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 Pakistani Army plans to deploy 2,000 Talha APCs by 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.

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.

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.

Current operators

 * Pakistan Army: 400+ in Service; Total 2,000 planned to be deployed.
 * Iraqi Army: 44 delivered by Pakistan in 2006.
 * Iraqi Army: 44 delivered by Pakistan in 2006.
 * Iraqi Army: 44 delivered by Pakistan in 2006.

Civilian operators

 * Sindh Police: 40 delivered by Wah Ordnance Factory in 2012.
 * Sindh Police: 40 delivered by Wah Ordnance Factory in 2012.

Variants

 * Maaz - Fitted with Baktar-Shikan anti-tank missile firing unit
 * Mouz - Fitted with RBS 70 surface-to-air missile firing unit
 * Sakb - Command post vehicle
 * Al Qaswa - Logistics & cargo vehicle

APC Saad
APC Saad is a stretched 6 road wheel variant of Talha. Further variants of Saad:
 * Al-Hadeed - Armoured recovery vehicle
 * Al-Hamza - Infantry fighting vehicle