PA TANKS comparison with contempory tanks

[Dazzler]

here is a good info on mbt armor protection. Notice AK armor which is more than what people generally think.

Tank Protection Levels

 

[Dazzler]

So far, AK is the only mbt in sub continent having an automatic target tracking system.

 

[Dazzler]

A few errors but overall a nice compilation of Pakistani mbts......

HIT Al-Khalid

Notes: Also called the MBT-2000 (particularly during development), the Al-Khalid is touted as Pakistan’s first indigenous tank design, but is believed to incorporate much of its design from Type 90-IIs, Type 85s, and some other equipment supplied by China for analysis. Regardless of the origins of the Al-Khalid, it is essentially vehicle dissimilar enough to other tanks to be considered a new design, if not a completely independent one. The Al-Khalid was developed over the period from 1990-99, with production and fielding beginning in 2001. Most Western observers agree that the Al-Khalid is a surprisingly modern and effective design. Some 300 are in service with Pakistan, and they intend to being that total to 600. In addition, 22 Al-Khalids started being delivered to the Bangladeshi Army beginning in May 2008, and the Saudis are reportedly giving the Al-Khalid a hard look to supplement their M-1A2 Abrams tanks.

The design places the driver in the center front of the hull; he has a hatch which opens slightly upwards and to the left as to not interfere with turret rotation if the hatch is open. He has vision blocks giving him views to the right, left, and front; the frontal vision block can be replaced with an IR vision block. The gunner has his own hatch, as the Al-Khalid uses an autoloader instead of a loader crewmember, and has vision blocks that allow vision to the front, rear, and right side. The gunner is equipped with a full night vision suite, including a 2nd-generation thermal imager developed by France. The gunner also has an image intensification scope and a conventional telescopic sight; all of which are stabilized. The commander has his own thermal imager, image intensifier, and conventional telescopic sight, in a separate sensor head that gives the Al-Khalid a hunter-killer capability. The commander also has emergency controls for the main gun and coaxial machinegun. The Al-Khalid has a ballistic computer of French design, along with a laser designator of Chinese design.

The main gun is a version of the Chinese ZPT-98 gun, though the barrel has a length of 48 calibers. The gun is fed by an autoloader that has a capacity of 24 rounds, with additional ammunition being stored in the hull of the Al-Khalid. In addition to being able to fire indigenous and foreign 125mm rounds, the gun can also fire a Chinese license-produced version of 9M119 Reflecks (AT-11 Sniper) gun-launched ATGM. The autoloader is improved over that of the Al-Zarrar, able to handle newer long-rod penetrators. (ATGM rounds must be hand-loaded.) The laser rangefinder acts as a designator when the 9M119 ATGM is fired. The commander’s machinegun can be aimed and fired from under armor. On each side of the turret is a cluster of five smoke grenade launchers. The Al-Kalid has a feature found in most of the newest generation of tanks: a battle management system called Rabhar by the Pakistanis. This is a computerized system that not only monitors the state of the tank and feeds the appropriate information to the crew, but also plots the location of enemy and friendly units and keeps them updated as new information becomes available. It also passes orders from higher headquarters down and allows the commander to give orders to subordinate units, as well as providing any other intelligence and information the commander may require. This system also has GPS, with inertial navigation as a backup. The tank’s electronic systems are connected to large batteries for "silent watch" use.

In development, the Al-Khalid was powered by an MTU-396 diesel engine with a German LSG-3000 transmission. Germany placed an embargo on these items in the mid-1990s due to their stance on development of indigenous nuclear weapons, and this led to the Pakistanis fitting the Al-Khalid with a license-produced Ukrainian KMDB 6TD-2 1200-horsepower engine and a French SESM ESM-500 fully-automatic transmission. This engine had the virtue of being smaller than the German engine, yet provided the same 1200 horsepower. The Al-Khalid can carry auxiliary fuel tanks at the rear a la Russian/Chinese tanks, though in practice they are little used except in long road marches.

