medinah, and Tawakalna divisions), which held the best equipment, training, and logistical priority.
Regular Army Heavy Forces: Under-strength regular armored and mechanized infantry divisions.
Frontline Infanty: Primarily low-quality, poorly motivated conscript infantry divisions deployed in static defensive lines along the Saudi border.

Armoured Vehicles & Assets

Iraq’s total armor pool was massive, though only a subset was placed in the theater of combat.
Main Battle Tanks (MBTs): Iraq possessed roughly 5,300 tanks nationally, with approx. 3,700 tanks deployed in the KTO.
First-Line Armor: Roughly 500 to 1,000 Soviet-built T-72 variants (including the domestically-assembled Lion of Babylon). These were exclusively reserved for elite Republican Guard units.
Second-Line/Reserve Armor: Thousands of Soviet T-62 and T-54/55 models, alongside massive quantities of Chinese Type 59 and Type 69 tanks.
Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) & Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs): Deployed over 2,500 to 3,000 armored vehicles into the combat zone.
Featured highly mobile Soviet BMP-1 and BMP-2 tracked combat vehicles, complemented by wheeled BTR-50/60/152 variants, French Panhard armored cars, and captured Kuwaiti assets.

Artillery and Air Defense Assets

The Iraqi military heavily favored massive artillery operations, adhering strictly to Soviet doctrine emphasizing sheer volume of fire.
Towed & Self-Propelled Artillery: Roughly 3,000 operational artillery pieces were in the KTO, ranging from older Soviet 122mm and 130mm field guns to highly capable Austrian GHN-45 and South African G5 155mm extended-range howitzers.
Multiple Rocket Launchers (MRLs): Hundreds of Soviet BM-21 Grad systems and Iraqi-modified rocket platforms.
Tactical Air Defense: The ground units were integrated into a dense, multi-layered air defense grid. This included thousands of anti-aircraft guns (such as the radar-guided ZSU-23-4 Shilka) and mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems like the Soviet SA-6 Gainful, SA-8 Gecko, and French-German Roland systems.

Major Tank Engagements


Pain of the 73 Easting Battle by David Pentland

The 100-hour ground offensive of the Gulf War (Operation Desert Saber) in late February 1991 produced the largest tank battles since World War II. Leveraging advanced thermal imaging, greater range, and superior training, the US-led Coalition decimated the Iraqi armored reserves—including Saddam Hussein’s elite Republican Guard.

Battle of 73 Easting (26 February 1991)

Often described as "the last great tank battle of the 20th century," this engagement occurred in a featureless desert grid line in southeastern Iraq.
The lead reconnaissance unit of the US VII Corps, Eagle Troop of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (2nd ACR), unexpectedly stumbled upon a heavily fortified defensive line held by the Republican Guard’s Tawakalna Division. Despite being outnumbered, Eagle Troop's M1A1 Abrams tanks and M3 Bradleys immediately charged. Using advanced thermal sights to see through an active sandstorm, the US forces engaged and destroyed Iraqi T-72 and T-55 tanks from ranges where the Iraqis could not even see them. A decisive Coalition victory. The Tawakalna Division lost over 160 tanks and 180 personnel carriers, while the US lost only a single Bradley fighting vehicle.

Battle of Norfolk (26–27 February 1991)

Fought concurrently with 73 Easting, this was the largest tank battle of the war, involving the US 1st Infantry Division, the 3rd Armored Division, and the British 1st Armoured Division. The Coalition forces advanced to encircle the retreating Iraqi elements and hit a heavily dug-in mechanized line composed of several regular Iraqi army divisions and Republican Guard remnants. This massive night engagement featured ferocious, short-range tank duels and intense artillery saturation. British Challenger 1 tanks performed exceptionally well alongside American M1A1s, destroying hundreds of Iraqi Type 69 and T-72 tanks. The battle broke the western flank of the Iraqi defense lines. It resulted in the destruction of roughly 750 Iraqi tanks and armored vehicles, forcing a total collapse of Iraqi positions in the sector.

Battle of Medina Ridge (27 February 1991)

Taking place southwest of Basra, this rapid, two-hour clash was a textbook example of a counter-defensive engagement. The US 1st Armored Division advanced on a 7-mile-long ridge line where the Republican Guard’s Medina Armored Division had established hidden, reverse-slope defensive positions. As American armor crested the ridge, they deployed maximum firepower. With heavy integration of air support from AH-64 Apache helicopters and A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, the Coalition forces methodically picked apart the static Iraqi positions. The Medina Division was completely shattered. Iraqi forces lost 186 tanks and 127 infantry fighting vehicles, compared to the loss of just 4 American Abrams tanks.

