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Khalid (Sword)

1981 COLD WAR MAIN BATTLE TANK MODERN

History of Khalid (sword)

The Khalid MBT was born out of the aborted "Shir 1" program adopted by the United Kingdom to meet the demands of the Iranian army. The Shir 1 was an intermediate design before the all-new MBT "Shir 2" combat system (which later became the Challenger 1 MBT).

Development began in 1974 and was based on the then British Army's standard main battle tank, the Chieftain MBT. The Iranians are already the sheikh's largest foreign operator, stocking more than 700 species. Three prototypes of the Shir 1 were completed in 1977 before production began at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

At least 125 Shir 1 models were ordered, and 1,225 Shir 2 tanks were designated for Iranian government procurement. However, the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran effectively ended the Shir 1/Shir 2 efforts.

However, when the Royal Jordanian Army (due to last-minute negotiations initiated by the British authorities) ordered a new main battle tank based on Shir 1 quality and designated locally as from "Khalid" ("Sword"). The order was placed in 1979 and deliveries were scheduled to begin in 1981.

Khalid MBT was equipped with Perkins Engines Condor V12 diesel engine and required some internal changes to meet the needs of the Jordanian army. Aside from these changes, Khalid stayed more or less faithful to the original Chieftain design, save for the addition of an engine bay to accommodate the new powerplant, and an updated fire control system that more closely resembles that of the Challenger 1. Khalid is essentially a cross between Chief and Challenger 1.

Externally, the Jordanian breed is almost indistinguishable from the English breed. The running gear consists of six twin-tire wheels on one side of the track, with the sprocket at the front and the drive sprocket at the rear. Like the basic Chieftain, the hull sides and upper track sections were protected by thin armor skirts. The engine is traditionally housed in the rear built-in compartment.

The turret is located in the center of the top of the fuselage and can be rotated 360 degrees. There is a standard four-person combat crew, including driver, commander, gunner and loader.

The driver reserves a spot under the hatch in the front center of the hull with sight blocks for external viewing. The headlights are installed at the very end of the front of the fuselage for low-light driving. Glacis plates are designed to be almost horizontal to promote low profile and provide basic ballistic protection.

The front of the turret is well sloped as in the original Chieftain, with a pronounced turret overhang (yoke) at the rear. A commander's cupola is clearly visible on the right side of the top of the turret.

Like the Sheikh, Khalid's primary armament is a powerful and accurate 120mm L11A5 rifled main gun, mounted with a coaxial 7.62mm L8A2 machine gun for anti-infantry purposes. A second 7.62mm L37A2 machine gun can be mounted on the commander's cupola for defense against low-flying aircraft and oncoming infantry. There are a total of 12 electric smoke grenade launchers, arranged in two groups of six along the front sides of the turret, which can be used to cover the movement of the tank from enemy gunners. Laser rangefinders and weapon stabilizers help provide accurate fire from a distance, as well as fire on the move.

The main gun is stabilized along two axes.

As mentioned, the Khalid is powered by a Perkins Engines Condor V12 liquid-cooled 12-cylinder diesel engine with 1,200 horsepower and an automatic transmission. The vehicle is suspended on a bogie suspension system, which is an improved form of the original Chieftain.

Overall, this gives the vehicle characteristics suitable for modern tank warfare, with a top speed of 56 km/h and a range of 400 km.

It is worth noting that Jordan also received several Iraqi Sheikh tanks (up to 90) captured from Iran during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. The Royal Jordanian Army also became the recipient of the former British Army Challenger 1 tanks, which they called "Al Hussein".