Armor protection is modular, allowing for quick battle damage repairs and improvement as more advanced armor becomes available or heavier armor is desired. Frontal armor is composite and of Pakistani design, with side armor being spaced; it is of a more modern design than that on the Al-Zarrar and lighter in weight. The turret front, turret sides, glacis, and hull sides have lugs for ERA. Attention was paid to land mine damage in the form of thickened floor armor. The ammunition is carried in armored bins, and virtually the entire vehicle has thick Kevlar anti-spalling blankets. The engine also has a thick bulkhead separating it from the crew compartment. An automatic explosion and fire suppression system is provided, and the crew has an NBC overpressure system; the engine compartment and ammunition bins have their own systems of the same sort. The Al-Khalid has a laser detection system that can automatically trigger smoke grenades to block the laser, and a radar warning system that can give the crew a chance to take evasive action.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Though the Pakistanis were able to field some Al-Khalids in the Twilight 2000 timeline, only some 50 or so were available for the Twilight War.

Price


Fuel Type


Load


Veh Wt


Crew


Mnt


Night Vision


Radiological

$510,579


D, A


800 kg


48 tons


3


24


2nd Gen Thermal Imager (G), Thermal Imager (C), Image Intensification (G, C), Passive IR (D)


Shielded

Tr Mov


Com Mov


Fuel Cap


Fuel Cons


Config


Susp


Armor*

140/98


30/18


1000+400


524


Trtd


T6


TF132Cp TS24Sp TS14 HF165Cp HS20Sp HR12

Fire Control


Stabilization


Armament


Ammunition

+4


Good


125mm ZPT-98 Gun, PKT, NSVT (C)


43x125mm, 6xAT-11, 4000x7.62mm, 750x12.7mm

*Floor armor for the Al-Khalid is AV 8.

HIT Al-Zarrar

Notes: The Pakistanis have long been users of the Chinese Type 59 tank; they also knew for quite a while that their Type 59s were not only obsolete, they were not keeping up with Indian tanks; there were, however, too many of them to simply scrap them. In 1990, the Pakistanis got together with a few foreign armament firms to upgrade their Type 59s to be able to be able to face more modern designs and at least have a chance to come out on the winning end of a fight. It would essentially give the Pakistanis a modern tank at a fraction of the cost (though the upgrade program ended up costing more real-life money than the Pakistanis thought it would). The development program started in 1990, but the sheer number of modifications (54 of them), coupled with a few budgetary problems and false starts at acquiring outright replacements for the Type 59 meant that the first upgraded Type 59, called the Al-Zarrar (Striker) was not fielded until early 2004. Some 800 of Pakistan’s Type 59s have been updated to the Al-Zarrar standard, and the Pakistanis also sell the Al-Zarrar upgrade as a kit for countries using the Type 59, T-54, or T-55. In addition to Pakistan, the Bangladeshis use the Al-Zarrar, having begun the upgrade of their Type 59s in 2008.

Virtually every area of the Type 59 is upgraded, enough so that the Al-Zarrar is essentially a new tank in an old tank’s skin. Improvements have been made to the key areas of protection, firepower, fire control, suspension, and mobility. One of the biggest upgrades is the main gun; the 100mm D-10T of the Type 59 has been replaced by a Pakistani version of the 2A46 and its autoloader. Most of the ammunition used in this gun is Pakistani-designed, but mirrors the ammunition used by the 2A46. The main gun is coupled with a modern fire control system built in Pakistan with the assistance of Krauss-Maffei of Germany. The main gun is now fully stabilized, with thermal imaging for the gunner that is accessible to the commander. The main gun also has a laser rangefinder, a ballistic computer, and a monitor to help the gunner search for targets and give him information about targets and the state of the main gun and its ranging components. The gunner’s hatch has vision blocks around it that give 180-degree vision (front, rear, and right side). The commander has, in addition to thermal imager access, his own IR vision and an image intensifier. The driver, on the front right side, has vision blocks that allow frontal vision and vision to both sides; one of these vision blocks can be removed and replaced by an IR vision block. The commander has an NSVT machinegun mounted on his cupola; this machinegun can be aimed and fired from under armor.

The Al-Zarrar uses a Pakistani-built version of a Chinese engine, a diesel engine giving 730 horsepower and also having a smaller size than the Type 59s engine. The transmission was also upgraded for the new engine and is semi-automatic. The suspension is improved with wider tracks, improved roadwheels and drive sprockets, and better shock absorption through a modified torsion bar system. Though the Al-Zarrar retains the ability to mount reserve tanks at the rear, in practice they are considered a combat hazard and are normally either not carried or jettisoned before battle.

