New locally-made MAAZ anti-tank tracked armored vehicle enters service with the Pakistani army.

On March 23, 2024, during the Pakistan Day Parade that was held in the city of Islamabad, the Pakistani armed forces have unveiled new combat vehicles that are now in service with the Pakistani army including the locally-made MAAZ, a new anti-tank tracked armored vehicle.
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The new MAAZ anti-tank tracked armored vehicle during the Pakistani Military Day Parade. (Picture source video footage)

During the Pakistani military parade, several new armored personnel carriers (APCs) were displayed as well as the latest generation of Main Batte Tanks (MBTs). One of the new vehicles presented during the military parade is the MAAZ which is an anti-tank version of the Talha, an APC (Armored personnel Carrier based) armed with an anti-tank launcher unit Baktar-Shikan. 

According to the military balance, the Pakistani army has a total of 3,200 tracked APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) vehicles including 2,300 M113A1/A2/P, 200 Talha, 600 Italian VCC-1/VCC-2 and 100 Chinese ZSD-63.

The Talha is the first Pakistani-made armored personnel carrier designed and developed by Heavy Industries Taxila, a state-owned defense company located in Taxila, Punjab, Pakistan. It is based on the chassis of the US M113 APC but provides enhanced protection. The primary weapon of the Talha APC is a 12.7 mm machine gun mounted on the roof.

Designed as an APC, the Talha can transport 11 fully equipped infantrymen. It features two firing ports on each side, an improvement over the M113, which lacked this feature. Troops can access and exit the vehicle through a ramp at the rear.

According to our first analysis, the MAAZ, the anti-tank version of the Talha is fitted with the locally-made Baktar-Shikan anti-tank missile firing unit which is based on the Chinese HJ-8 anti-tank missile,  manufactured under license by Pakistan since the late 1990s and had a successful first test in July 1997.

The missile of the Baktar Shikan anti-tank weapon system can be equipped with two types of warheads: the standard and the tandem. The tandem warhead is particularly effective against the majority of explosive reactive and spaced armors currently in use. Incorporating a smaller warhead, it neutralizes the protective Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA), allowing the main warhead to effectively penetrate the tank's armor.

The missile features a short, cylindrical body with a hemispherical nose and foldable stabilizing fins at the tail. It has a maximum range of 3,000 meters. The standard warhead can penetrate armor up to 500 mm thick, while the tandem warheads are capable of penetrating armor exceeding 600 mm.

Over the past decade, Pakistan has actively collaborated with foreign countries to advance its combat vehicle capabilities, focusing on expanding its indigenous military production and enhancing the performance of its armored vehicles. A significant partnership in this realm has been with China, with whom Pakistan shares robust defense ties. This collaboration has particularly focused on the development and ongoing enhancement of the Al-Khalid tank, which is part of the joint MBT-2000 project. While the Al-Khalid tank itself was initiated before the last ten years, continuous upgrades and new iterations of this tank have been part of recent cooperative efforts.

Additionally, Pakistan has engaged with Turkey, another key partner in military production. The two countries have worked together on several defense projects, including the development of armored vehicle systems. These collaborations not only involve the direct acquisition of military equipment but also the sharing of technology and expertise, which is crucial for building Pakistan's local defense manufacturing capabilities.