MOSCOW, Sept 26 – Ukraine has shipped tank engines to Pakistan under Islamabad’s program to design and build its own El-Khalid battle tank, Russia’s Itar-Tass news agency said on Tuesday.
The agency quoted Yury Myrhorodsky, head of the state company Bronetekhnyka Ukrainy (Ukrainian Armored Equipment), as saying the 1,200 horsepower engines were designed by the Malyshev plant in Kharkiv.
Earlier this month, Malyshev head Hryhory Malyuk said the plant had readied the first 15 engines and transmission units to be shipped to Pakistan and China, which are working jointly on the new tank.
Russia’s AVN Military agency quoted Malyuk as saying that according to the technology and equipment used Al-Khalid “was a more Ukrainian than Pakistani tank”.
Last year Ukraine completed its biggest tank contract, selling Pakistan 320 T-80UD battle tanks produced by the Malyshev plant worth $650 million.
