Al-Khalid I

Description: The Type 96A, also reported as Type 90 for export customers, Main Battle Tank (MBT) is an improved derivative of the Type 85 II tank which was developed on the basis of the Soviet-made T-54 chassis. After the Gulf War in 1991, the Chinese military realized that Type 88 was no match to Western-made tanks and launched the development of more advanced MBTs which led to Type 96 and Type 99. The Type 96A MBT, originally known as Type 85 III, was deployed by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) at the end of the 1990s replacing Type 59 and Type 69 in PLA's elite units.

The Al-Khalid I is an upgraded variant developed by Pakistan and introduced in 2009 featuring increased ammunition, improved fire control system, sensors, integrated battle management system (IBMS), air conditioning system, side-skirts, track pads, and auto-loader with a rate of fire of 9 rounds per minute. Besides, the Al Khalid I is equipped with an electro-optical jammer to neutralize laser rangefinders, laser designations and anti-tank guided missile tracking systems. The sensor package includes a Sagem third generation imager. The ammunition load includes 49 125mm rounds (39 rounds in previous model), 1,500 12.7mm rounds (500 rounds in previous model) and 7,100 7.62mm rounds (3,000 rounds in previous model). The Pakistani Army has procured roughly 200 Al Khalid I tanks between 2009 and 2015.