During the 2016 International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS)
in Karachi, Pakistani armed forces and Turkish defence industry
officials shared details about the al-Khalid 2 main battle tank (MBT)
program.
In the mid-to-late 2000s, the al-Khalid 2 was envisaged as a major update to the al-Khalid, which was itself intended to be the mainstay MBT of the Pakistan Army. However, strenuous finances amid the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, coupled with the decade-plus long counterinsurgency (COIN) campaign in the Tribal Areas, put the al-Khalid program into a much slower track in terms of procurement and development.
In the mid-to-late 2000s, the al-Khalid 2 was envisaged as a major update to the al-Khalid, which was itself intended to be the mainstay MBT of the Pakistan Army. However, strenuous finances amid the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, coupled with the decade-plus long counterinsurgency (COIN) campaign in the Tribal Areas, put the al-Khalid program into a much slower track in terms of procurement and development.