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Iran displays new generation of Zulfiqar tanks during military parade September 22, 2011 2209113.
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Defense News - Iran |
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Thursday, September 22, 2011, 11:46 AM |
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Iran
displays new generation of Zulfiqar tanks during military parade September
22, 2011. |
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The Iranian Army displayed
an upgraded version of the Zulfiqar battle tanks during the military parades
on Thursday, September 22, 2011. |
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Zulfiqar is a second generation of Iran's main battle tank (MBT). The test prototypes of the tank were evaluated in 1993. Six semi-industrial prototypes of the tank were produced and tested in 1997. The tank has a distinctive box-shaped, steel-welded turret of local design. Zulfiqar combat weight is reported to be 36 tons and has a 780 hp diesel engine; the tank has a 21.7 hp per ton ratio. The Zulfiqar is operated by a crew of three personnel. The automatic loader is believed to be the same one from the T-72 tank. The tank is armed with a 125 mm smoothbore gun 2A46, which is fitted with a fume extractor. Its secondary armament consists of a 7.62 mm coaxial and a 12.7 mm machine gun. For the Zulfiqar fleet, the Ammunition Group of the Iranian Defense Industries Organization mass produces a standard high explosive 23 kilograms (51 lb) propellant charge which fires the 3 kg warhead at a muzzle velocity of 850 meters per second (2,800 ft/s). The Zulfiqar-1 uses a fire control system which enjoys a 'fire-on-the-move' technology. The Zulfiqar mounts a laser-warning pod on the turret. Its design enables the tank to use an Iranian-made package of reactive armor. Zulfiqar-2 is a prototype tank used as a test bed. The Zulfiqar-3 also features considerable upgrades to the fire control system, chassis, engine and main gun, with a 125mm autoloader. Earlier this week, Deputy Commander of the Army's Ground Force for Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad General Seyed Massoud Reza Zawareh'ee said that the Ground Force attaches much importance to firepower, mobility and protection as three major and decisive factors in battlefields and Zulfiqar tanks that use state of the art technology set an example in all these three fields. "Production of the new generation of the tank has already come on our agenda and its first samples will be displayed in tomorrow's parades," he announced. He further cited Ranger, Samandar and the 2.5-ton Neinava tactical vehicles as among the other major achievements of the Army Ground Force ready to be mass-produced. The parades mark the start of the Week of Sacred Defense, commemorating Iranian sacrifices during the 8 years of the Iraqi imposed war on Iran in 1980s. Each year, the Iranian Armed Forces display the country's latest military achievements and products in nationwide parades on September 22. |
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