The Al-Zarrar was originally to use a large amount of appliqué armor, but this was replaced in development with a modular armor suite, including composite armor on the glacis and turret front and spaced armor on the hull and turret sides. The floor armor has been dramatically increased as well. Lugs for ERA are found on the glacis, hull sides, turret front, turret sides, and the forward part of the turret roof. A Pakistani-designed laser threat warning system is also fitted; this lets the crew know if they are being targeted by laser designators and automatically fires smoke grenades to block the laser designation beam; 5 smoke grenade launchers are found on each side of the turret. Both the ammo bins and the crew compartments have automatic explosion and fire suppression systems.

Twilight 2000 Notes: In the Twilight 2000 timeline, development was greatly accelerated, and the first Al-Zarrars were available in late 1997 and first used in combat with Indian forces in early 1998.

Price


Fuel Type


Load


Veh Wt


Crew


Mnt


Night Vision


Radiological

$488,840


D, A


550 kg


40 tons


3


24


Thermal Imaging (G), Passive IR (D, C), Image Intensification (G, C)


Shielded

Tr Mov


Com Mov


Fuel Cap


Fuel Cons


Config


Susp


Armor*

124/87


27/16


1000+380


297


Trtd


T6


TF67Cp TS28Sp TR19 HF84Cp HS20Sp HR12

Fire Control


Stabilization


Armament


Ammunition

+3


Good


125mm 2A46 Gun, PKT, NSVT (C)


35x125mm, 3000x7.62mm, 500x12.7mm

*Floor armor for the Al-Zarrar is AV 8.

HIT Type 59MII

Notes: HIT (Heavy Industries Taxila) is the primary agency in Pakistan for the building, modification, and upgrading heavy military vehicles. One of their first tank projects, begun in 1979, was to being the Type 59 first to a like-new configuration, then to upgrade it. Most of this program resulted in the Type 59s being upgraded to the Al-Zarrar; the remainder were upgraded to a configuration called the Type 59MII.

The Type 59MII is based on the Chinese Type 59-II modification, but is not quite the same. For example, the Type 59MII has a more comprehensive night vision suite, and does not normally mount the searchlight of the Chinese tank. Fire control is a bit better, including a laser rangefinder and a ballistic computer. The commander has access to the gunner’s sights and has override controls for the main gun. Overall armor is a bit heavier and more advanced than a Type 59-II; the Type 59MII has side skirts, and there are lugs for ERA on the turret front, turret sides, hull front, and hull sides, as well as the forward third of the turret roof. Floor armor is also increased. The engine is the same as the Type 59-II, as is the coaxial machinegun, but the commander’s machinegun is an NSVT that can be aimed and fired from under armor. The Type 59IIM has an automatic fire and explosion suppression system, and the transmission is semi-automatic. The Type 59 also has an APU for silent watch. Four smoke grenade launchers are mounted on each side of the turret.

Price


Fuel Type


Load


Veh Wt


Crew


Mnt


Night Vision


Radiological

$496,584


D, A


500 kg


37 tons


4


14


Thermal Imaging (G), Passive IR (D, C), Image Intensification (G, C)


Shielded

Tr Mov


Com Mov


Fuel Cap


Fuel Cons


Config


Susp


Armor

101/71


22/13


815+380


261


Trtd


T6


TF53Sp TS13 TR11 HF66Sp HS11Sp HR9

Fire Control


Stabilization


Armament


Ammunition

+3


Fair


105mm L-7A2 gun, PKT, NSVT (C)


41x105mm, 3500x7.62mm, 500x12.7mm

*Floor armor for the Type 59MII is AV 6.


Pakistani Tanks

 

[rockstarIN]

So far, AK is the only mbt in sub continent having an automatic target tracking system.

What target tracking system is employed in AK?.

 

[Dazzler]

I do not know the exact nature but it is French origin along with ballistic computer which is also French. It is interfaced with Gunner's station and has supplemented AK's multiple target engagement capability to a great extent. You can check the brochure for more precise info on previous pages...

