APC Talha

Talha is an armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed and manufactured in Pakistan by APC Factory of Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT). The vehicle is based on the M113-A2-Mk.1 APC. The Pakistan Army plans to deploy 2,000 Talha APCs by year 2010. TALHA is an all terrain, amphibious infantry support vehicle with 12.7 mm machine gun as its main armament. Adequate crew compartment space provides excellent crew comfort. Survivability is enhanced through use of external fuel tanks. Various forms of bolt-on armour can be added to increase armour protection of the vehicle.

APC Talha
Command variant called Sakb
TypeArmoured personnel carrier (APC)
Place of origin Pakistan
Service history
Used byPakistan Army
Iraqi Army
Production history
DesignerHeavy Industries Taxila
Designed1998 [1]
ManufacturerHeavy Industries Taxila
Produced2002 [1]
Specifications
Mass12.5 ton (combat weight)
10.6 ton (curb weight)
Length218.5 inches (555 cm)
Width100 inches (250 cm)
Height102 inches (260 cm)
Crew13
ArmourAluminium (5083 series)
Main
armament
12.7 mm machine gun
EngineTwo options:
Power/weight
  • 22 hp/ton (6V53T)
  • 25 hp/ton (UTD-20)
SuspensionTorsion bars, hydraulic dampers
Operational
range
320 miles (510 km)
Maximum speed 40 km/h

History

The decision to develop the Talha was made after U.S. sanctions imposed on Pakistan made it impossible for HIT to continue manufacturing the M113. The Talha's design is based on the M113, one notable difference being the positions of the engine and driver station.[2]

The Al-Talha is being marketed for export and was displayed at the IDEAS 2002 defence exhibition, Karachi, in 2002. In November 2004 an Iraqi delegation ordered 44 Talha APCs.

Engine

There is a flexibility in the design that the Engine compartment can accommodate power pack with 275 HP Detroit Diesel 6V53T turbocharged engine or 330 HP UTD-20, a Ukrainian engine

Operators
Map with Talha operators in blue

Current operators
 Pakistan
 Iraq

Civilian operators
 Pakistan

Variants

5 road wheel variants:

  • Talha - APC
  • Maaz - Fitted with Baktar-Shikan anti-tank missile firing unit
  • Mouz - Fitted with RBS 70 surface-to-air missile firing unit
  • Sakb - Command vehicle
  • Al-Qaswa - Logistics vehicle

Stretched 6 road wheel variants:

  • Saad - APC
  • Al-Hadeed - Armoured recovery vehicle
  • Al-Hamza - Infantry fighting vehicle

Al-Qaswa
Al-Qaswa
TypeArmoured personnel carrier (logistics vehicle)
Place of origin Pakistan
Production history
ManufacturerHeavy Industries Taxila (HIT)
Specifications
Mass14.5 ton (32,694 lb)
Payload: 6 ton (13,485 lb)
Length220 in
Width100 in
Height98.25 in
Crew2 (including driver)
EngineDetroit Diesel 6V53T
265 HP @ 2800 r.p.m.
SuspensionTorsion bars

Al-Qaswa is an armoured personnel carrier (APC) variant of the APC Talha. Designed for logistics roles, the vehicle can carry 6 tonnes of military supplies in its cargo compartment across all types of cross-country terrain (see Geography of Pakistan). The first prototype of the Alb Qaswa was completed in 2002 but as far as it is known the vehicle has yet to enter quantity production. The Al Qaswa logistic vehicle has six road wheels either side which gives the vehicle greater volume and payload compared with some other variants.

Users include:

 Pakistan

See also
Related development
Related lists

References
  1. Al-Talha APC. Archived January 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Talha Series of Tracked Armoured Vehicles" jedsite
  3. "PAKISTAN ARMY". Archived from the original on 2013-05-14. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
  4. "Talha Armored personnel carrier". Retrieved 2013-03-07.
  5. "Low quality equipment risk cops' lives". Archived from the original on 2012-11-11. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  6. "Pakistan Army". Archived from the original on 2013-10-12.
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