Iran Tanks
Not to be outdone by the global powers-that-be, Iran has continually developed or purchased comparable systems behind its veil.

1 Chieftain The British Chieftain main battle tank appeared in the 1960s and quickly established itself as the most powerful tank on the market, that is, until the arrival of the West German Leopard 1 series. A replacement for the aging ... 1963

2 DIO Zulfiqar The Iranian designed and built Zulfiqar main battle tank is said to be an upgraded version of the Soviet-built T-55 main battle tank. The difference being that the Zulfiqar features an updated powerplant, a computerized fire ... 1999

3 M47 (Patton II) The M47 was another addition to the long line of main battle tanks stemming from the World War 2-era M26 Pershing "heavy tank". The Pershing, later downgraded to a medium tank, was bettered in the upcoming interim M46 Patton ... 1951

4 M48 Patton The M48 Patton appeared in 1952 and was produced in over 11,000 examples during her tenure. She went on to form the backbone of the American armored forces in Vietnam, seeing extensive action in that conflict. War was never f... 1952

5 M60 (Patton) A reliable and durable warhorse of the US forces over the decades, the M60 Patton Series Tank has seen over 20 years of action, including operations in both the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights during the Yom Kipper War. ... 1963

6 T-54 The T-54 series of Soviet main battle tanks came about with development after World War 2, ending with the system becoming operationally available by 1949. It can be said that no other Cold War or post-Cold War tank has seen ... 1949

7 T-55 The T-55 Medium Tank is probably the most internationally prolific piece of tracked armor as it can be found in dozens of military inventories across the globe. It has seen military frontline service from the invasion of Hung... 1958

8 T-62 The T-62 tank represented an update to the T-54/55 series of Soviet-produced main battle tanks. Conventional systems include a 115mm main gun, self-defense machine guns from aircraft (12.7mm machine gun) and enemy infantry an... 1961

9 T-72 The Soviet-era T-72 Main Battle Tank is closely related to the T-64. The T-72 features a low-profile and is arguable one of the most recognizable of the Soviet-post war designs ever made. The weapon system as a whole is also ... 1974

10 Type 59 The NORINCO-produced Type 59 was actually based on the purchase and subsequent local licensed production of the Soviet T-54 main battle tank (just redesignated as the Type 59 in Chinese service). The system, at least external... 1959

11 Type 69 The NORINCO-produced Type 69 is a further indigenous development based on previous Soviet hardware purchases. The Type 69 is crewed by four personnel and comes in a type I and type II model flavor with the main difference bei... 1969