APC Talha

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	Baktar Shikan ATGM (Maaz variant); RBS-70 surface to air missile (Mouz variant);
Secondary; armament	7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun
Engine	Detroit Diesel 6V53T, 275 hp; KMDB UTD-20, 330 hp;
Power/weight	22 hp/ton (6V53T); 25 hp/ton (UTD-20);
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

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]