Iran to unveil upgraded domestically manufactured tanks

The Islamic Republic of Iran will be unveiling upgraded versions of two domestically designed and manufactured battle tanks this week.

The Zolfaqar and Samsam tanks will be put on display on Monday as part of the Ten-Day Dawn celebrations commemorating the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979.

The commander of the Iranian Army, Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, and a number of other high-ranking military officials will be attending the unveiling ceremony.

On January 15, Pourdastan said that the fire control system and the stabilizer of the new version of the Zolfaqar tank have been upgraded, adding that the tank will be mass-produced after receiving the approval of the office of the chief of the general staff of the armed forces.

Iran’s Zolfaqar tank has a distinctive box-shaped, steel-welded turret and is operated by a crew of three.

The tank is armed with a 125mm smoothbore 2A46 gun, which is fitted with a fume extractor. Its secondary armament consists of a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and a 12.7mm machine gun.

The Samsam tank is said to be an upgrade of the M-60A1 battle tank.

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.

Tehran has repeatedly assured other nations that its military might poses no threat to other countries, saying that the Islamic Republic’s defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.