 

[Manticore]

Sad sam tek vidio ovo o tenku. Prvi sam stranac koji je vidio ovaj tenk. Dok sam radio u fabrici HRF pored Taxile. Sad se ova fabrika zove HIT. Tridesetak kilometara daleko od Islamabada. Ima nekoliko slika ovdje te fabrike. Ispala je velika frka i panika kad sam istrèao iz hale gdje sam radio na drugim tenkovima, iako je bilo strogo nareðeno da se sklonimo, jer æe naiæi "nešto".
Najveæi je fazon što u telefonskom imeniku Islamabada i okoline možete naæi brojeve telefona (lokale) iz fabrike HIT. Telefonski broj na liniji sklapanja kupole, na liniji kablaže, broj magacionera itd.

Odreðen dio slika na ovom dijelu je raðen u fotošopu i nemojte vjerovati svim slikama.

Na nekoliko slika je isti tenk. Sa brojem 5. To je onaj broj što lièi na srce naopaèke. Da li to znaèi da ih nema više. Na slici, koja je najvjerovatnije slikana u Multanu, mjestu gdje je komanda oklopnih snaga, vidi se dva tenka na kojima su brojevi 3. Na prvom tenku je ta cifra druga. Prvi dio brojke je pokriven pakistanskom zastavom. Na zadnjem tenku u vrsti ta cifra je prva, drugi dio brojke je zaklonjen sa BDK-om. Znam da su moguænosti izrade tenka u Taksili veæe nekoliko puta nego u svoj bivšoj SFRJ. Volio bih znati koliko su ih izradili.

Najobuèenije, najškolovanije i najpametnije oficire, oklopnjake, koje sam sreo u životu sam sreo u oficirskom klubu u Multanu. U komandi oklopnih snaga Pakistana.
Može li ko da zamisli general pukovnika, komandanta oklopnih snaga Pakistana, koji doleti svojim privatnim avionom kojim sam pilotira, u pustinju Kandavala, u kojoj sam radio, razgovara sa mnom nekoliko sati o tenku, i nakon toga sjedne sam u tenk na mjesto vozaèa i ode sa tenkom u pustinju. Vozio ga je osam sati kroz pustinju po paklenom avgustovskom pustnjskom suncu gdje se veoma lako dobijaju plikovi na ruci ako se dodirne tenk.

Ovi snimci koji se mogu vidjeti su snimani u pustinji Tamavala, stotinjak kilometra daleko od Bahavalpura.

Nakon moje treæe posjete Pakistanu gdje sam radio na drugim tenkovima, na ovom njihovom tenku se pojavio isti meteosenzor kao na tenku M84, a koji se može vidjeti na nekim slikama. Veæ sam pisao kako su mi u hotelu Šalimar u Ravalpindiju obili torbu sa dokumentacijim. Unutra je bilo nekoliko hiljada dolara i šeme tenka. Ništa mi nije nedostajalo, ali se nekako brzo nakon toga pojavio isti meteosenzor na njihovom tenku. Vidi se na puno slika.

Pozdrav

Vlado

Pozdrav i za ekipu sa pakistanskog vojnog foruma èiji sam èlan i gdje se mogu naæi moji tekstovi.

-----
Now I have only seen this on a tank. First I was a stranger who has seen this tank. While I worked in a factory next to HRF Taxi. Now this plant is called HIT. About thirty kilometers away from Islamabad. There are a few pictures here and factories. It turned out a big snort and panic when I istrèao the hall where I worked on other tanks, even though it was strictly ordered to be prone, as it will naiæi "something".
The largest was the thing that in the telephone directory, Islamabad and the surrounding area you can find phone numbers (bars) from the factory HIT. Telephone number on-line execution of the dome, on the line kablaže, no merchants, etc.

Certain of the pictures on this part was made in Fotošop and do not believe all the pictures.

For some pictures of the same tank. With number 5 This is one of the lièi the heart naopaèke. Does this mean that they were no more. The painting, which was probably painted in Multan, where the command of armored forces, see the two tanks in which the number 3 The first tank is the second figure. The first part of the figures covered the Pakistani flag. On the last tank in the type of this figure is the first, the second part of the figures is sheltered from the BDK-infection. I know that the possibility of a tank in Taksili several times greater than in their former Yugoslavia. I would like to know how they were created.

