The Hindu : Ukraine engines for Pak. tank

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 11, 2002

International

International

Ukraine engines for Pak. tank

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW JUNE 10. Ukraine has signed a long-awaited deal to supply engines and gear-boxes for Pakistan's Al-Khalid Main Battle Tank built jointly with China.

Under a $100 million contract, Ukraine will deliver 285 sets of engines and transmission systems for the Al-Khalid MBT over a period of three years, the Ukrainian UNIAN news agency reported on Sunday.

The 1200 horse power engines would enable the new Pakistani tank to develop the maximum speed of 65 km/h and work reliably at air temperatures of up to 55 C degrees, UNIAN said.

Al-Khalid will therefore have a more powerful engine than India's Russian-built 1100-hp T-90 MBT and the same armour protection and missile-firing capability.

The first batch of 15 Al-Khalid tanks with Ukrainian-built power packs rolled off the Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) facility last year.

In the mid-1990s Ukraine had supplied 320 T-80UD Main Battle Tanks to Islamabad.

Experts of Ukraine's Research Centre for the Army, Conversion and Disarmament told the UNIAN news agency that the tank deals will not change the balance of power between India and Pakistan, because India's superiority is overwhelming.

Earlier reports said Ukraine is about to sign another tank deal with Pakistan for the modernisation of hundreds of its Al- Zarar tanks, the Chinese-built version of the Russian first-generation MBT, T-55.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

Stories in this Section

World convinced infiltration has stopped: Pak.

UAE President's call to defuse tension

Sharon may press for exiling Yasser Arafat

Defeat triggers riots in Moscow

Blair asks Sinn Fein chief to rein in IRA

Leaders dispute Zahir role

Ukraine engines for Pak. tank

Terrorist states must be punished: U.S.

'Lion embracing chicken'

End hunger, nations urged