Battle of Khafji (29 January – 1 February 1991)

Though smaller in scale than the massive desert maneuvers of late February, this battle was historically significant as the first major ground engagement of the war. Seeking to draw the Coalition into a costly ground war, Saddam Hussein ordered the Iraqi 3rd Armored and 5th Mechanized Divisions to launch a surprise cross-border raid into Saudi Arabia, capturing the town of Khafji. The town was quickly isolated. A counter-offensive spearheaded by Saudi National Guard armored battalions and Qatari tank companies (utilizing French AMX-30 tanks), heavily supported by US Marine artillery and close air support, fought house-to-house to reclaim the town. The Iraqi columns were heavily battered and forced to withdraw back into Kuwait, suffering hundreds of casualties and losing dozens of armored units to airstrikes.

T-72


Here a T-72M. T-72Ms (the basic export version) formed the bulk of the Iraqi Army first line divisions in 1991. The first was acquired in the 1980s and about 60 were lost in the Iran-Iraq war, which gave the impetus for modifying and "improving" existing stocks (see below). Iraqi T-72s confronted Chieftains and M48/M60A1s with good results against Chieftains. They performed quite well also in the battle for Basra, their frontal armour proving immune to TOW and RPGs, or standard 105 mm shells of Iranian M60s.

Asad Babil


The Asad Babil was assembled in Iraq from part of T-72M (the export version) but was apparently downgraded in the process. Despite the official propaganda, the "Lion of Babylon" did perform poorly. Production numbers are evasive and it was apparently linked to the Saddam, built earlier.

T-55 "Enigma"


This modified version of the T-55 was proper to the Iraqi Army in many ways. "Enigma" was coined by the coalition forces were encountering some. These were command tanks, heavily modified with many add-on armour plates inspired by the T-55AM, protecting the turret front, turret sides (spaced armour) and turret rear shaped into armoured boxes. The turret rear plates acted as a counterweight as it added 4.5 tons more in weight to the turret. It also had improved NBC, FCS and vision devices.

Al-Fao


Bull's monster self propelled gun: The Al Fao or Al Faw depending of arabic transliteration, is a large 210 mm self-propelled gun, 6x6, first displayed in Baghdad in 1989. Still foggy, it was clearly identified by experts as a South African G6 variant. It was one of the two vehicles developed by Canadian inventor gerald Bull, as well as the Al Majnoon, and the "supergun", far more mediatic. Another rare prototype, this one truly Iraqi.

T55/130


The T55 was part of these Iraqi unique oddballs: “T-55/130” was its unofficial name. This very mysterious SPG was photographed in Diyala, Iraq, 2007, composed of a 130mm Type 59-1 field gun mounted on a T-55 chassis. It seems this one-off was built by the MEK (Mojahedin-e-Khalq / People’s Mujahiden of Iran) using a donated hull from the Iraqi army as a highly mobile, off-road-capable SPG. So not really Iraqi More.

T-55


Here an Iraqi T-55 in the time of the 1991 war. The Iraqi army obtained 725 from several sources starting in 1973, many were still in service in service in 1991. The Republican Guards were given T-55MVs (last batch of 150). Other were locally modified as the QM (extra appliqué armour) and QM2 (125 mm smoothbore gun). Before that, Iraqi purchased 250 T-54s in 1958, and 50 more in 1965, but most were lost during the Yom Kippur war.

T-62

Iraqi T-62, 1st gulf war. 700 were delivered by the Soviet Union between 1974 and 1979, nearly 200 were lost in the Iran-Iraq war. Apparently, about 1,500 were in active service on the eve of the invasion of Kuwait. In some sources there is an obscure "T62 carrier" but it could not be found. Iraqi T-62s were "stock" with a few modifications like the Iraqi "T-62 Model 1972" fitted with Kontakt-1 ERA post-1991 as field modification. The kit was Placed in a custom layout that differed from standard Soviet T-62MV parameters. The variant substituted standard rubber side skirts with solid steel plates but lacked a laser rangefinder or advanced fire control systems.

Type 69

Chinese-built export tanks acquired in the 1980s. Here a QM2 (above) supposedly armed with a 125 mm smoothbore cannon, new FCS, and below a conventional Type 69-II QM. The latter had a local appliqué armour, and some were equipped with a 60 mm mortar. There was also a Type 69 QM-Enigma command variant. Apparently, some 1,500 Type 59/69s of all types were in service in 1991.

Type 59


These "cheap T-54s" as they were considered in NATO circles were also purchased by the hundreds to beef-up the Iraqi armoured forces during and after the Iran-Iraq war. Here a Type-59-II. Together with the T-69 around 1,500 Chinese MBTs were in service in 1991.

