Zulfiqar | |
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![]() Zulfiqar 3 in 2022. | |
Type | Main battle tank |
Place of origin | Iran |
Service history | |
Used by | Islamic Republic of Iran |
Production history | |
Designer | Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization of Islamic Republic of Iran Ground Force |
Designed | 1993 – Zulfiqar-1 2012 – Zulfiqar-3 |
Manufacturer | Shahid Kolah Dooz Industrial Complex |
Produced | 1996–present |
No. built | ~400 Zulfiqar-1 in 2022[1] 750 Zulfiqar-3 |
Variants | Zulfiqar 1, Zulfiqar 2, Zulfiqar 3 |
Specifications (Zulfiqar 3) | |
Mass | 52 tonnes |
Length | 9.20 m (30 ft 2 in) |
Width | 3.6 m (11 ft 10 in) |
Height | 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) |
Crew | 3 |
Armor | composite armour |
Main armament | 2A46 125 mm gun |
Secondary armament | 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine guns |
Engine | 12-cyl. diesel Zulfiqar 1: 780 hp (630 kW) Zulfiqar 3: AVDS-1790 1000 hp[2] |
Power/weight | 21.7 hp/ton (Zulfiqar 1),17.85 hp/ton (zulfiqar 3) |
Transmission | 6-gear SPAT 1200 automatic transmission |
Suspension | torsion-bar |
Operational range | 450 km (280 mi) |
Maximum speed | 70 km/h (43 mph) |
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 first imam.[3] It's also known as Zolfaqar.[4]
The test prototypes of the tank were evaluated in 1993. Six semi-industrial prototypes of the tank were produced and tested in 1997.[5]