Boragh or Boraq ( fa, نفربر براق) is an

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

ian-made

armoured personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

. Boragh is believed to be a

reverse engineered Reverse engineering (also known as backwards engineering or back engineering) is a process or method through which one attempts to understand through deductive reasoning how a previously made device, process, system, or piece of software accompli ...

and upgraded model of the Chinese Type 86 (BMP-1). The upgrades include a reduction in weight, a higher road speed, and stronger armor. The vehicle is fully

amphibious Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

and is fitted with an

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

protection system and

infra-red Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...

night vision equipment. It was reported in May 2002 that three additional variants are produced by the Vehicle and Equipment Group (VEIG) of the Iranian Defence Industries Organisation (DIO). These are a 120 mm mortar carrier, an ammunition resupply vehicle, and an

(APC) fitted with improved armaments.

Description

Boragh is a tracked APC. Rubber elements on the track are added to prevent damage on paved surfaces. It has a crew of three (driver, commander and gunner). It can transport up to 8 infantry soldiers. Boragh's main armament consists of the DShK 1938/46 12.7 mm heavy machine gun on a rotatable mount. Some vehicles have the machine gun mount protected all around by an armoured shield. The vehicle is equipped with an NBC protection system and is capable of laying down a defensive smoke screen by injecting diesel fuel into the exhaust outlet. The vehicle is named after the

Buraq The Buraq ( ar, الْبُرَاق "the lightning") is a heavenly equine or chimeral beast in Islamic tradition that notably served as the mount of the Islamic prophet Muhammad during his Isra and Mi'raj journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and up ...

, a winged steed from

Islamic mythology Islamic mythology is the body of myths associated with Islam and the Quran. Islam is a religion that is more concerned with social order and law than with religious ritual or myths. ''The Oxford Companion to World Mythology'' identifies a nu ...

Variants

Iran

* Boragh – Reverse engineered BMP-1 or Type 86 (WZ-501) converted into an APC. It is very similar to Chinese WZ-503 APC. It has V-8 turbocharged diesel engine which delivers 330 hp (246 kW). It also has road wheels from the US M113 APC. Combat weight was reduced to 13 tonnes. The other upgrades include a higher road speed and stronger armor. Number of passengers was increased from 8 to 12. The 12.7 mm DShK 1938/46 heavy machine gun (1,000 rounds) serves as a main weapon of the vehicle. ** Boragh APC with a shield around DShK 1938/46 heavy machine gun mount. ** Boragh converted into an IFV. The armament is mounted in a turret. The primary armament consists of the 2A42 30 mm autocannon stabilized in both planes with a double-belt feed. The secondary armament consists of the PKT 7.62 mm tank machine gun, mounted coaxially with the gun. The vehicle is also armed with a mount for an anti-tank guided missile system. Some were also fitted with the complete turret of the BMP-1, armed with a 73mm smoothbore gun. ** Boragh armed with 120 mm mortar. ** Boragh with 1-man turret armed with the Toophan ATGM system. **

Raad-1 Raad-1 ("Thunder-1") is an Iranian self-propelled howitzer. History In May 1996, Iran claimed to have successfully tested its first locally made self-propelled howitzer, the 122 mm Raad-1 ("Thunder-1"). It is unknown if the Raad-1 is in pro ...

(Thunder-1) – Boragh converted into a self-propelled howitzer fitted with a turret from the

2S1 Gvozdika The 2S1 ''Gvozdika'' (russian: link=no, 2С1 «Гвоздика», " Carnation") is a Soviet self-propelled howitzer based on the MT-LBu multi-purpose chassis, mounting a 122 mm 2A18 howitzer. "2S1" is its GRAU designation. An alternative ...

. ** Cobra – Concept vehicle for the Boragh armed with 23 mm anti-aircraft gun for use as a fire support vehicle. ** Boragh converted into an ammunition resupply vehicle. Boragh

Sudan

* Khatim 1 – Sudanese designation for Boragh.

Operators

* – Around 40 in service as of 2000 and 2002 and 140 as of 2005 and 2008. Around 1,100+ in service as of 2022 * – 10 ordered in 2001 from Iran and delivered in 2003. Some domestically assembled.

References

{{reflist

Sources

Boragh armored infantry fighting vehicle
fas.org Armoured fighting vehicles of Iran Tracked armoured personnel carriers BMP-1 Military vehicles introduced in the 1990s