Zulfiqar Type Main battle tank Place of origin  Iran Service history Used by Iran Production history Designed 1993 Produced 1996–present Number built 100 Zulfiqar 1 in 2001[1] Variants Zulfiqar 2, Zulfiqar 3 Specifications (Zulfiqar 1) Weight 36–41 tonnes Length 7 m (23 ft 0 in) Width 3.6 m (11 ft 10 in) Height 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) Crew 3–4 Armour composite armour Primary armament 125 mm smoothbore tank gun Secondary armament 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine guns Engine 12-cyl. diesel 780 hp (630 kW) Power/weight 21.7 hp/ton Suspension torsion-bar Operational range 450 km (280 mi) Speed 70 km/h (43 mph)

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External images Zulfiqar 3 Zulfiqar 3 Zulfiqar 1

Zulfiqar (or Zolfaqar) is a second generation Iranian main battle tank (MBT), conceived by Brigadier General Mir-Younes Masoumzadeh, deputy ground force commander for research and self-sufficiency of the armed forces. It is named after Zulfiqar, the legendary sword of the first shia imam Hazrat Ali.^[2] The test prototypes of the tank were evaluated in 1993. Six semi-industrial prototypes of the tank were produced and tested in 1997.^[3]

Contents 1 Design specifications 1.1 Features 1.2 Armament 2 Production 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Design specifications

[edit] Features

The Iranian Zulfiqar main battle tank is believed to be pieced together or developed from major components of the Russian T-72 and American M48 and M60 tanks. This tank, which is claimed to be in production in Iran, is said to be similar in configuration to the M-48 and M-60. Other reports suggest that it bears a close resemblance to the American M1 Abrams.

The tank has a distinctive box-shaped, steel-welded turret of local design.^[4] The suspension is modelled on the M48 /M60 Patton tanks supplied to Iran by the U.S.^[2] The SPAT 1200 transmission also seems to be a local development of that of the M-60. Zulfikar combat weight is reported to be 36 tonnes and has a 780 hp diesel engine; the tank has a 21.7 hp per ton ratio.^[4] Some sources see resemblances between the Zulfiqar design and the Brazilian prototype Osório.^[4]

The Zulfiqar is operated by a crew of three personnel. The automatic loader is believed to be the same one from the T-72 tank and produced locally in Iran.

[edit] Armament

The tank is armed with a 125 mm smoothbore gun 2A46 derived from the T-72, which is fitted with a fume extractor. Despite earlier rumors, still photographs have confirmed that the Zulfiqar-1 is not fed by an automatic loader.^{[citation needed]} Its secondary armament consists of a 7.62 mm coaxial and a 12.7 mm machine gun. For the Zulfiqar/T-72 fleet, the Ammunition Group of the Iranian Defense Industries Organization mass produces a standard high explosive 23 kilograms (51 lb) propellant charge which fires the 3 kg warhead at a muzzle velocity of 850 metres per second (2,800 ft/s).^{[citation needed]} The Zulfiqar-1 uses the Slovenian EFCS-3 fire control system, the same model used on the Type 72Z ("Safir-74"), providing 'fire-on-the-move' technology. The Zulfiqar allegedly mounts a laser-warning pod on the turret. Its design enables the tank to use an Iranian-made package of reactive armor.^[4]

[edit] Production

In April 1997 Acting Commander of the Ground Forces of the Iranian Army, Lieutenant General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani announced that the mass production of Zulfiqar tanks, which began in 1996, was still in progress. He stated that the manufacture of 520 different kinds of tank parts, 600 artillery parts, repair of 500 tanks and armored vehicles have been carried out. In late July 1997 Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani formally inaugurated a production line for the domestically manufactured Zulfiqar main battle tanks and Boragh tracked armoured personnel carrier. The facility, the Shahid Kolah Dooz Industrial Complex, will also produce the BMP-2 armored personnel carrier.^[3]

The most advanced of these, the Zulfiqar-1, is based on earlier American tanks, primarily M-48/M60 models acquired under the pre-revolution era. The Zulfiqar-3 also features considerable upgrades to the fire control system, chassis, engine and main gun, with a 125mm autoloader. The Zulfiqar-3 is believed to be available for export by 2010.^[2]

[edit] See also

• Iranian military industry
• Current Equipment of the Iranian Army
• Iran's missile forces

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Cordesman, Anthony H. & Kleiber, Martin : Iran's Military Forces and Warfighting Capabilities: The Threat in the Northern Gulf. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007. ISBN 0313346127
• Zulfiqar

[edit] External links

• Description of the different versions (French)
• ACIG.org: Photos of the Zulfiqar 3 at a 2003 parade in Tehran
• IranDefence.net: New Zulfiqar 3 Photos

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