DIO Zulfiqar Main Battle Tank (1999)
Development of the indigenous Iranian Zulfiqar Main Battle Tank has been lengthy but promising.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has long depended on the purchases of foreign equipment to outfit her army. Until recently, these had come in the form of both American and Soviet-inspired weaponry but have lately given way to indigenously designed systems. Primarily, the Iranian military has utilized its decades of experience in certain weapons and simply applied the knowledge to modernized and suit equipment to meet Iranian military requirements and tactics. Such key recent developments have included the HESA Saeqeh multi-role fighter (based on the American Northrop F-5 Tiger) and the PANHA 2091 Toufan (based on the Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter). The Zulfiqar tank itself is thought to have originated from the American M60 Patton and Soviet T-72 main battle tanks.
The Zulfiqar clearly shows off its running tracks and suspension from previous America designs though, overall, sports a cleaner, low profile turret assembly and Soviet-style main gun. There are six road wheels to a track side with the drive sprocket fitted to the rear of the hull and the track idler at the front. Five track return rollers are identified in the design though these can be covered over in side "skirt" armor for direct protection. Armor protection, as a whole, is thought to be composite in nature while the use of Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) is not out of the tank's scope. The Zulfiqar relies on a conventional torsion bar suspension system allowing for competent cross-country travel.
The Zulfiqar is of low profile in design and conventional in its layout. An autoloading system - said to be based on that of the Soviet T-72 series -allows the crew to consist of just three personnel (as opposed to the Western standard of four) with the driver situated at the front center hull and the commander and gunner in the traversing turret. While autoloaders help to reduce crew responsibilities, they are technologically complex systems and generally supply a slower rate-of-fire when compared to traditional manual-loading systems featured in such tanks as the M1 Abrams. The engine is contained in a rear-set compartment to protect the vital system from enemy fire. The turret features angular armor for basic ballistics protection and sports the 125mm smoothbore main gun (a fume extractor is clearly noted along the barrel's midway point). A coaxial 7.62mm machine gun is operated by the gunner alongside the main gun and useful for when the 125mm armament is deemed "overkill". The commander can access an externally-mounted 12.7mm Soviet-style anti-aircraft heavy machine gun while a second, and possibly third, 7.62mm machine gun is mounted along the turret roof. Smoke grenade dischargers are present along the turret sides (or perhaps front panels), straddling either side of the main gun's base.
Power is supplied by an unknown mark of 12-cylinder diesel engine developing 780 horsepower. This allows the tank a purported top speed of 43 miles per hour with an operational range of approximately 280 miles. In keeping with Soviet tank practices, it is not entirely unfounded that external fuel tanks may be affixed to the rear hull of the tank for increased operational ranges (as commonly seen on Soviet/Russian T-72s). The engine is mated to a SPAT 1200 series automatic transmission system featuring six total running gears.
The gunner is afforded a digital fire control system of Slovenian design. The system is adept enough to allow for on-the-move firing as commonly associated with other modern combat tanks, putting her on par with her contemporaries worldwide. NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) protection and nightvision is assumed as standard for the crew. A laser rangefinder is believed to have been a recent addition to the tank design.
The Zulfiqar has since seen three distinct marks to her lineage known simply as "Zulfiqar "1, "Zulfiqar 2" and "Zulfiqar 3". The Zulfiqar 1 was the initial developmental model appearing in 1994 that brought about the birth of the Zulfiqar family line. At least six prototypes of the type were constructed and extensively evaluated into the late 1990s. The Zulfiqar 2 model was a developmental variant fitting a new engine into a lengthened hull. The Zulfiqar 3 model has evolved into the definitive Zulfiqar to date, fitted with an all-new autoloading system and fire control suite to improve her battlefield lethality. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
MilitaryFactory.com does NOT sell equipment/weaponry. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information. Our disclaimer. Email corrections / Comments to MilitaryFactory at Gmail dot com.
Specifications for the
DIO Zulfiqar
Main Battle Tank
Country of Origin: Iran
Manufacturer: Defence Industries Organization - Iran
Initial Year of Service: 1999
Production: 100
Focus Model: DIO Zulfiqar
Crew: 3
Overall Length: 22.97ft (7.00m)
Width: 11.81ft (3.60m)
Height: 8.20ft (2.50m)
Weight: 41.7 US Short Tons (37,800kg; 83,335lbs)
Powerplant: 1 x 12-cylinder diesel engine developing 780 horsepower.
