Al-Khalid-I
| This page is about the premium Chinese medium tank Al-Khalid-I. For the premium British medium tank, see Khalid. |
Contents
Description
The Al-Khalid-I (Urdu: الخال; lit. eternal) is the Pakistani upgraded variant of NORINCO's MBT2000 by 2020s retrofitted by Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT). After the development of Sino-Pakistani MBT2000 passed for certification by both PLAGF and Pakistan Army, the first series Al-Khalid joined Pakistan Army in 2001 as their new MBT alongside with imported Ukrainian T-80UD against foes; while the MBT received very positive opinion from its operators, the tank would still require further upgrades to keep up with the mainstream of MBT development, especially against Indian Army which have received T-90S and planned for the T-90SM. With sufficient supply engine pack from Ukrainian KMDB and experiences gained on T 85-IIAP's production, Al-Khalid-I eventually received FCS and ergonomic upgrades by 2010s; officially introduced on 28th July 2020, the upgraded tank is now replacing the previous fleet of T 59/69 and further boosting the national defense capability of Pakistan with plans to further upgrade the vehicle with Chinese powerpack and redesigned turret in progress.
Introduced in Update "Dance of Dragons" as a new premium pack for Chinese tech tree, players of the MBT-2000 would soon get the grip on Al-Khalid-I with identical handling, firepower and protection. For new players, the tank features a powerful 1,200 hp engine with great reverse speed, while the mobility can make sure players can invade the flanks of enemies and delivery fatal blow to them; while the protection might not be the best of its tier, it can still sometimes save the tank from total destruction.
General info
Survivability and armour
The Al-Khalid-I's armour layout is very similar to the original MBT2000 but still has some changes. The base steel and composite armour is completely identical. Cosmetically, the FY-2 ERA is installed in the form of smaller tiles. This doesn't make any difference on the turret cheeks because the entire damage model is grouped together. Looking at the hull, on the sloped upper glacis, the ERA tile groups are smaller and slightly more numerous, which makes them more resistant to being stripped away by repeated attacks, but the bottom row of ERA that used to help cover the flat "lip" of the glacis housing the headlights is now missing, replaced by a couple of track segments. This is a bit of a letdown because that segment of the composite armour is not completely resistant to 3BM42-class APFSDS without FY-2 covering it, and makes the Al-Khalid-I's hull weak spots larger than the MBT2000's.
The main advertised difference is that FY-2 is installed on the front and sides of the storage racks on the sides of the turret bustle. The flush FY-2 tiles on the sides of the turret cheeks have been removed. The effects of this change are mostly positive but also slightly mixed. The storage racks are now capable of blocking HEAT-FS rounds, autocannon rounds, and weak ATGMs even in direct side attacks, but the less protected turret cheek sides can sometimes allow attacks from the front-side arcs to damage the turret crew.
Although it has no bearing on the actual protection, another cosmetic difference is that the Al-Khalid-I has two tall and unusually thick radio antennas, which can be more easily noticed by enemies when hiding behind cover.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | ___ mm | ___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom |
___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Turret | ___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet |
___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Cupola | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm |
Notes:
Mobility
The Al-Khalid-I retained the Ukrainian Kharkov 6TD-2 engine pack as its power source for mobility and logistical reasons. Thanks to the revised transmission with additional side gears, this enables the tank to reverse at up to -31 km/h, more than enough to retreat from danger.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 78 | 36 | 48 | _,___ | 2,290 | __.__ | 47.71 |
| Realistic | 71 | 32 | _,___ | 1,200 | __.__ | 25 | |
Modifications and economy
2 × 150 / 200 / 230 % 2 × 238 / 238 / 238 % | Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
As 125 mm calibre has been selected as the calibre for Pakistan Army and the vehicle was developed mostly by NORINCO of Mainland China, Al-Khalid-I also selected the same cannon as ZTZ99 series - the ZPT98 cannon. All the specifications and ammunition options are totally identical to its Chinese cousins aside from having 49 spare ammo as demanded by Pakistan; while the traverse is sufficient at its tier at a much higher speed than Soviet/Russian serial production MBTs, be sure to turn the turret beforehand just in case - NATO tanks mostly have better traverse rate than Al-Khalid.
