MBT_2000 Main Battle Tank

MBT 2000 

The MBT 2000 is a main battle tank designed and developed jointly by Norinco of China and Heavy Industries Taxila of Pakistan. It was first revealed in late 1991 and is much heavier than previous Chinese-made MBTs, suggesting a transformation of design principles in the Chinese tanks. The tank’s overall layout is conventional with the driver’s compartment at the front, fighting compartment in the centre, and power pack at the rear.

The Type 90-II MBT is armed with a fully-stabilised 125mm auto-fed smoothbore gun capable of firing various types of ammunition, including high explosive, high explosive fragmentation, and APFSDS. The tank is also capable of firing the 9M119 Refleks guided missile.

The Type 90-II MBT has a welded steel construction hull with an additional layer of composite armour at the front. Explosive reactive armour has been added to the glacis plate and nose of the vehicle, and the turret is in the centre and is of all-welded steel armour construction to which a layer of composite armour has been added over the frontal arc. The power pack of the Type 90-II consists of the engine, transmission, and cooling system, and can be removed as a complete unit in 30 minutes. The engine is a British Perkins Engines Company Shrewsbury CV12-1200 TCA diesel developing 1,200 hp coupled to a French SESM ESM 500 automatic transmission. The Type 90-II MBT was not produced due to a lack of interest from either domestic or foreign customers.

MBT-AL _KHALID 1

• Armament: One 125 mm, one coaxial machine gun 7.62 mm calibre and one 12.7 mm calibre machine gun
• Country users: China, Pakistan (Al Khalid), Bangladesh
• Developed: jointly by Norinco of China and Heavy Industries Taxila of Pakistan.
• Accessories: Firing control computer system, night vision, NBC system
• Crew: 3 soldiers
• Armour: Steel and composite armour, explosive reactive armour on the front of the turret and the hull.
• Weight: 48,000 kg
• Speed: 62 km on the road
• Range: 450 km
• Dimensions: Length, 10,07 m; Width, 3,4 m; Height, 2,37 m

mbt

Armament & Fire Control

The primary 125 mm smoothbore weapon can fire armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) rounds, high-explosive (HE) fragmentation, and high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) munitions. It also fires laser-guided anti-tank missiles directly through the main barrel, extending its engagement range out to 5 kilometers. The tank utilizes a modernized Western-style digital fire-control system integrated with a thermal imaging sight, a laser rangefinder, and an automatic tracking system for high first-round hit probability on moving targets. Secondary armaments feature a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun alongside a roof-mounted 12.7 mm anti-aircraft heavy machine gun.

Defensive Protection

The vehicle's base shell consists of all-welded steel armor reinforced by a modular composite layer across the frontal arc. This modular configuration allows operators to easily upgrade structural plates as newer composite technologies emerge. For explosive threats, the tank is wrapped in Chinese FY-2 or FY-4 explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks, which neutralize shaped-charge warheads. Standard countermeasures include an automatic fire suppression matrix, collective Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) filtration, and laser warning receivers linked to smoke grenade launchers.

Global Operators

• Pakistan: Operates hundreds of domestic variants designated as the Al-Khalid and upgraded Al-Khalid-I.
• Bangladesh: Purchased an initial batch of 44 units from China in 2011 to serve as a cornerstone of its heavy armor divisions.
• Morocco: Acquired a production batch of the Norinco-built MBT-2000 for the Royal Moroccan Army.
• Myanmar: Deploys the system within its active armored vehicle fleet.

If you are researching this vehicle for a specific project, please let me know if you need details on its battle history, a comparison to neighboring regional tanks, or its inclusion in military simulators.