Zulfiqar (ذوالفقار) is an Iranian main battle tank, 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 Ali the fourth Caliph and the first Shiite Imam. It's also known as Zolfaqar. The test prototypes of the tank were evaluated in 1993. Six semi-industrial prototypes of the tank were produced and tested in 1997.

Design specifications

Features

The tank has a distinctive box-shaped, steel-welded turret of local design. The Zulfiqar is believed to be developed from major components of the Soviet T-72 and American M48 and M60 tanks. The suspension is modelled on the M48 / M60 Patton tanks supplied to Iran by the U.S. The SPAT 1200 transmission also seems to be a local development of that of the M-60. Zulfiqar-1's combat weight has been reported to be 36 tonnes with a 780 hp diesel engine; giving the tank a 21.7 hp per ton ratio.Cordesman & Kleiber, page 46 Some sources see resemblances between the Zulfiqar design and the Brazilian prototype Osório. 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. On 25 October 2016, Iran had successfully tested an

active protection system An active protection system is a system designed to actively prevent certain anti-tank weapons from destroying a vehicle. Countermeasures that either conceal the vehicle from, or disrupt the guidance of an incoming guided missile threat are design ...

on the Zulfiqar, based on pulse-doppler and phased-array radar systems equipped with four arms systems that can cover a full 360-degrees of sight.

Armament

The tank is armed with a 125 mm smoothbore gun 2A46 derived from that of the T-72, which is fitted with a fume extractor. 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 propellant charge which fires the 3 kg warhead at a muzzle velocity of . The Zulfiqar-1 uses the Slovenian EFCS-3 fire control system, the same model used on the

Type 72Z The Type 72Z tank (also known as the T-72Z and the Safir-74, and the Al-Zubair I in Sudan) is a highly modernized version of the Type 59 and T-54/T-55 tanks, with upgrades carried out by the Iranian Defense Industries Organization. The tank ...

("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.

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 Boragh or Boraq ( fa, نفربر براق) is an Iranian-made armoured personnel carrier. Boragh is believed to be a reverse engineered and upgraded model of the Chinese Type 86 (BMP-1). The upgrades include a reduction in weight, a higher road s ...

tracked

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 ...

. The facility, the Shahid Kolah Dooz Industrial Complex, will also produce the BMP-2 armored personnel carrier.

Variants

Zulfiqar-1

The Zulfiqar-1 is based on the M48 Patton model acquired under the pre-revolution era. The Zulfiqar-1 was first revealed in public in 1994. A total of six prototypes were completed and field tested in 1997. The Zulfiqar-1 is protected by a welded steel hull and the turret is reinforced by a composite armour. The Zulfiqar-1 is armed with a 125mm Smoothbore gun taken from a T-72. At least 150 were produced. Zulfiqar Tank - Side View

Zulfiqar-2

The Zulfiqar-2 is an interim main battle tank prototype used as a test bed. This variant is fitted with a new and more powerful engine. It has an extended chassis and possibly uses an improved autoloader.

Zulfiqar-3

The Zulfiqar-3, the most advanced variant of the Zulfiqar family, bears a close resemblance to the American

M1 Abrams The M1 Abrams is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) and named for General Creighton Abrams. Conceived for modern armored ground warfare and now one of the heaviest ta ...

. It features considerable upgrades to the fire-control system, chassis, engine and main gun. The new variant is equipped with the

2A46 The 2A46 (also called D-81TM) is a 125 mm/L48 smoothbore cannon of Soviet origin used in several main battle tanks. It was designed by OKB-9 (Artillery Plant No. 9) in Yekaterinburg. Description It was developed by the Spetstekhnika Design ...

125 mm smoothbore cannon with an autoloader, a laser rangefinder and a new fire-control system. It is also fitted with a reinforced turret and the wheels are covered by an armoured skirt. Research and development on the tank was completed in 1999 and the tank appeared in a military parade in 2011.Zulfiqar 3 Zolfaqar main battle tank technical data sheet specifications description pictures video
Around 100 built, unknown current production status. Some estimates put it as high as 250. Zolfaghar3Tank1

Operators

* - At least 400 Zulfiqar-1, and 750 Zulfiqar-3.

Notes

References

* Cordesman, Anthony H. & Kleiber, Martin (2007). ''Iran's Military Forces and Warfighting Capabilities: The Threat in the Northern Gulf.'' Greenwood Publishing Group.

External links

ACIG.org
Photos of the Zulfiqar 3 at a 2003 parade in Tehran {{Weapons of Iran Main battle tanks of Iran Post–Cold War main battle tanks Tanks with autoloaders Military vehicles introduced in the 1990s