![]() The running gear consisted of six double-tired road wheels to a track side with the track idler at front and the drive sprocket at the rear. Outwardly, there was very little to distinguish the Jordanian breed form the British model outright. In fact, the Khalid was essentially a hybrid of the Chieftain and Challenger 1.© Beyond these changes, the Khalid remained more or less faithful to the original Chieftain design save for a raised engine compartment required of the new powerplant installation as well as an updated fire control system more akin to that as used on the Challenger 1. The Khalid MBT was finished with a Perkins Engines Condor V12 diesel engine as well as several requested internal changes to suit Jordanian Army needs. ![]() Orders were placed in 1979 with deliveries agreed to begin in 1981. However, the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Iran effectively killed the Shir 1/Shir 2 endeavors.Īll was not lost however as the Royal Jordanian Army (thank to last-minute negotiations put forth by British authorities) ordered a new main battle tank based on the qualities of the Shir 1 and these came to be known under the local designation of "Khalid" ("Sword"). At least 125 Shir 1 models were on order and 1,225 Shir 2 tanks were slated for procurement by the government of Iran. Three prototypes of the Shir 1 were made ready in 1977 and production began at Royal Ordnance Factory, Leeds thereafter. The Iranians were already the largest foreign operator of the Chieftain with over 700 of the type in inventory. Development began in 1974 and was based on the Chieftain MBT, the standard main battle tank of the British Army at the time. The Shir 1 was developed as an interim design that would have preceded the all-new "Shir 2" MBT combat system (which became the Challenger 1 MBT). The Khalid Main Battle Tank was born out of the aborted "Shir 1" initiative undertaken by the British to fulfill an Iranian Army requirement.
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