Armoured Corps (Pakistan)

The Armoured Corps (Urdu: ﺁرمرڈ كور) of the Pakistan Army is a combat branch tasked with armoured warfare. Equipped with more than 3,742 main battle tanks, the corps is headquartered in the garrison town of Nowshera, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The corps has only administrative control of its component regiments. The regiments are deployed in a number of field formations including two armoured divisions, two mechanised divisions, and a number of independent armoured brigades.

Pakistan Armoured Corps
Cap Badge of the Armoured Corps
Active1947-Present
Country Pakistan
BranchArmy
Size52 regiments[1]
Regimental CentreNowshera Cantonment, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[2][3]
Nickname(s)Men of Steel[4]
ColorsRed and Yellow
Engagements
Commanders
Colonel CommandantLieutenant General Nadeem Zaki Manj[2][3]
Notable
commanders		Major General Bilal Omer Khan
GEN Zia-ul-Haq
Lt. Gen. Mian Muhammad Afzaal (Shaheed) (CGS)
GEN Jehangir Karamat
Gen. Shamim Alam Khan
Lt. Gen. Nadeem Zaki Manj [EX CCC]
GEN Ahsan Saleem Hayat
Lt. Gen. Gul Hassan Khan
Lt. Gen. Hameed Gul

The corps has a history going back to September 1773, when its oldest unit, the Governor General's Bodyguard, was raised in British India. The corps maintains a number of units, who earned fame in numerous wars and engagements as part of the British Indian Army including in the two World Wars. At the time of the independence, Pakistan inherited six armoured regiments from the old British Indian Army.[5]

Since then, the corps has expanded into more than forty regiments. Many of these new regiments have also earned accolades for their performance in wars fought with India. The corps played a minor role in 1947-48 and a major role in the 1965 and 1971 wars with India.[6] Later on, the Corps played a crucial part in terms of deterrence when the Pakistani Army has mobilised repeatedly in the face of various Indian build-ups on the border. These include Operation Brasstacks in 1986-87 and Operation Parakram in 2001–02.[7] The Corps also took part in Operation Zarb-e-Azb against terrorist groups in the North-Western part of Pakistan.[8][9]

The Corps has a major presence along the India-Pakistan border and a minor presence along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.[10]

Regiments in the Corps

Equipment

Armoured Corps regiments are equipped with the following:

  • The VT4 is a Chinese third-generation MBT specifically made for export.
  • The Al-Khalid main battle tank is a joint Sino-Pakistani production with a 125 mm smoothbore gun.
  • The T-80UD is of Ukrainian origin with a 125 mm smoothbore gun.
  • The Al-Zarrar is a heavily upgraded version of the Chinese Type 59 tank equipped with a 125mm smoothbore cannon, ERA, and many more modern equipment.
  • The T-85III is an upgraded version of the Chinese T-85AP with a 125 mm smoothbore gun.
  • The Type 69 tank is a Chinese MBT with a 105 mm gun.
  • The Haider Main Battle Tank has been designed by using the design of the Chinese VT4.

See also

References
  1. The armoured regiments are composed of one battalion each.
  2. "Commanders must focus on training of all ranks, says COAS". The News. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  3. "COAS General Bajwa Visited Armored Corps Regimental Centre Nowshera And Installs New Colonel Commandant of Armoured Corps". pakdefense.com. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  4. "The Men of Steel". The News. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  5. Riza, Maj Gen Shaukat. (1989). The Pakistan Army 1947-49. Rawalpindi: Services Book Club
  6. "Armoured Corps". Pakistanarmy.gov.pk. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  7. "India escalations". Pakistanarmy.gov.pk. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  8. "Pakistan army launches 'major offensive' in North Waziristan". BBC News. 15 June 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  9. "Pak's all-out offensive against Taliban kills 177 militants". Deccan Herald. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  10. "Pakistan Army Armoured Corps makes Military history, unprecedented World Record". Times of Islamabad. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  11. The President's Body Guard was formed at independence from the Governor General's Bodyguard, which was raised in 1773 under the name of Governor's Troop of Mughals at that time. In 1956 its name was changed to President's Bodyguard from when Pakistan became a republic. It is the senior-most armoured regiment of Pakistan Army.
  12. "BADGES – ARMOURED CORPS". pakarmymuseum.com. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  13. Tariq, Sardar Muhammad; Raja, Asif Jehangir. "Spirits Rekindled – Joint Staff Pakistan Day Parade - 2015". Hilal: The Pakistan Armed Forces Magazine. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  14. 5th Horse is the successor to the 1st Sikh Irregular Cavalry (Wales's Horse), and the 2nd Sikh Irregular Cavalry, both raised in 1857.
  15. 6th Lancers is the successor to The Rohilkhand Horse raised in 1857, and the 4th Sikh Irregular Cavalry raised in 1858.
  16. "The Gazette of Pakistan. Part II" (PDF). Government of Pakistan. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  17. The Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the successor to the Corps of Guides raised in 1846.
  18. 11th Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the successor to 1st and 3rd Regiments of Punjab Cavalry, both raised in 1849.
  19. 12th Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the successor to 2nd and 5th Regiments of Punjab Cavalry, both raised in 1849.
  20. 13th Lancers is successor to the 1st and 2nd Native Troops of Bombay Cavalry, raised in 1804 and 1816 respectively.
  21. 15th Lancers is successor to the Muttra Horse and 7th Bombay Cavalry, raised in 1857 and 1885 respectively.
  22. "Public Tenders page 1". Public Procurement Regulatory Authority. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  23. "The Gazette of Pakistan. Part II" (PDF). Government of Pakistan. 3 June 2020. p. 201. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  24. 19th Lancers is successor to the 2nd Mahratta Horse (Tiwana Horse) raised in 1858, and Fane's Horse raised in 1860.
  25. 20th Lancers is associated with the Punjab Regiment.
  26. "Public Tenders page 2". Public Procurement Regulatory Authority. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  27. 25th Cavalry (Frontier Force) stopped the Indian Army armoured thrust during the Battle of Chawinda in 1965. The regiment was given the sobriquet " Men of Steel" by the then Army Chief of Staff.
  28. "The Gazette of Pakistan. Part II" (PDF). Government of Pakistan. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  29. "The Gazette of Pakistan. Part II" (PDF). Government of Pakistan. 21 April 2021. p. 108. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  30. "The Gazette of Pakistan. Part II. Notifications issued by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Defence Production" (PDF). Government of Pakistan. 9 September 2020. p. 492. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  31. 33rd Cavalry is the only Pakistani armoured regiment which has five battle honours to its credit post-independence.
  32. "The Gazette of Pakistan. Part II" (PDF). Government of Pakistan. 23 September 2020. p. 505. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  33. "The Gazette of Pakistan. Part II" (PDF). Government of Pakistan. 1 January 2020. p. 1. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  34. "The Gazette of Pakistan. Part II" (PDF). Government of Pakistan. 16 June 2021. p. 243. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  35. "The Gazette of Pakistan. Part II" (PDF). Government of Pakistan. 27 January 2021. p. 21. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
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