Armoured recovery vehicle is latest addition to Talha family
Key Points
The Al Hadeed armoured recovery vehicle is the lastest addition to HIT's Talha series of armoured personnel carriers
The Al Hadeed will be able to recover vehicles weighing up to 20 tonnes
Pakistan's Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) unveiled the Al Hadeed armoured recovery vehicle (ARV) - the latest addition to its Talha series of armoured personnel carriers (APCs) - during April's Defence Services Asia exhibition in Kuala Lumpur.
The Al-Hadeed ARV, which has yet to enter quantity production, is fitted with a roof-mounted hydraulically operated crane that can lift 3 tonnes.
A hydraulic winch is mounted in the rear of the vehicle leading out through the lowered rear ramp. It can be used to recover vehicles weighing up to 20 tonnes when the two rear hydraulic stabilisers are lowered.
There are at least two fire-support versions of the standard Talha APC. The Mouz is fitted with a pedestal-mounted Swedish Saab Bofors Dynamics RBS-70 laser-guided surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. This can also be removed from the Mouz and deployed on the ground. A roof-mounted 12.7 mm machine gun (MG) is provided for local defence.
The Maaz is armed with the locally manufactured 3,000 m range Baktar Shikan anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) and a 12.7 mm MG for local defence.
Baseline Talha APCs entered quantity production for the Pakistan Army several years ago and a batch of vehicles has also been supplied to the Multi-National Security Transition - Command - Iraq, which were delivered in 2006.
The Talha APC is very similar to the now BAE Systems Ground Systems M113 series APC that was manufactured under licence at HIT. Many of these have been upgraded by HIT to the enhanced M113A1/M113A2 standard.
Also expected to enter production at HIT in 2008 or 2009 is the Saad APC. This is similar to the Talha but has a longer chassis and six road wheels on either side, giving it greater internal volume and payload.
While the M113 series and Talha are powered by a US Detroit Diesel 6V-63 series engine coupled to an Allison TX 100-1 automatic transmission, the Saad has a new German powerpack.
This consists of an MTU 6V TE20 V-6 diesel developing 350/400 hp, coupled to a German ZF LSG 1000 automatic transmission. This gives a higher power-to-weight ratio and increased top speed.
HIT has also proposed an armoured infantry fighting vehicle (AIFV) based on the upgraded M113 called the Al-Hamza. This has firing ports in the rear troop compartment and a roof-mounted Chinese WAT 314T turret, armed with a 25 mm cannon and 7.62 mm co-axial MG.
Finally, there is a stretched load carrier based on a modified M113 series chassis called the Al-Qaswa.
The HIT facility continues to upgrade older main battle tanks (MBTs) for the Pakistani Army as well as continuing production of the Al Khalid MBT, which was developed in association with China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO).
Further enhancements of the Al Khalid are now under way, including enhanced protection and the installation of a defensive aids system to enhance survivability against ATGWs.
COMMENT
The US-developed M113 series APC has been used in large numbers by the Pakistan Army for many years and is its standard vehicle in this class.
Further development of this vehicle by Pakistan has not only saved valuable foreign exchange but also allowed the country to offer enhanced versions such as the Talha on the export market.
Standard production HIT Talha APC without roof-mounted 12.7 mm MG installed (HIT)