| 125 mm ZPT98 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Autoloader |
| Arcade | 49 | -6°/+14° | ±180° | Two-plane | 28.6 | 39.5 | 48.0 | 53.1 | 56.5 | 7.10 |
| Realistic | 17.9 | 21.0 | 25.5 | 28.2 | 30.0 | |||||
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| DTP-125 | HEATFS | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 |
| DTB-125 | HE | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 |
| DTC10-125 | APFSDS | 577 | 575 | 566 | 555 | 544 | 533 |
| DTB12-125 | HE-VT* | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| DTP-125 | HEATFS | 905 | 18 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 2.62 | 65° | 72° | 77° | |||
| DTB-125 | HE | 850 | 23 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 5.46 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| DTC10-125 | APFSDS | 1,770 | 4.85 | - | - | - | 78° | 80° | 81° | |||
| Proximity-fused shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Arming distance (m) |
Trigger radius (m) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | |||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| DTB12-125 | HE-VT* | 850 | 23.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 500 | 7 | 5.3 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |
DTP-125, HEAT-FS, Stock - DTP-125 has been a long-time friend to the Chinese 125 mm gun and is one of the stock shells for the Al-Khalid-I; like many HEATFS of its tier, due to ERA and composite armour being commonplace at its tier, hitting enemies from the front would very likely be fruitless. So if opting for HEATFS to take out enemies, make sure to aim for non-ERA/composite covered parts or by flanking enemies if possible; remembering where their ammunition is located can earn players a quick kill against enemies. It is still a versatile shell to have against all types of ground target.
DTB-125, HE-FS, Stock - DTB-125 is also available as the other stock shell; HEFS can serve as a makeshift anti-tank shell by hitting enemy optics or top plates with low protection and possibly triggering overpressure, dooming the crew and internal compartments of enemy vehicles. This also enables the tank to do "top-down" attacks against tanks behind cover, notably NATO tanks with higher profile and CITV. Thanks to the high explosive content, it is also a better option to knock-out light vehicles right away than the HEATFS.
125-I, APFSDS, Tier I - 125-I (aka 一期弹 or officially, the 一步弹; Phrase/Stage I ammunition) has already been a familiar APFSDS for Chinese MBTs with 125 mm gun, players from ZTZ96 series can soon get on hand with the APFSDS with its good ballistic performance and penetration (the highest for 125 mm APFSDS <500 mm penetration), helping players to go through the stock stages; aim for different weak spots accordingly if facing higher-tier NATO/Warsaw-Pact tanks.
DTC10-125, APFSDS, Tier IV - as the main APFSDS of PLAGF and one of the highest-penetration (non-DU) export APFSDS for 125 mm guns, DTC10-125 (aka 三期弹 or officially, the 三步弹; Phrase/Stage III ammunition; DTC10E when export) can make sure it can also utilize its very high velocity to defeat most enemies it face without problem, this also enables Al-Khalid-I to defeat more advanced MBTs at higher-tier even at long range.
DTB12-125, HE-FS (VT), Tier IV - Unlike Soviet/Russian HE-FS with timed fuse, DTB12 is currently the only HE-VT for its calibre; not only can it still be used as "anti-tank" shells like its stock counterpart albeit with lesser explosive content, enemy aircraft will have to face a 125 mm makeshift AA gun with 7 m trigger radius - it is never a good idea getting hit by such a huge shell.
Ammo racks
| Fullammo | 1st rack empty | 2nd rack empty | 3rd rack empty | 4th rack empty | 5th rack empty | 6th rack empty | 7th rack empty | 8th rack empty | 9th rack empty | 10th rack empty | 11th rack empty | Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | 48 (+1) | 45 (+4) | 42 (+7) | 38 (+11) | 35 (+14) | 32 (+17) | 29 (+20) | 25 (+24) | 24 (+25) | 23 (+26) | 1 (+48) | No |
For sustained combat endurance and demands from Pakistan, the Al-Khalid-I has 49 shells and its propellant onboard scattered around the chassis, mostly concentrated around the turret carousel. While having so many ammunition means missed shots can be compensated by subsequent shots (given the autoloader is not damaged), this also turns the tank into a walking powder keg at full-load, turning the tank into a firework show is never the best idea to end a battle; 23 shells in the autoloader and pre-load of breech are more than enough to finish the battle with relatively ease.