Najobuèenije, best educated and brightest officers, armored vehicles, I have met in my life I have met in the officers' club in Multan. In command of armored forces of Pakistan.
Can not imagine who's Lieutenant General, Commander of the Armed Forces of Pakistan, who flies his private airplane pilot, which I, in the desert Kandavala, where I worked, talking with me for several hours on a tank, and then I sit in a tank driver in place and go with the tank in the desert. He drove it for eight hours through the desert by the infernal avgustovskom pustnjskom sun where very easy to get blisters on your hand if you touch the tank.

These recordings, which can be seen are shot in the desert Tamavala, hundreds of kilometers away from Bahavalpura.

After my third visit to Pakistan, where I worked on other tanks, in this their tanks appeared meteosenzor the same as the M84 tank, which can be seen on some pictures. I already wrote that I was at Šalimar Ravalpindiju bounced back in the bag with the documentation. Inside there were several thousand dollars and schedules tank. Nothing is missing, but somehow soon thereafter came the same meteosenzor in their tank. See the full picture.

Pozdrav

Vlado

Greetings and the team with the Pakistani military whose Board I am a member and where can I find my texts.







----------------------------
google translate regarding HIT and alkhalid
Al-Khalid tenk (Type 90-IIM / MBT-2000) :: MyCity Military


link provided so that someone can post a more accurate translation

 

[Dazzler]

Good post Haroon...

In the 90s when AK was in development, just before the Balkan war, we did have a close look at M-84 and PA seemed impressed by it to a great extent. Trials were occurred but then the war fell and deal was all but over. Then came the Ukraine saga when they came with an offer that was too good to be refused. Initially it was thought whether t-80ud might be an over kill as a stop gap, however, once it was inducted, it proved its worth to a great deal. What i really liked from Balkans was a development of M-84, also known as the M-91 Vihor MBT, upon which the Croatian M-95 Degman is based. Just one prototype was made before project abandoned. Sigh!

 

[Jihad]

Perhaps a stupid question, and it may have slipped my mind.
But are the Al-Khalids being used against the insurgents right now?
I remember seeing a documentary about Pakistan's war on terror, and the tanks being used there against insurgents didn't look like the AK.

 

[TaimiKhan]

Perhaps a stupid question, and it may have slipped my mind.
But are the Al-Khalids being used against the insurgents right now?
I remember seeing a documentary about Pakistan's war on terror, and the tanks being used there against insurgents didn't look like the AK.

Al Zarrars have been used, with the older models in service with FC as well as Army formations. AZs are being used in lesser numbers, while the older versions in more numbers.

No AKs have been used in the COIN operations, they are all deployed at the eastern border.

 

[MilSpec]

PA tanks and general defence in tank country will see massive Air Interdiction missions by IAF followed by fast moving armored attack including IFV's and tank killers (BMP1/2's Namica's and OT Skot) along with Tank columns of (T90M and T72M1), CAS support will be provided by Attack helos like ALH WSO, LCH, MI 28 and newer procurements (KAMOV/AH64D).

IA and PA tanks are closely matched, superior tactics and better support for the armor will determine victory in the battle

 

[Dazzler]

so you think your IAF will have a clear sky to facilitate your interdiction? Why is it so hard for some to anticipate that Pakistan also has an air force/ army aviation? By the way, except for the last para, rest is off topic. Thread is about COMPARISON of Pak Tanks with contemporary tanks, not IAF MASSIVE interdiction assault on Pak.

 

[TaimiKhan]

so you think your IAF will have a clear sky to facilitate your interdiction? Why is it so hard for some to anticipate that Pakistan also has an air force/ army aviation? By the way, except for the last para, rest is off topic. Thread is about COMPARISON of Pak Tanks with contemporary tanks, not IAF MASSIVE interdiction assault on Pak.

@nabil: Yaar, bachoon ko kuch honay diya karoooo, akhir bachay hain, aisi batain tu karain gae hi.

