Agence France Presse September 24, 2004
Pakistan military gets new home-grown tanks
Pakistan's army has inducted a new locally-made tank, the military said Friday, after four years in development with Chinese assistance.
The Al-Khalid MBT 2000 tank was formally presented to a cavalry regiment by vice army chief General Muhammad Yusaf Khan on Thursday at a heavy industries manufacturing plant just outside Islamabad.
"Production of this tank is a landmark achievement," Khan said at the induction ceremony, according to a military statement.
"The Al-Khalid tank is compatible with any modern tank of the world with an excellent power to weight ratio, enhanced firepower, high mobility, all weather day and night capability, excellent protection and a 125 mm smooth bore gun."
Pakistan and China agreed in 1990 to jointly develop the new tank, according to the Washington-based Federation of American Scientists (FAS).
The Al-Khalid tank features a recently-developed thermal viewer system to improve nocturnal fighting capability and a Ukrainian-manufactured engine, FAS said on its website.
Ukraine pledged in 2002 to provide Pakistan with 315 engines for Al-Khalid tanks over three years in a deal worth up to 150 million dollars, according to the Washington-based globalsecurity.org website.
© Copyright 2004, Agence France Presse
