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Zulfiqar 1

Zulfiqar or Zolfaqar 1 main battle tank

Description

Technical Data

Specifications

Details view

Pictures - Video

Description

The Zulfiqar or Zolfaqar is an Iranian-made main battle tank which was developed in early 1994 and produce since 1995. 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. This tank is based on the technology of the Russian main battle tank T-72. No specific information indicates the number of vehicles that was built by Iran.

Variants

- Zulfiqar 2: upgraded version of Zulfiqar 1 with new powerful engine, new armour protection for the hull an turret
- Zulfiqar 3: modernized variant of Zulfiqar 1 with new fire control systems, engine and main gun with autoloader. This tank is also fitted with new armour for the turret and the upper part of the suspension is covered by an armoured skirt.

Technical Data

Armament

The main armament of the Zulfiqar comprises a 125 mm smoothbore cannon which is fitted with a fume extractor. A 12.7mm machine gun is mounted on the tank commander cupola. A bank of four smoke grenade discharger is mounted on each side front of the turret. The Zulfiqar can fire a wide range of ammunitions as HEP-T (High-Explosive Plastic Tracer), APFSDS-T (Armor Piercing, Fin Stabilized, Discarding Sabot - Tracer), HEAT-T (High-Explosive Anti-Tank - Tracer), APDS-T (Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot-Tracer ), APDS and HESH (High-Explosive Squash Head).

A bank of four smoke grenade discharger are mounted on each side front of the turret.

Design and protection

The layout of the Zulfiqar is conventional with the driver at the front, the turret in the middle and powerpack at the rear. The driver has a single-piece hatch cover that opens to the right and three day periscopes for driving when closed up. The gunner and commander sit to the right side with the gunner in front of and below the commander while the loader sits on the left of the turret. The hull and the turret is made in all welded steel armour. The front of the hull is fitted with composite armour. One stowage basket is mounted at the rear of the turret.

Propulsion

The Zulfiqar 1 is powered by a V12 780 hp Diesel engine with two exhaust outlets in the rear of the hull. The torsion bar suspension consists on each side of six dual rubber-tyred roadwheels, idler at the front and drive sprocket at the rear and five tracks return rollers. The engine is coupled to an automatic transmission with six gears. The Zulfiqar 1 can run at a maximum road speed of 65 km/h with a maximum road range of 450 km.

The torsion bar suspension consists on each side of six dual rubber-tyred roadwheels, idler at the front and drive sprocket at the rear and five track return rollers.

Accessories

Meteo mast is mounted on the front left of the roof turret. Standard equipment of the Zulfiqar 1 includes a Slovenian computerized fire control system, a laser range finder, night sight and NBC protection system. Near the commander position, there is an radio set, model AN/VRC-89/91/92.