T-54 BTS Saddam

No photo yet. This vehicle was developed from the Soviet BTS, a conversion into a recovery vehicle of the old T-54 chassis. The BTS-Saddam ARV is equipped with a small fixed turret (left of the driver) fitted with heavy HMG, large winch in the fighting compartment, and rear hydraulic spade.

Other Vehicles

BMP-1 and BMP-1 Saddam

This IFV (here from the new Iraqi Army) was available by the thousands in 1990.
The BMP-1 Saddam (specifically designated as Saddam I and Saddam II) refers to localized armor and capability upgrades developed by Iraq for the Soviet-designed BMP-1 Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

Saddam I:

First shown at a Baghdad military exhibition in 1989.
Added extra appliqué armor to improve protection.
Status: Never entered mass production because the heavy armor overloaded the chassis and a suitable, stronger replacement engine was unavailable.

Saddam II:

Features rubber sideskirts.
Includes additional armor plates on the upper hull sides.
Fitted with an ATU box on the left side of the rear.
Status: Entered production and was deployed primarily by the Iraqi Republican Guard, seeing action during the Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) in 1991.

BMP-2


Now preserved at Aberdeen.

200 were ordered by Iraq in 1986 from USSR delivered 1987-1989 (some possibly from Czechoslovakia). About 900 as of 2002, all destroyed or scrapped except one that was transported back to the USA after the First Gulf War. It is now on display at the Virginia War Museum. It was in a running condition when it arrived.

BTR-50


Iraqi BTR-50PK

Iraq ordered 250 BTR-50 from USSR vehicles in 1968, delivered until 1973. Developed the BTR-50P/PK SPAAGs. All now scrapped.

BTR-60


GAZ performed a single production run of 100 PBs for Iraq in the late 1980s. Iraq ordered 250 PBs in 1970, 3500 standard BTR-60s at peak prior to the Iran-Iraq war. In 1990, still around 1,500 but less in 2002.

BTR-152


Modified Iraqi BTR-152 K Iran-Iraq war 1980-89 with a 12.7 mm DShK 1938/46.

About 200-300 second-hand BTR-152 armoured personel carriers were delivered to Iraq in 1964-69 at a reported cost of US$39,000. They were worn out and scrapped after the 1980-88 war.

Panhard AML


Iraqi AML-90, captured.

Iraq acquired some 170 delivered in 1967-1976, both of the AML-60 and 90 types for its reconnaissance batallions. They survived the Iran-Iraq war but not the Gulf war.

EE-9 Cascavel


Iraqi Cascavel III in 1991

Iraq was famously the third best customer for the type (after Libya), ordering 400. It had a Belgian 90 mm (3.54 in) Cockerill gun and larger turret for the Mark III. However suffered an estimated 200 million dollars loss in Iraq. Many were destroyed during the Iran-Iraq war, in Operation Desert Storm, and later during the Iraqi war in 2003, but surviving vehicles are still in service with the new Iraqi Army. Their armor could not cope with AP rounds fired by the standard-issue 25 mm (0.98 in) autocannons of the Bradley and LAV-25.

EE-11 Urutu


Urutu in basic APC configuration

Iraq obtained 200 Urutu purchased from Engesa at the same time as the Cascavel. This fast wheeled APC was based on the latter's chassis and the commonality for training and logistics was a selling point.

2S1 Gvozdika


Apart the superlative Al Fao, the main tracked artillery system of the Iraqi Army was the 2S1 Gvodzika which was acquired in the 1970s by Iraq, and deployed in the Iran–Iraq War, Gulf War, and 2002-2014 Iraq War. The numbers deployed is unnown.

MAZ-543/SCUD-B


The MAZ-543 was the primary Soviet mover for the SCUD-B ballistic missile. Iraq designed from the basic SCUD-B the Al Hussein, Al Abbas and Al Hijarah. It was deployed both in the Iran–Iraq War and Gulf War. There were 11 modified MAZ-543 to fit the longer Al Husayn missiles in the 224 Brigade, established since 1976 to deal with the R-17.

BRDM-2


Preserved captured Iraqi BRDM-2 at Aberdeen

Iraq acquired the BRDM-2 and it was fitted with a ZPU-2 twin 14.5 mm KPV.

ZSU-23-4 "Shilka"


Iraq obtained around 200 of such Soviet SPAAGs, they found action in the Iran–Iraq War by both sides and many were still operation in the 1991 Gulf war, and the remainder were mostly destroyed at the occasion of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

BM-21 Grad

This unarmoured vehicle was the 4th MLRS system deployed by Iraq, purchased at the occasion of the 1980s war with Iran, still around in 1991 and 2003 with an estimated park today of less than 20 vehicles.

