Tosan tank

The Tosan (also written Towsan, meaning "wild horse" or "fury") is an Iranian light tank, for unconventional warfare. Iran calls it a "Quick Reaction" tank because the tank is said to be capable of rapid response and is built for strategic missions. It appears to be based on the British FV101 Scorpion (where Iran has 80 in service); the tank is fitted with a 90 mm gun, Toophan missile launchers, and improved firing and targeting systems. The tank can drive long distances on its tracks and does not need to be carried on trucks.[2]

"Tosan" redirects here. For a county in North Korea, see Tosan County.
Tosan
TypeLight tank
Place of origin Iran
Service history
In service1997–
Used byIranian Army
IRGCGF
Production history
Produced1997
No. built120 [1]
Specifications
Mass~ 8 tonnes
Length4.9 m
Width2.2 m
Height2.1 m
Crew3
Armour12.7 mm
Main
armament
90 mm gun
Secondary
armament
Toophan
EngineDiesel
SuspensionTorsion bar

History

Production started in 1997,[2] but the tank was only produced in small numbers.[1] Mass production started in 2008. Colonel Nasser Arab-Beigi, head of the self-sufficiency unit of the IRGC ground forces, announced the mass-production of this 'Quick Reaction' tank on June 30, 2008, as part of the country's campaign for defense self-sufficiency.[3]

Operators

 Iran

See also

References
  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20070216120054/http://www.tau.ac.il/jcss/balance/Iran.pdf
  2. Globalsecurity "Tosan". 10 July 2008.
  3. Press TV Iran produces 'Quick Reaction' tanks Archived 2008-07-25 at the Wayback Machine 30 June 2008
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.