Heavy Industries Taxila

Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT)

Logo of Heavy Industries Taxila
Type	Government-owned
Industry	Heavy engineering and arms manufacturing
Founded	September 1971
Headquarters	Taxila, Punjab, Pakistan
Key people	Lt Gen Syed Wajid Hussain (Chairman) Major Gen Muhammad Muazzam Ali (DG Technical Affairs)
Employees	4,500 civilian 1,950 military (as of 2004)

Heavy Industries Taxila (abbreviated HIT) is the backbone of Pakistan's engineering industry for the Pakistan Armed Forces, being a combination of multiple industries that has grown into a large military complex since 1980. It consists of six major production units and their support facilities, staffed by over 6500 workers. About 30% of the 6500 employees are uniformed military personnel.^{[citation needed]}

HIT has facilities for overhaul, rebuild and progressive manufacturing of main battle tanks (MBT), armoured recovery vehicles (ARV), armoured personnel carriers (APC) and other armoured vehicles of both eastern and western armoured vehicles. HIT has developed and currently manufactures the Al-Khalid MBT.

History

With the growing fleet of T-59 tanks manufactured by China, the Pakistan Army decided that a facility to maintain and rebuild the tanks was needed. As a result the Heavy Rebuild Foundry Project (P-711) was conceived, with Chinese assistance and technology. In the late 1970s the Heavy Rebuild Factory (HRF) was established in Taxila to undertake rebuild and modernization of tanks.

The capabilities of HRF significantly increased with the growing experience acquired in enhancing firepower, mobility and protection of various armoured vehicles. As a result the facility gradually became a multi-factory environment and in September 1992 was renamed Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT).

Today the main activities include manufacture of armoured fighting vehicles, armoured personnel carriers and tank guns and in-house manufacture of a wide range of components required. An infrastructure has been established to enhance interaction with the indigenous industries of Pakistan, for the development of materials and components.^{[Clarification needed]}

Facilities

Heavy Industries Taxila comprises various defence factories and facilities:

• Heavy Rebuild Factory T-Series

To rebuild and modernize tanks/armoured recovery vehicles of Chinese and Eastern European origin.^{[citation needed]}

• Heavy Rebuild Factory M-Series

Heavy Rebuild Factory (M-Series) carryies out rebuild of tracked vehicles of US origin. The factory specializes in M113 Series vehicles.

• APC Factory

The M113 Family of vehicles are manufactured in this factory using CNC machines CAD/CAM system and manufacturing technology on MIG and TIG aluminum welding, radiographic inspection, chemical cleaning, coating and painting according to military specifications.

• Gun Factory

The Gun factory has the capability of machining barrels ranging from 105 mm to 203 mm caliber. It manufactures 105mm gun barrels for upgraded T-59 & T-69 tanks. Each barrel is auto-frettaged and subjected to high precision work on state of the art machines.

• Tank Factory

Tank Factory is equipped with modern manufacturing facilities, including 7-axis CNC machines, for flexible heavy-duty machining operations and a complete infrastructure for hull and turret manufacture.

• Development, Engineering Support And Components Manufacture (DESCOM)

This production facility has been established to provide engineering support to all the factories of HIT. Equipped with CNC machines, it undertakes manufacture of components, assemblies, tools, dies, gauges and arranges development of spare parts through the vendor industry. It also provides repair and maintenance support to machinery and equipment installed in HIT.

• Evaluation, Training And Research Organization (ETRO)

This is a supporting organization which undertakes Quality Assurance of finished products with quality assurance laboratories which test physical and chemical properties of production materials, calibration facilities are available to ensure accuracy of tools and gauges used in rebuild and manufacturing processes.

• Mechanical Complex

This complex manufactures sugar plants, cement plants, boilers, cranes, road construction machinery, brick-making machinery and other equipment to cater for the needs of Pakistan Railways and other civilian organisations.

• Research And Development (R&D)

HIT has undertaken R&D projects on required basis wherein it has carried out successful R&D in the following areas:

• Tank design
• Tank modernization
• Infantry fighting vehicles
• Tank fire-control systems

Production

Former

• Type 69-II - Main battle tank produced under license.
• Type 85-IIAP - Main battle tank produced under license.
• M113 - Armoured personnel carrier produced under license.

Current

Main battle tanks (MBT)

• Al-Khalid
• Al-Zarrar

Artillery

• MKEK Panter towed howitzer.

Armoured personnel carriers (APC)

• Talha - APC based on M113 chassis with 5 road wheels, accommodates 11 fully equipped troops. 250 delivered to the Pakistan Army by 2006.
• Saad - APC based on the Talha design. Modified with extended hull and 6 road wheels, 14.5 mm machine gun, improved armour protection and a more powerful engine supplied by Germany's MTU. Accommodates 13 fully equipped troops.
• Sakb - Armoured command vehicle based on Talha APC.
• Al-Hamza - Infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) based on the Saad APC, fitted with 25 mm automatic cannon, an export product not in service with the Pakistan Army.

• Armoured guided missile carriers:
  • Maaz - Based on the Talha APC, armed with the Baktar-Shikan anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) launcher and operated by a crew of 4. There is capacity for 8 extra rounds and the missile firing unit on the roof is retracted into the cabin for reloading.
  • Mouz - Based on the Talha APC, armed with either the RBS 70 or Anza I/II air-defence missile systems. The missile firing unit on the roof is retracted into the cabin for reloading.

• Auxiliary armoured vehicles:
  • Al-Hadeed - Armoured recovery vehicle (ARV) based on Saad APC.
  • Al-Qaswa - Armoured logistics vehicle (ALV) based on the Talha APC.

Armoured cars

• Mohafiz — armoured security vehicle based on the Land Rover Defender.

Under development

• 155 mm Self-propelled artillery gun - Project revealed at IDEAS 2002 defence exhibition.
• Al-Khalid II - Under development.
• Burraq MRAP vehicle - Under development.

HIT Education City

HITEC University was conceived as a part of HIT Education City (HITEC). The city had already established instructional programmes at nursery, school and college levels. The university commenced classes in November, 2007 with an intake of 250 students, in affiliation with University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila. It was granted its own charter in November 2009 by the government of Punjab and is sponsored by the Heavy Industries Taxila Education Welfare Trust (HITEWT).

See also

• Defence Science and Technology Organization
• Pakistan Armed Forces
• Pakistan Ordnance Factories

External links

• Heavy Mechanical Complex Official Website
• HITEC (Heavy Industries Taxila Education City - official website
• Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) brochure