Haider Main Battle Tank

Haider Main Battle Tank
File:Haider Main Battle Tank.jpg
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	Pakistan
Service history
Used by
Production history
Designer	Heavy Industries Taxila
Manufacturer	Heavy Industries Taxila
Specifications
Length	10.10 m
Width	3.40 m
Height	2.30 m
Crew	3
Engine	Four-stroke turbo charged electronically-controlled Diesel engine 1200hp
Transmission	Hydro-mechanical Automatic Manual Transmission
Suspension	Torsion Type
Operational range	500km
Maximum speed	70km/h

The Haider Tank (Urdu : حیدر ٹینک) Literally "The Lion Tank", is a local made third generation main battle tank of the Pakistan army. It is based on the Chinese VT-4. During IDEX 2023, a scale model of the tank was displayed on the Pavilion of Pakistan. VT4 itself is an export variant of the Chinese Type99G tank that is in use by the People Liberation Army. It is named after the last caliphate of the Rashidun Caliphate, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib.

Design

The design of Haider MBT is conventional with the driver seated at the front center of the hull, the turret in the middle and the engine in rear. The Tank has a crew of three; The Driver, Commander and The Gunner. The main armament of the tank consists of a 125mm Smoothbore gun that is able to fire a variety of ammunition (which includes Armored Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding sabot, High explosive, High Explosive anti-Tank along with Anti-Tank Guided Missiles).

The second armament consist of one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and a remotely operated weapon station mounted at the rear of the commander hatch that is armed with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun.

Armor

The Haider's Tank Armor on the turret and the hull is an amalgam of composite, reactive and spaced armor. Composite armor is made up of layers of Ceramics, Metals and Polymers that help to resist the penetration by external threats. They are lighter in weight and are effective. The ceramic materials absorbs projectile penetration by fragmentation, diminishing the penetration The Reactive armor uses the charges from explosives to deflect the incoming projectiles. ERA's are mounted on most vulnerable points on the tank such as the hull and the entire turret.

Spaced armor is made of two layers of armor with a gap in between slowing the impulse of the incoming projectiles and increasing the collision time. In addition the front hull is protected by Explosive Reactive Armored Package.

Suspension

The Haider tank's Suspension system is made of six road wheels on each side with the first and former wheels mounted on hydraulic shock absorbers. The Suspension of the Haider MBT is that of the Torsion type. The Tank is also powered by a four-stroke turbocharged electronically controlled Diesel engine that makes it of 1200 HP along with a hydro-mechanical automatic transmission. It can attain a maximum speed of 70 km/h (with maximum cruising range of 500 km)

Fire Control System

The Haider MBT is equipped with an advanced fire control system that contains a variety of sensors and targeting device to enhance the tank's accuracy and lethality. This system is designed to help the tank's crew clear view of the battle field and to identify and engage threats effectively.

The main gun of the tank is equipped with thermal imaging sight (To detect heat signatures and to visualize heat patterns even in low-light environments), Laser rangefinder(assists the gunner to determine the precise distance to a target) and a Panoramic commander's sight (360 view of the battle field).

The fire control system also includes a ballistic computer which calculates the firing solution for the main gun based on the target's distance, angle and some other factors. This assists the crew to ensure that the tank's rounds hit their target accurately and with maximum effect.

With addition to these features, the lethality of the tank is further increased by the addition of a sophisticated ballistic computer that with pinpoint accuracy, calculates the firing solution for the main gun. This feature promises accuracy with precision.