Machine guns
| 12.7 mm QJC88A | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Pintle | 750 (150) | 600 | -6°/+85° | ±180° |
| 7.62 mm Type 86 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 4,000 (250) | 700 | - | - |
Usage in battles
Although it has a number of small differences in terms of protection and appearance, the Al-Khalid-I plays mostly like a slightly improved MBT2000 with better thermal optics - the gunner enjoys an improvement in resolution and the commander receives brand new thermals on the CITV of the same resolution (however it is still saddled with a fixed 6x zoom, unlike the variable 3x-10.7x CITV zoom of the ZTZ99s). Like the MBT2000, it has a very nice reverse speed and responsive handling by Soviet/Chinese standards because of its powerpack, and the overall protection is quite good, less so for the hull but above average on the turret. It can be played as a mobile flanker or midfielder. The reverse speed allows it to move beyond solid cover and perform shoot-and-scoot tactics much more easily than other Chinese tanks and the combination of both low and high zoom settings on the gunner optics is comfortable for brawling and sniping. Do note that the inherent protection is inferior to the ZTZ99s, as the composite armour is rather weaker and FY-2 is not as strong as FY-4, so take advantage of the mobility to move between good positions and avoid keeping the hull exposed to enemy fire.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Slightly improved protection with larger ERA coverage at turret front and additions on turret baskets
- Powerful main cannon with varieties of ammunition
- Commander override of turret for retaliation
- Excellent mobility
- 1,200 hp engine with sufficient T/W ratio for flanking tactics
- Revised transmission enables pseudo-neutral steering and high reverse speed
- Two different magnifications for different engage range with large FOV
- Upgraded with 3rd generation TVD for both gunner and CITV
- Thick turret protection
Cons:
- Fixed 7.1 second reload and infamous AZ-172 autoloader with high detonation rate once being hit
- Inconsistent protection
- Cast-welded mantle still haunts the frontal protection
- Insufficient protection at its tier, especially compared to ZTZ99 or T-90 series
- Slow gun vertical traverse due to hydraulic drive
- Engine deck with raised-up plates that blocks rear arc of fire
- Cramped crew layout and densely packed ammunition onboard
History
Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
- MBT-2000 - its ancestor, aka Al-Khalid or VT-1
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| China medium tanks | |
|---|---|
| ZTZ59 | Type 59 · ZTZ59A · ZTZ59D1 |
| ZTZ69 | Type 69 · Type 69-IIa |
| ZTZ88/96 | ZTZ88A · ZTZ88B |
| ZTZ96 · ZTZ96A · ZTZ96A (P) | |
| ZTZ99 | ZTZ99-II · ZTZ99-III |
| ZTZ99A | ZTZ99A · WZ1001(E) LCT |
| Export series | MBT-2000 · VT4A1 |
| ROC | CM11 |
| Other | Т-34-85 Gai · Object 122MT "MC" |
| Bangladesh | T-69 II G |
| Japan | ␗Chi-Ha · ␗Chi-Ha Kai |
| Pakistan | Al-Khalid-I |
| USA | ␗M4A4 · ␗M4A4 (1st PTG) · ␗M4A1 (75) W · ␗M48A1 · ␗M60A3 TTS |
| USSR | ␗T-34 (1943) · ␗Т-34-85 (S-53) · T-34-85 No.215 · Т-62 №545 |
| China premium ground vehicles | |
|---|---|
| Light tanks | T-26 No.531 · ␗M3A3 (1st PTG) · ␗M41A3 · M64 · WMA301 |
| Medium tanks | ␗M4A4 (1st PTG) · T-34-85 No.215 · Т-62 №545 · ZTZ59A · Type 69-IIa · T-69 II G · ZTZ96A (P) · Al-Khalid-I |
| Heavy tanks | IS-2 No.402 |
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- Ground vehicles with composite armour
- Ground vehicles with smoke grenades
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- Ground vehicles with night vision device
- Ground vehicles with thermal sight
- Ground vehicles with autoloader
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