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 | |
| Type | Armoured personnel carrier (APC) |
| Place of origin |  |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Pakistan Army Iraqi Army |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Heavy Industries Taxila |
| Designed | 1998 [1] |
| Manufacturer | Heavy Industries Taxila |
| Produced | 2002 [1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 12.5 ton (combat weight) 10.6 ton (curb weight) |
| Length | 218.5 inches (555 cm) |
| Width | 100 inches (250 cm) |
| Height | 102 inches (260 cm) |
| Crew | 13 |
| Armour | Aluminium (5083 series) |
Main armament | 12.7 mm machine gun |
| Engine | Two options:
|
| Power/weight |
|
| Suspension | Torsion 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
Current operators
- Pakistan Army: 400+ in Service;[3] Total 2,000 planned to be deployed.[4]
- Iraqi Army: 44 delivered by Pakistan in 2006.[4]
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 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Armoured personnel carrier (logistics vehicle) |
| Place of origin | |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 14.5 ton (32,694 lb) Payload: 6 ton (13,485 lb) |
| Length | 220 in |
| Width | 100 in |
| Height | 98.25 in |
| Crew | 2 (including driver) |
| Engine | Detroit Diesel 6V53T 265 HP @ 2800 r.p.m. |
| Suspension | Torsion 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 Army: 200 to be procured.[6]
See also
- Related development
- Related lists
References
- Al-Talha APC. Archived January 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- "Talha Series of Tracked Armoured Vehicles" jedsite
- "PAKISTAN ARMY". Archived from the original on 2013-05-14. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
- "Talha Armored personnel carrier". Retrieved 2013-03-07.
- "Low quality equipment risk cops' lives". Archived from the original on 2012-11-11. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
- "Pakistan Army". Archived from the original on 2013-10-12.
