Zulfiqar ( tank ) Zulfiqar " ( ) " is a second generation Iranian main battle tank ( MBT ) , conceived by Brigadier General Mir - Younes Masoumzadeh , deputy ground force commander for research and self - sufficiency of the armed forces . It is named after Zulfiqar , the legendary sword of the first Shia Imam Hazrat Ali . The test prototypes of the tank were evaluated in 1993 . Six semi - industrial prototypes of the tank were produced and tested in 1997 . Design specifications . Features . The tank has a distinctive box - shaped , steel - welded turret of local design . The Zulfiqar is believed to be developed from major components of the Russian T - 72 and American M48 and M60 tanks . The suspension is modelled on the M48 / M60 Patton tanks supplied to Iran by the U . S . The SPAT 1200 transmission also seems to be a local development of that of the M - 60 . Zulfiqar combat weight is reported to be 36 tonnes and has a 780 hp diesel engine ; the tank has a 21 . 7 hp per ton ratio . Some sources see resemblances between the Zulfiqar design and the Brazilian prototype Osório . 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 . Armament . The tank is armed with a 125 mm smoothbore gun 2A46 derived from the T - 72 , 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 / T - 72 fleet , the Ammunition Group of the Iranian Defense Industries Organization mass - produces a standard high explosive propellant charge which fires the 3 kg warhead at a muzzle velocity of . The Zulfiqar - 1 uses the Slovenian EFCS - 3 fire control system , the same model used on the Type 72Z ( " Safir - 74 " ) , providing ' fire - on - the - move ' technology . The Zulfiqar allegedly mounts a laser - warning pod on the turret . Its design enables the tank to use an Iranian - made package of reactive armor . Production . 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 . He stated that the manufacture of 520 different kinds of tank parts , 600 artillery parts , repair of 500 tanks and armored vehicles have been carried out . In late July 1997 Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani formally inaugurated a production line for the domestically manufactured Zulfiqar main battle tanks and Boragh tracked armoured personnel carrier . The facility , the Shahid Kolah Dooz Industrial Complex , will also produce the BMP - 2 armored personnel carrier . Variants . Zulfiqar - 1 . The Zulfiqar - 1 is based on the M60 Patton model acquired under the pre - revolution era . The Zulfigar - 1 was first revealed in public in 1994 . A total of six prototypes were completed and field tested in 1997 . The Zulfiqar - 1 is protected by a welded steel hull and the main gun is reinforced by a composite armour . The Zulfiqar - 1 is armed with a 125mm Smoothbore gun taken from T - 72 . Zulfiqar - 2 . The Zulfiqar - 2 is an interim main battle tank prototype used as a test bed . This variant is fitted with a new and more powerful engine . It has an extended chassis and possibly use an improved autoloader . Zulfiqar - 3 . The Zulfiqar - 3 is the most advanced variant of the Zulfiqar family . It features considerable upgrades to the fire control system , chassis , engine and main gun . The new variant use the 2A46 125 mm smoothbore cannon with a autoloader . The Zulfiqar - 3 use a laser rangefinder and new fire control . The Zulfiqar - 3 is fitted with an reinforced turret . The wheels are covered by an armoured skirt .