MT-LB


Iraq acquired some 400 MT-LBs. Some also converted as SPAAGs, with a ZU-23-2 23 mm twin mount on the rear. A familiar sight during the war against Al-Qaida, many were also captured and reused by the latter. There was a ground support variant with a ZU-23-2 mounted on a platform extending beyond the hull, while the gun servants were protected by a roof. These too saw heavy actions against ISIS.

BTS-Saddam

The BTS-Saddam was an Iraqi-produced Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV) Built on a Soviet T-54/T-55 chassis with the main turret remove, but with a fixed turret mounted on the left side of the driver's position, fitted with an anti-aircraft heavy machine gun. It Features a large internal winch housed in the fighting compartment (covered by a metal sheet framework) and an earth anchor mounted on the rear of the hull for towing, repairing, and recovering disabled or damaged armored vehicles. It seems to be on the level of the BTS-2 with a few local differences.

Al Raad 200/300

These were MRLs, the Al-Raad-200 used massive 200 mm unguided rockets. This system was designed to provide heavy area-saturation fire, drastically outranging and out-striking standard Soviet-supplied 122 mm Grad launchers. The Al-Raad-300 was a further development built to fire even larger 300 mm caliber rockets. This project sought to replicate the massive tactical footprint of heavy Soviet systems like the BM-30 Smerch, delivering massive payloads at distances pushing up to and beyond 70 kilometres. They were frequently integrated onto heavily modified, French-supplied Saurer truck chassis or heavy Romanian commercial trucks, which were armored locally to protect the crew cabin. Like the Sajil and Ababil-50, they were destroyed, dismantled, or hidden during the 1991 Gulf War. No photo found so far.

Sajeel 60


The Sajeel 60 is the local denomination of the Avribras Astros. Initially sixty-six (10 batteries) vehicles were purchased in 1980s. But it's unclear what was the local Sajil-60 variant. 40 survived the 2003 invasion, 20 remains today.

Ababeel 100 (Al Fat'h)


Ababil 100 FAP 2832 reload vehicle.
Iraq purchased four Orkan M87 with four reload vehicles. In 2000-2001, the reload vehicles were transformed into launchers using SM-90 mounts from surplus S-75 Dvina SAM with six tubes instead of 12, but no longer operational. The vehicles were also modified to fire the solid-propellant ballistic missile Al Fat'h, 6.7 m x 0.5 m or 1.4 m span with fins. The launcher was the same SM-90 used for the S-75 Dvina.

As for the earlier Ababil-50 it's precursor, it was developed in 1980 with Yugoslavia agreed to develop and produce a small battlefield artillery rocket. The system was called Orkan M-87 in Yugoslavia. The Ababil-100 system was later renamed Al-Fat'h.

ww2-era tanks

T-34/85


Still kept in reserve were thousands of ww2-era tanks acquired in the 1960s, among these T-34/85M like this one, still active in the 1980s and the Iran-Iraq war as well as ISU-152s. Others included second-hand or even third-hand M4 and M4/105 Shermans, possibly former captured M51 Shermans (ex-Israeli), M36 tanks destroyers, but also a few captured ex-Iranian Chieftains, M47, M48, and M60 Pattons, FV101 Scorpions.

Links

The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movement in Iraq by Hanna Batatu
Saddam's War: An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War (McNair Paper No. 70, NDU Press)
"The puzzle of personalist performance: Iraqi battlefield effectiveness in the Iran-Iraq war" by Caitlin Talmadge (Security Studies)
Iraqi Army Will to Fight: A Will-to-Fight Case Study (RAND Corporation)
"A State with Four Armies: How to Deal with the Case of Iraq" (War on the Rocks)
Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas E. Ricks
The Occupation of Iraq by Ali A. Allawi
monthlyreview.org
Chapter 4: The Iraqi Army and Iraqi Special Operations Forces
Saddams War Kevin M. Woods, Williamson Murray, Thomas Holaday, Mounir Elkhamri
brookings.edu
Iraq's Armed Forces: An Analytical History, Sammy Salama, Ibrahim Al-Marash
rand.org
The Iraqi Army
Iraqi ww2, cold war AFVs
Modern AFVs of the Iraqi Army Ababil 100
Ababil 50/100 on missilethreat.com

Modern Tanks

Modern MBTs posters


Denel Bagder (2018)

Type 16 MCV (2016)


Gepard 1A2 last rounds 2011


SANDF

Russian AFVs


Main Battle Tanks