In an interview, Heavy Industries Taxila’s (HIT) Chairman, Major General Syed Aamer Raza, suggested that the forthcoming al-Khalid 2 main battle tank (MBT) could draw on the VT-4’s technology.[1]
The al-Khalid 2 and VT-4 are the Pakistan Army’s ongoing next-generation MBT programs.
Pakistan ordered 176 VT-4 tanks for $859 million U.S. The Pakistan Army announced the VT-4’s induction in October of last year as part of a firing demonstration. Publicly available import-export registries report that Pakistan took on additional VT-4 deliveries as recently as May 2021.
The al-Khalid 2 is a significant upgrade or development of the al-Khalid-series, one of the mainstay MBTs of the Pakistan Army. The Army and HIT have not disclosed many specific details about the new MBT, but to-date, they revealed that the al-Khalid 2 could use a 1,500 hp diesel engine and upgraded electronics.
Currently, HIT is working through an order of 110 al-Khalid I (Improved) MBTs for the Army. It seems that HIT has fulfilled at least 50% of the order, and based on its current output, HIT could complete the contract within the next two to three years. This transition point could lead to the start of al-Khalid 2 production.
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