Al-Zarrar tank

Al-Zarrar
Al-Zarrar MBT during the IDEAS Convention in Karachi Expo Center, c. 2008.
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	Pakistan
Service history
In service	2004–present
Used by	Pakistan Army
Wars	War in North-West Pakistan
Production history
Designer	Heavy Industries Taxila
Designed	1990s
Manufacturer	Heavy Industries Taxila
Produced	6 May 2003
Variants	None
Specifications
Mass	44 t (97,000 lb)[1]
Length	31.17 ft (9.50 m)[1]
Width	10.83 ft (3.30 m)[1]
Height	8.20 ft (2.50 m)[1]
Crew	4[1]
Shell	125mm smoothbore
Calibre	125 mm[1]
Armour	Modular composite armour Explosive reactive armour[2]
Main armament	125 mm smoothbore ammunition[2]
Secondary armament	12.7 mm external anti-aircraft machine gun[2] 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun 8 × smoke grade dischargers
Engine	1xKMDB 12 cylinder liquid cooled diesel[2] 730 hp[2]
Power/weight	18.3 hp/tonne[2]
Suspension	High-hardness-steel torsion bar[1]
Operational range	450 km (280 mi)[1]
Maximum speed	65 km (40 mi)/h[1]

The Al-Zarrar (Urdu: الضرار), is a second generation main battle tank (MBT), currently in the services of the Pakistan Army since 2004. The tank is named after Muslim warrior Zarrar bin Al-Azwar.^[3]

It is a highly upgraded version of Pakistan's ageing Chinese Type 59 tanks (a design that in turn was based on the Soviet T-54A from the mid-1950s), developed with Ukrainian assistance^[1] and manufactured by the Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) – the hub of Pakistani tanks and tracked vehicles, featuring a 125 mm smoothbore gun as primary weapon.^[3] The Al-Zarrar can achieve a maximum speed of 65 km (40 mi) per hour, weighs around 44 tons and has a four-man crew: commander, gunner, loader and driver.^[1][4]

Although the upgrade program started in 1990 the Al-Zarrar did not enter military service with the Pakistan Army Armoured Corps until 2004, gradually replacing the Type 59s. It is the most plentiful tank in Pakistan's arsenal, with over 500 units in service^[5] and an additional 600 Type-59s to be upgraded. Attempts were made to export the Al-Zarrar to the Bangladesh Army in 2008 to replace its massive fleet of Type 59 tanks through the technology transfer. However, Bangladesh Army later upgraded its Type-59 tanks to Type 59 Durjoy, Pakistan Army remained its sole operator.^[6]