APC Talha
| Talha | |
|---|---|
| Type | Armored vehicle |
| Place of origin |  Pakistan |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2002 - Present |
| Used by |  Iraq Pakistan |
| Wars | Operation Lyari War on Terror Iraqi civil war (2006–2008) |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Heavy Industries Taxila |
| Designed | 1998 |
| Manufacturer | APC Factory |
| Developed from | M113A2 Mk.1 |
| Developed into | Saad APC |
| Produced | 2002 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 10.6 t (23,000 lb) (Curb weight) 12.5 t (28,000 lb) (Combat weight) |
| Length | 218.5 inches (5.55 m) |
| Width | 100 inches (2.5 m) |
| Height | 102 inches (2.6 m) |
| Crew | 1 (driver) |
| Passengers | 12 |
| Armor | Type 5083 aluminum |
Main armament |
|
Secondary armament | 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun |
| Engine |
|
| Power/weight |
|
| Drive | Tracked |
| Transmission | Allison TX 100-1A |
| Suspension | Torsion bar, hydraulic dampers |
| Fuel capacity | 360 L (79 imp gal) |
Operational range | 320 miles (510 km) |
| Maximum speed | 42 mph (68 km/h) (level land) |
Steering system | Differential or pivot break |
| References | [1][2] |
The Talha (Arabic: طلحہ), is an armoured personnel carrier (APC) developed by Pakistan's Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) in the early 2000s.[3]
Overview
Background
Throughout the Cold war, the Pakistan Army relied on US-supplied M113s locally assembled at HIT as Pakistan remained a major Non-NATO ally of the west in that time frame. However, consequent of Project-706, the country was imposed with international sanctions which made it impossible for HIT to continue manufacturing the M113. Hence, the decision for the development of an indigenous APC came up. The APC was named after the fruitful tree of heaven called "Talha".[3]
Design
Talha's design though based on the M113, was significantly different than the standard M113. The Talha had a facelifted front with the positions of the engine and driver station also being swapped. This allowed a flexibility in the design that the Engine compartment can accommodate power pack with 275 HP Detroit Diesel 6V53T turbocharged engine or a Ukrainian 330 HP UTD-20 engine. Firing ports were added throughout the hull design to enable the Talha's passengers to return fire in combat scenarios.[4][3]
Protection
Talha's hull is made of reinforced Type 5083 aluminum which is sloped and angled at various points to provide better ballistic protection against rifle fire. HIT also offers an up-armoured version for law enforcement which has a spaced armour hull providing protection against 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun fire. Moreover, it has external fuel tanks to provide more space and protection to the interior.[3]
Marketing
HIT revealed the Talha to public and international markets during IDEAS-2002 at Karachi. The Pakistan army was the first customer which planned to deploy 2,000 Talha APCs by 2010.
In November 2004, the Iraqi Ministry of Defence signed a deal with HIT worth US$31 million in which it ordered 44 Talha APCs, 60 Mohafiz security vehicles and 300 Aahan Armoured Guard Posts making Iraq the first export customer for the Talha.[3]
Variants
- Maaz - Fitted with Baktar-Shikan anti-tank missile firing unit.[5][6]
- Mouz - Fitted with RBS 70 surface-to-air missile firing unit.[3]
- Talha-I - Improved version fitted with Turkish RCWS with better protection and performance. Revealed in IDEAS-2024.[7]
- Talha-LEA - Law Enforcement specific version developed for Law enforcement agencies.[8]
Operators
- Iraq
Iraqi Ground Forces: 44 delivered by HIT in 2006.[9]
- Pakistan
Pakistan Army: 400+ in service as of 2010.[10] Total 2,000 planned to be deployed.[9]- Sindh Police: 40 delivered in 2012.[11]
See also
- Related development
- Related lists
References
- ^ "HIT Catalogue" (PDF). Heavy Industries Taxila Official Website.
- ^ "Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT)" (PDF). Defence Export Promotion Organization.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Talha [M113]". GlobalSecurity.org.
- ^ "Talha Series of Tracked Armoured Vehicles" jedsite
- ^ Khattak, Arsalan (2024-04-15). "Pakistan Unveils New Anti-Tank Tracked Armored Vehicle MAAZ". Pro Pakistani.
- ^ "MAAZ–Pakistan new anti-tank Armoured Personnel Carrier". Pak Military Monitor. 2024-04-15.
- ^ Talha-I APC IDEAS-2024 by Pakistan Strategic Forum
- ^ APC Talha COMMERCIAL VERSION WITH TURRET AND ADD ON ARMR
- ^ a b "Talha Armored personnel carrier". Archived from the original on September 3, 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
- ^ "PAKISTAN ARMY". Archived from the original on 2013-05-14. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
- ^ "Low quality equipment risk cops' lives". Archived from the original on 2012-11-11. Retrieved 2013-03-11.