@ everyone one else: But this doesn't means these bachay troll and derail threads

 

[Dazzler]

I want every kid to have a certain degree of common sense thats all

 

[MilSpec]

I want every kid to have a certain degree of common sense thats all

Ok I am sorry about my post, What I stated was my understanding of Indian Military Doctrine...I did not discount any PA/PAF capability, I did mention air interdiction but not about the results , I am sure PAF/ PA aviation will do the necessary to counter it, i do not know what capabilities it possess so I wont speculate. PA tank capability whether you accept or not are primarily meant to face India. Also PA and IA tanks are closely matched in capabilities. So in my childish and humble opinion I thought it would be important to understand the engagement scenarios and environment in which they will fight each other. In last 16 pages I am pretty sure we have speculated enough about how many size/HP/armor/gun/etc. May be it might be helpful to understand what kind of formation will each Armour group contain to fight each other.

Although If you find that formations/support vehicles/tactics and Air support methodology has no relevance in Tank battles, then my bad

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

A few errors but overall a nice compilation of Pakistani mbts......

HIT Al-Khalid

Notes: Also called the MBT-2000 (particularly during development), the Al-Khalid is touted as Pakistan’s first indigenous tank design, but is believed to incorporate much of its design from Type 90-IIs, Type 85s, and some other equipment supplied by China for analysis. Regardless of the origins of the Al-Khalid, it is essentially vehicle dissimilar enough to other tanks to be considered a new design, if not a completely independent one. The Al-Khalid was developed over the period from 1990-99, with production and fielding beginning in 2001. Most Western observers agree that the Al-Khalid is a surprisingly modern and effective design. Some 300 are in service with Pakistan, and they intend to being that total to 600. In addition, 22 Al-Khalids started being delivered to the Bangladeshi Army beginning in May 2008, and the Saudis are reportedly giving the Al-Khalid a hard look to supplement their M-1A2 Abrams tanks.

The design places the driver in the center front of the hull; he has a hatch which opens slightly upwards and to the left as to not interfere with turret rotation if the hatch is open. He has vision blocks giving him views to the right, left, and front; the frontal vision block can be replaced with an IR vision block. The gunner has his own hatch, as the Al-Khalid uses an autoloader instead of a loader crewmember, and has vision blocks that allow vision to the front, rear, and right side. The gunner is equipped with a full night vision suite, including a 2nd-generation thermal imager developed by France. The gunner also has an image intensification scope and a conventional telescopic sight; all of which are stabilized. The commander has his own thermal imager, image intensifier, and conventional telescopic sight, in a separate sensor head that gives the Al-Khalid a hunter-killer capability. The commander also has emergency controls for the main gun and coaxial machinegun. The Al-Khalid has a ballistic computer of French design, along with a laser designator of Chinese design.

The main gun is a version of the Chinese ZPT-98 gun, though the barrel has a length of 48 calibers. The gun is fed by an autoloader that has a capacity of 24 rounds, with additional ammunition being stored in the hull of the Al-Khalid. In addition to being able to fire indigenous and foreign 125mm rounds, the gun can also fire a Chinese license-produced version of 9M119 Reflecks (AT-11 Sniper) gun-launched ATGM. The autoloader is improved over that of the Al-Zarrar, able to handle newer long-rod penetrators. (ATGM rounds must be hand-loaded.) The laser rangefinder acts as a designator when the 9M119 ATGM is fired. The commander’s machinegun can be aimed and fired from under armor. On each side of the turret is a cluster of five smoke grenade launchers. The Al-Kalid has a feature found in most of the newest generation of tanks: a battle management system called Rabhar by the Pakistanis. This is a computerized system that not only monitors the state of the tank and feeds the appropriate information to the crew, but also plots the location of enemy and friendly units and keeps them updated as new information becomes available. It also passes orders from higher headquarters down and allows the commander to give orders to subordinate units, as well as providing any other intelligence and information the commander may require. This system also has GPS, with inertial navigation as a backup. The tank’s electronic systems are connected to large batteries for "silent watch" use.

In development, the Al-Khalid was powered by an MTU-396 diesel engine with a German LSG-3000 transmission. Germany placed an embargo on these items in the mid-1990s due to their stance on development of indigenous nuclear weapons, and this led to the Pakistanis fitting the Al-Khalid with a license-produced Ukrainian KMDB 6TD-2 1200-horsepower engine and a French SESM ESM-500 fully-automatic transmission. This engine had the virtue of being smaller than the German engine, yet provided the same 1200 horsepower. The Al-Khalid can carry auxiliary fuel tanks at the rear a la Russian/Chinese tanks, though in practice they are little used except in long road marches.

