Al-Khalid tank

"Al-Khalid" redirects here. For the 7th-century Muslim military commander, see Khalid ibn al-Walid.
Not to be confused with the Khalid tank, Jordan's version of the British Chieftain tank.

Al-Khalid/VT-1A
Bangladesh Army MBT-2000
TypeMain battle tank
Place of originChina / Pakistan
Service history
In service2001 – present
Used byOperators
Production history
DesignerNorinco
Designed1993–1999
ManufacturerNorinco (VT-1A/MBT-2000, Type 96-IIM)
Heavy Industries Taxila (Al Khalid, Al Khalid-1)[1]
Unit cost$4.7 million – $5.8 million USD in 2011
Produced2001 – 2014 (Al-Khalid) 2020 – present (Al-Khalid-1)
VariantsPakistani:
  • Al-Khalid
  • Al-Khalid I
  • Al-Khalid II (under development)

Chinese:

  • Type 90-IIM / MBT-2000
  • VT-1
  • VT-1A
  • VT-4 / MBT-3000
Specifications
Mass46 t (51 short tons)[2]
Length10.07 m (33 ft 0 in)
Width3.50 m (11 ft 6 in)
Height2.40 m (7 ft 10 in)
Crew3
ArmourComposite armour, RHA, ERA[3]
Main
armament
Al-Khalid: 125 mm smoothbore gun, 39 rounds
Al-Khalid I: 125 mm smoothbore gun, 49 rounds
Secondary
armament
Al-Khalid: 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, 3000 rds
12.7 mm external AA machine gun, 500 rds[2]
Al-Khalid I: 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, 7,100 rds
12.7 mm external AA machine gun, 1,500 rds
EngineKMDB 6TD-2 6-cylinder diesel
1,200 hp (890 kW)
Power/weight26 hp/ton[4]
Transmission7 forward and 4 reverse gears, Semi-automatic
SuspensionTorsion bar with hydraulic dampers
Operational
range
500 km (310 mi) combat range[5]
Maximum speed 72 km/h (45 mph)[5][6]

The Al-Khalid/VT-1A (Urdu: الخالد ٹینک—Al-Xālid Ṫaiŋk, pronounced [əlˈxaːlɪd̪ ʈɛːŋk], lit. 'The Eternal Tank') is a main battle tank family developed jointly by Norinco of China and Heavy Industries Taxila of Pakistan. The tank is based on the Type 90-II tank.[1] Around 310 Al-Khalid MBTs had been produced by 2014.[7] The tank has been exported to Bangladesh, Morocco and Myanmar by China. The VT-1A is also known as MBT-2000.

The Bangladesh Army ordered 44 MBT-2000s from China in 2011.[8][9] The Norinco-made MBT-2000 is also used by the Royal Moroccan Army.[10] It was trialled by the Peruvian Army for possible acquisition, but was not purchased due to financial problems.[11]

Operated by a crew of three and armed with a 125 mm smooth-bore tank gun that is reloaded automatically, the tank uses a fire-control system and night-fighting equipment.[12] Al-Khalid is named after the 7th-century Muslim commander Khalid bin al-Walid (592–642 AD).[13][14]

The current production variant of the Al-Khalid uses a diesel engine and transmission supplied by the KMDB design bureau of Ukraine.[12][15] The first production models entered service with the Pakistan Army in 2001. The country placed an order with Ukraine to further upgrade the tanks with a new engine.[16]

  1. ^ a b Ali Osman (10 November 2015). "Pakistan's tool of war: Al-Khalid Main Battle Tank – the armoured fist". Dawn (newspaper). Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b ARG. "Al Khalid Main Battle Tank". Military-Today.com website. Archived from the original on 8 February 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  3. ^ Farhan Bokhari (13 March 2006). "Saudi Arabia to trial Al Khalid MBT". Jane's Defence Weekly website. Archived from the original on 3 May 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference dj2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b "Type 90-II (MBT-2000) Main Battle Tank". Sino Defence. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  6. ^ Saadia Qamar (6 September 2009). "High demand of 'Al-Khalid' tank in modern warfare". The Nation (Pakistani newspaper). Archived from the original on 18 December 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Report Of The Standing Committee On Defence Production" (PDF). Senate of Pakistan website. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  8. ^ Hasan Jahid Tusher (27 June 2011). "Army to get 44 tanks". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). Archived from the original on 16 September 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  9. ^ Dunnigan, James. "Chinese Tanks For Everyone". strategypage.com. Archived from the original on 8 May 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Armor: Chinese Tanks In North Africa". Archived from the original on 8 August 2010. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  11. ^ "The trouble tank MBT-2000 Peru: details". Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  12. ^ a b F Foss, Christopher (22 November 2000). "Al Khalid MBT to enter production". Archived from the original on 18 May 2003. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  13. ^ "Modernisation of Al-Khalid tank: Ukraine to provide technical cooperation to Pakistan: envoy". Business Recorder (newspaper). 20 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Encyclopaedia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Ukraine to Deliver 110 Battle Tank Engines to Pakistan". SPUTNIK International. 18 February 2013. Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  16. ^ "Janes | Latest defence and security news". Archived from the original on 25 November 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.