Zulfiqar (Iran)
15.Zulfiqar (Iran)
Iran has its own main battle tank that’s ready to take on some of the world’s best. The main battle tank is the Zulfiqar, named after the legendary sword of Ali of the fourth Caliphate, and was designed and manufactured to help boost the self-sufficiency of the Iranian armed forces. At least three variants of the Zulfiqar was produced, the Zulfiqar 1, Zulfiqar 2 and Zulfiqar 3. This main battle tank assumes a box-type design and locally-inspired steel-welded turret. According to experts, the tank is based on the American M48 and M60 and the Soviet T-72.
This tank can accommodate up to three crew members, and the main armament is the 125 mm smoothbore gun 2A46 which is taken from the Soviet’s T-72. Its construction and design allows it to fire on the move. This tank capability was made possible by the EFCS-3 fire control system, a Slovenian technology.