Armor protection is modular, allowing for quick battle damage repairs and improvement as more advanced armor becomes available or heavier armor is desired. Frontal armor is composite and of Pakistani design, with side armor being spaced; it is of a more modern design than that on the Al-Zarrar and lighter in weight. The turret front, turret sides, glacis, and hull sides have lugs for ERA. Attention was paid to land mine damage in the form of thickened floor armor. The ammunition is carried in armored bins, and virtually the entire vehicle has thick Kevlar anti-spalling blankets. The engine also has a thick bulkhead separating it from the crew compartment. An automatic explosion and fire suppression system is provided, and the crew has an NBC overpressure system; the engine compartment and ammunition bins have their own systems of the same sort. The Al-Khalid has a laser detection system that can automatically trigger smoke grenades to block the laser, and a radar warning system that can give the crew a chance to take evasive action.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Though the Pakistanis were able to field some Al-Khalids in the Twilight 2000 timeline, only some 50 or so were available for the Twilight War.

Price


Fuel Type


Load


Veh Wt


Crew


Mnt


Night Vision


Radiological

$510,579


D, A


800 kg


48 tons


3


24


2nd Gen Thermal Imager (G), Thermal Imager (C), Image Intensification (G, C), Passive IR (D)


Shielded

Tr Mov


Com Mov


Fuel Cap


Fuel Cons


Config


Susp


Armor*

140/98


30/18


1000+400


524


Trtd


T6


TF132Cp TS24Sp TS14 HF165Cp HS20Sp HR12

Fire Control


Stabilization


Armament


Ammunition

+4


Good


125mm ZPT-98 Gun, PKT, NSVT (C)


43x125mm, 6xAT-11, 4000x7.62mm, 750x12.7mm

*Floor armor for the Al-Khalid is AV 8.

HIT Al-Zarrar

Notes: The Pakistanis have long been users of the Chinese Type 59 tank; they also knew for quite a while that their Type 59s were not only obsolete, they were not keeping up with Indian tanks; there were, however, too many of them to simply scrap them. In 1990, the Pakistanis got together with a few foreign armament firms to upgrade their Type 59s to be able to be able to face more modern designs and at least have a chance to come out on the winning end of a fight. It would essentially give the Pakistanis a modern tank at a fraction of the cost (though the upgrade program ended up costing more real-life money than the Pakistanis thought it would). The development program started in 1990, but the sheer number of modifications (54 of them), coupled with a few budgetary problems and false starts at acquiring outright replacements for the Type 59 meant that the first upgraded Type 59, called the Al-Zarrar (Striker) was not fielded until early 2004. Some 800 of Pakistan’s Type 59s have been updated to the Al-Zarrar standard, and the Pakistanis also sell the Al-Zarrar upgrade as a kit for countries using the Type 59, T-54, or T-55. In addition to Pakistan, the Bangladeshis use the Al-Zarrar, having begun the upgrade of their Type 59s in 2008.

Virtually every area of the Type 59 is upgraded, enough so that the Al-Zarrar is essentially a new tank in an old tank’s skin. Improvements have been made to the key areas of protection, firepower, fire control, suspension, and mobility. One of the biggest upgrades is the main gun; the 100mm D-10T of the Type 59 has been replaced by a Pakistani version of the 2A46 and its autoloader. Most of the ammunition used in this gun is Pakistani-designed, but mirrors the ammunition used by the 2A46. The main gun is coupled with a modern fire control system built in Pakistan with the assistance of Krauss-Maffei of Germany. The main gun is now fully stabilized, with thermal imaging for the gunner that is accessible to the commander. The main gun also has a laser rangefinder, a ballistic computer, and a monitor to help the gunner search for targets and give him information about targets and the state of the main gun and its ranging components. The gunner’s hatch has vision blocks around it that give 180-degree vision (front, rear, and right side). The commander has, in addition to thermal imager access, his own IR vision and an image intensifier. The driver, on the front right side, has vision blocks that allow frontal vision and vision to both sides; one of these vision blocks can be removed and replaced by an IR vision block. The commander has an NSVT machinegun mounted on his cupola; this machinegun can be aimed and fired from under armor.

