Pakistan Army Armoured Corps

Pakistan Army Armoured Corps (Urdu: ﺁرمى ﺁرمرڈ كور) is a combatant branch of the Pakistan Army, tasked with armoured warfare. Equipped with more than 3,000 main battle tanks, the corps is based at the old garrison town of Nowshera and is organized into two armoured divisions and a number of independent armoured brigades.

Pakistan Army Armoured Corps
Cap Badge of the Armoured Corps
Active1947-Present
Country Pakistan
BranchArmy
Size52 regiments incl. President's Bodyguard
Regimental CentreNowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa[1][2]
Nickname(s)Men of Steel[3]
ColorsRed and Yellow
Engagements
Commanders
Colonel CommandantLieutenant General Nadeem Zaki Manj[1][2]
Notable
commanders		Gen Zia-ul-Haq (President)
Lt. Gen Mian Muhammad Afzaal (Shaheed) (CGS)
Gen Jehangir Karamat
Lt. Gen Shamim Alam Khan (CJCSC)
Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat (Vice COAS)
Lt. Gen Gul Hassan Khan (C-in-C)
Lt. Gen Hameed Gul (DG ISI)

The Pakistan Armoured 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.[4]

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 1965 and 1971 wars with India.[5] 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.[6] The Corps also took part in Operation Zarb-e-Azb against terrorist groups in North-Western part of Pakistan.[7][8]

The Corps has a major presence along the India-Pakistan border and a minor presence along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.[9]

Regiments in the Corps
Al-Zarrar Main Battle Tank of the Pakistan Army
  • President's Body Guard.[10]
  • 4 Cavalry [10]
  • 5 Horse(Probyn's Horse)[10]
  • 6 Lancers (Fateh Khem Karan) [10]
  • 7 Lancers [10]
  • 8 Cavalry (Izz-Ul-Khail)[10]
  • 9 Horse (The Arabian Horse) [10]
  • Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force)[10]
  • 11 Cavalry (Frontier Force)[10]
  • 12 Cavalry (Frontier Force)[10]
  • 13th Lancers (Spearheads) [10]
  • 14 Lancers [10]
  • 15th Lancers (Baloch)[10]
  • 16 Horse (Al-Mugheerat) [10]
  • 17 Lancers [10]
  • 18 Horse [10]
  • 19th Lancers[10]
  • 20th Lancers Haidri (Punjab)[10]
  • 21 Horse (Murtajiz) [10]
  • 22 Cavalry (Death or Glory) [10]
  • 23 Cavalry (Frontier Force) [10]
  • 24 Cavalry (Frontier Force) (Chargers) [10]
  • 25 Cavalry (Frontier Force) (Men of Steel) [10]
  • 26 Cavalry (Mustangs) [10]
  • 27 Cavalry (Ribat-ul-Khail) Steeds of war [10]
  • 28 Cavalry (Chhamb Hunters) [10]
  • 29 Cavalry (Tigers) [10]
  • 30 Cavalry (Bold Till Death) [10]
  • 31 Cavalry (Sprocketeers) [10]
  • 32 Cavalry (Conquerers) [10]
  • 33 Cavalry (Fortunes with the Bold),[10]
  • 34 Lancers (Dragoons)" TAWAKKAL-ALALLAH"[10]
  • 35 Cavalry (AL-MUBARIZUN-', Raised 1 November 2014.)
  • 36 Cavalry
  • 37 Cavalry (Ribat-us-Sehra) [10]
  • 38 Cavalry (Desert Hawks) [10]
  • 39 Cavalry ( The Vanguards) [10]
  • 40 Horse (Sind)[10]
  • 41 Horse (Frontier Force) [10]
  • 42 Lancers (Punjab) [10]
  • 43 Cavalry (al-Zarib) (Raised 2015)
  • 44 Cavalry (Pioneers) (Raised 2016)
  • 45 Horse
  • 47 Cavalry
  • 51 Lancers (Silver Eagles) [10]
  • 52 Cavalry (HOWALMUSTAAN) (GOD) He, the helper [10]
  • 53 Cavalry (Golden Eagle) [10]
  • 54 Cavalry (Hizbullah) [10]
  • 55 Cavalry [10]
  • 56 Cavalry (Raad ul Harb) [10]
  • 57 Cavalry [10]
  • 58 Cavalry [10]
  • 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.
  • 5 Horse is the successor to the 1st Sikh Irregular Cavalry (Wales's Horse), and the 2nd Sikh Irregular Cavalry, both raised in 1857.
  • 6 Lancers is the successor to The Rohilkhand Horse raised in 1857, and the 4th Sikh Irregular Cavalry raised in 1858.
  • Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the successor to the Corps of Guides raised in 1846.
  • 11 Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the successor to 1st and 3rd Regiments of Punjab Cavalry, both raised in 1849.
  • 12 Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the successor to 2nd and 5th Regiments of Punjab Cavalry, both raised in 1849.
  • 13th Lancers is successor to the 1st and 2nd Native Troops of Bombay Cavalry, raised in 1804 and 1816 respectively.
2nd Bombay Lancers (now 13th Lancers).
Coloured lithograph by Richard Simkin, 1885.
  • 15th Lancers is successor to the Muttra Horse and 7th Bombay Cavalry, raised in 1857 and 1885 respectively.
  • 19th Lancers is successor to the 2nd Mahratta Horse (Tiwana Horse) raised in 1858, and Fane's Horse raised in 1860.
  • 25 Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the famous regiment which stopped the Indian Army's armoured thrust during the Battle of Chawinda in 1965. The regiment was given the sobriquet " Men of Steel" by the then Chief of Army staff.
  • 33 Cavalry (Fortune’s with the Bold), is the only regiment in Pakistan Armored Corps which has five battle honours to its credit post-Independence.

Equipment

Armoured Corps regiments are equipped with the following:

  • VT4 is a Chinese third generation MBT specifically made for export.
  • Al-Khalid main battle tank is a joint Sino-Pakistani production with a 125 mm smoothbore gun.
  • T-80UD is of Ukrainian origin with a 125 mm smoothbore gun.
  • 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.
  • T-85III is an upgraded version of Chinese T-85AP with a 125 mm smoothbore gun.
  • Type 69 tank is a Chinese MBT with a 105 mm gun.

See also

References
  1. "Commanders must focus on training of all ranks, says COAS". The News. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. "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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "The Men of Steel". The News. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. Riza, Maj Gen Shaukat. (1989). The Pakistan Army 1947-49. Rawalpindi: Services Book Club
  5. "Armoured Corps". Pakistanarmy.gov.pk. Retrieved 24 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. "India escalations". Pakistanarmy.gov.pk. Retrieved 24 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. "Pakistan army launches 'major offensive' in North Waziristan". BBC News. 15 June 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. "Pak's all-out offensive against Taliban kills 177 militants". Deccan Herald. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. "Pakistan Army Armoured Corps makes Military history, unprecedented World Record". Times of Islamabad. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. "BADGES – ARMOURED CORPS". pakarmymuseum.com. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
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