Maximum Speed: 43mph (70 km/h)
Maximum Range: 280 miles (450 km)
NBC Protection: Yes
Nightvision: Yes
Armament:
1 x 125mm smoothbore main gun
1 x 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun
1 x 7.62mm coaxial machine gun
1 x 7.62mm machine gun
Ammunition:
Unknown
Variants:
Zulfiqar 1 - Base Series Designation; 125mm main gun of Soviet T-72 main battle tank.
Zulfiqar 2 - Prototype Model; updated engine; upgraded autoloader.
Zulfiqar 3 - Definitive Zulfiqar; upgraded main gun, fire control system and engine; revised fire control system; integrated autoloader; laser rangefinder.
Operators: Iran
By Decade:
• 1910 to 1919
• 1920 to 1929
• 1930 to 1939
• 1940 to 1949
• 1950 to 1959
• 1960 to 1969
• 1970 to 1979
• 1980 to 1989
• 1990 to 1999
• 2000 to 2009
• 2010 to 2019
• VIEW ALL
• Compare Tanks
By Type:
• 4x4 Military Vehicles
• 6x6 Military Vehicles
• 8x8 Military Vehicles
• Artillery Gun Systems
• Anti-Aircraft (AA) Guns
• Anti-Aircraft (AA) Vehicles
• Anti-Tank (AT) Guns
• Anti-Tank (AT) Vehicles
• Armored Cars
• Armored Personnel Carriers (APC)
• Battlefield Robots
• Halftrack Vehicles
• Heavy Tanks
• Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV)
• Light Tanks
• Main Battle Tanks (MBT)
• Modern Combat Tanks
• Medium Tanks
• Military Motorcycles
• Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS)
• Reconnaissance Vehicles
• Special Purpose Vehicles
• Self-Propelled Guns (SPG)
• Tank Destroyers
• General Purpose / Utility Vehicles
By Nation:
• Afghanistan
• Britain
• China
• France
• Germany
• Iran
• Iraq
• Israel / Israeli Army
• Italy
• Libyan Army
• North Korea / North Korean Army
• Pakistan
• Russia
• South Korea
• Soviet Union
• Syrian Army
• United States
• VIEW ALL
World War 2:
• Artillery
• Infantry Fighting Vehicles
• Tank Destroyers (All)
• Tanks (All)
• Australian Tanks
• British Tanks
• Canadian Tanks
• Cruiser Tanks (UK)
• Czechoslovakian Tanks
• French Tanks
• German Tanks
• German Tank Destroyers
• German FlaK Guns
• German Reconnaissance Vehicles
• Hungarian Tanks
• Italian Tanks
• Japanese Tanks
• Romanian Tanks
• Soviet Tanks
• Swedish Tanks
• US Tanks
• VIEW ALL
World War 1:
• France WW1 Tanks
• Germany WW1 Tanks
• Britain WW1 Tanks
• US WW1 Tanks
• WW1 Artillery
• WW1 Tanks (all)
• VIEW ALL
Spanish Civil War:
• VIEW ALL
Korean War:
Vietnam War:
• VIEW ALL
Cold War:
• Cold War Tanks
• Cold War American Tanks
• Falklands War
• Post-WW2 British Tanks
• VIEW ALL
Gulf War (1991):
• VIEW ALL
Miscellaneous:
©2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • Content ©2003-2013 MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Site Contact Email: militaryfactory at gmail dot com. The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® trademarks and protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws.
Top MF Stuff: 2013 Military Pay Scale | Military Ranks | WW2 Weapons | Sniper Rifles | Kts to Mph | WW1 Aircraft | Automatic Rifles | Aircraft Cockpits | Vietnam War Weapons | Main Battle Tanks | Submachine Guns | Shotguns | French Military Victories
Most photographic images appearing on this site are courtesy of the United States Department of Defense and are approved for public use. Other images acquired through the public domain. Digital art work courtesy of Dan Alex. Business Consulting by Kyle Williams. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information.