The Al-Zarrar uses a Pakistani-built version of a Chinese engine, a diesel engine giving 730 horsepower and also having a smaller size than the Type 59s engine. The transmission was also upgraded for the new engine and is semi-automatic. The suspension is improved with wider tracks, improved roadwheels and drive sprockets, and better shock absorption through a modified torsion bar system. Though the Al-Zarrar retains the ability to mount reserve tanks at the rear, in practice they are considered a combat hazard and are normally either not carried or jettisoned before battle.

The Al-Zarrar was originally to use a large amount of appliqué armor, but this was replaced in development with a modular armor suite, including composite armor on the glacis and turret front and spaced armor on the hull and turret sides. The floor armor has been dramatically increased as well. Lugs for ERA are found on the glacis, hull sides, turret front, turret sides, and the forward part of the turret roof. A Pakistani-designed laser threat warning system is also fitted; this lets the crew know if they are being targeted by laser designators and automatically fires smoke grenades to block the laser designation beam; 5 smoke grenade launchers are found on each side of the turret. Both the ammo bins and the crew compartments have automatic explosion and fire suppression systems.

Twilight 2000 Notes: In the Twilight 2000 timeline, development was greatly accelerated, and the first Al-Zarrars were available in late 1997 and first used in combat with Indian forces in early 1998.

Price


Fuel Type


Load


Veh Wt


Crew


Mnt


Night Vision


Radiological

$488,840


D, A


550 kg


40 tons


3


24


Thermal Imaging (G), Passive IR (D, C), Image Intensification (G, C)


Shielded

Tr Mov


Com Mov


Fuel Cap


Fuel Cons


Config


Susp


Armor*

124/87


27/16


1000+380


297


Trtd


T6


TF67Cp TS28Sp TR19 HF84Cp HS20Sp HR12

Fire Control


Stabilization


Armament


Ammunition

+3


Good


125mm 2A46 Gun, PKT, NSVT (C)


35x125mm, 3000x7.62mm, 500x12.7mm

*Floor armor for the Al-Zarrar is AV 8.

HIT Type 59MII

Notes: HIT (Heavy Industries Taxila) is the primary agency in Pakistan for the building, modification, and upgrading heavy military vehicles. One of their first tank projects, begun in 1979, was to being the Type 59 first to a like-new configuration, then to upgrade it. Most of this program resulted in the Type 59s being upgraded to the Al-Zarrar; the remainder were upgraded to a configuration called the Type 59MII.

The Type 59MII is based on the Chinese Type 59-II modification, but is not quite the same. For example, the Type 59MII has a more comprehensive night vision suite, and does not normally mount the searchlight of the Chinese tank. Fire control is a bit better, including a laser rangefinder and a ballistic computer. The commander has access to the gunner’s sights and has override controls for the main gun. Overall armor is a bit heavier and more advanced than a Type 59-II; the Type 59MII has side skirts, and there are lugs for ERA on the turret front, turret sides, hull front, and hull sides, as well as the forward third of the turret roof. Floor armor is also increased. The engine is the same as the Type 59-II, as is the coaxial machinegun, but the commander’s machinegun is an NSVT that can be aimed and fired from under armor. The Type 59IIM has an automatic fire and explosion suppression system, and the transmission is semi-automatic. The Type 59 also has an APU for silent watch. Four smoke grenade launchers are mounted on each side of the turret.

Price


Fuel Type


Load


Veh Wt


Crew


Mnt


Night Vision


Radiological

$496,584


D, A


500 kg


37 tons


4


14


Thermal Imaging (G), Passive IR (D, C), Image Intensification (G, C)


Shielded

Tr Mov


Com Mov


Fuel Cap


Fuel Cons


Config


Susp


Armor

101/71


22/13


815+380


261


Trtd


T6


TF53Sp TS13 TR11 HF66Sp HS11Sp HR9

Fire Control


Stabilization


Armament


Ammunition

+3


Fair


105mm L-7A2 gun, PKT, NSVT (C)


41x105mm, 3500x7.62mm, 500x12.7mm

*Floor armor for the Type 59MII is AV 6.


Pakistani Tanks

didnt read the whole article ...... but a few corrections:
AK used a french gun(now indegenous) not chinese n bd army doesnt have AKs..but mbt-2000.