Tosan tank

Tosan
A supposed Tosan light tank during an Army Day parade in 2013.
Type	Light tank
Place of origin	Iran
Service history
In service	1997–present
Used by	See Operators
Production history
Designer	Alvis
Produced	1997
No. built	Few made. Actual numbers unknown [1]
Specifications
Mass	~ 8 tonnes
Length	4.9 m
Width	2.2 m
Height	2.1 m
Crew	3
Armour	12.7 mm
Main armament	90 mm gun or 30 mm 2A42 autocannon
Secondary armament	Toophan
Engine	Diesel
Suspension	Torsion bar

The Tosan (sometimes known as Towsan, ^[1] meaning "wild horse" or "fury" ^[2] ) is an Iranian light tank. Iran calls it a "Quick Reaction" tank because the tank is said to be capable of rapid response and is built for strategic missions. ^[3]

History

Production started in 1997, ^[2] but the tank was only produced in small numbers. ^[1] Colonel Nasser Arab-Beigi, head of the self-sufficiency unit of the IRGC ground forces, announced the mass-production of the Tosan on June 30, 2008, as part of the country's campaign for defense self-sufficiency. ^[4]

In July 2020, Tosans were deployed to the northwestern borders of Jolfa and Khodaafarin due to escalating tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. ^[5]

Design

The Tosan's design is based on the British FV101 Scorpion; ^[6] the tank is fitted with a 90 mm gun, Toophan missile launchers (some were mounted), ^[7] and improved firing and targeting systems. ^[8] The tank can drive long distances on its tracks and does not need to be carried on trucks. ^[2]

Iranian sources reported that the Tosan's front armor is armored against bullets up to 12.7 caliber.^{[ citation needed ]} It is equipped with a diesel engine.^{[ citation needed ]}

Variants

• Sayyad - lightweight version of Tosan designed as a "quick reaction" vehicle
• "Tosan 30" - variant armed with 30 mm Shipunov 2A42 autocannon^{[ citation needed ]}

Operators

• Iran: Used by the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. ^[7]

References

1. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.tau.ac.il. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
2. Globalsecurity "Tosan". 10 July 2008.
3. Tosan توسن Retrieved 11 August 2025
4. Iranian Armor Updates به‌روزرسانی‌های زرهی ایران Retrieved 11 August 2025
5. Network, Frontier India News (November 7, 2020). "Iranian armour deployed at northwestern borders of Jolfa and Khodaafarin". Frontier India.
6. "Forecast International". www.forecastinternational.com.
7. Larson, Caleb (May 12, 2020). "Iran's Miniature Tosan Tank: One of the Smallest on Earth". The National Interest.
8. Iranian Land Forces نیروی زمینی ایران Retrieved 11 August 2025

External links

Media related to Tosan light tank at Wikimedia Commons