Pakistan's HIT details tank production

The Haider MBT continues China's long-standing supply of MBT to satisfy the requirements of Pakistan's Army. (Janes/Christopher Petrov)

Pakistan's Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) provided Janes with details on its Haider main battle tank (MBT) production during the Azerbaijan International Defence Exhibition (ADEX) 2026, held in Baku from 30 September to 2 October. The Haider is a locally produced derivative based on the Chinese VT4 MBT.

The Haider is a three-person, 53-tonne MBT powered by a 1,200 hp engine and armed with a 125 mm smoothbore gun. It largely retains the configuration and characteristics of the VT4, although the model displayed at ADEX was shown with the locally-developed Zarb remote weapon station.

A HIT representative told Janes that joint ventures with foreign manufacturers had enabled the company to develop expertise in producing modern armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), including MBTs, wheeled armoured personnel carriers, and mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles. According to the representative, the Haider production line has an annual capacity of approximately 50 tanks, with more than 100 vehicles produced to date. The representative estimated that 60-65% of the Haider is locally produced, although no breakdown of the locally manufactured components was provided.

Haider production is not HIT's only ongoing MBT-related activity. Pakistan signed a contract to procure 320 T-80UDs from Ukraine in 1996, according to the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau (KMDB) which supplied the MBTs. As recently as February 2021 Ukraine's state-owned Ukroboronprom announced that it had signed a USD85.6 million contract with Pakistan for the repair of its T-80UD tank fleet.