The Pakistan Army is reportedly in the process of acquiring new Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFV)’s as a part of its initiative to fight terrorist outfits on Pakistan’s western border. According to reports the army has procured three Serbian LAZAR II AFV’s for evaluation with the possibility of constructing facilities to produce the AFV/APC locally, under license.
The armoured vehicle is a potent weapon especially against irregular and guerrilla forces.
According to reports, the procurement of said mechanized armoured vehicles will be announced officially very soon.
The LAZAR II is an 8×8 APC based on modifications of the concept and the technical solutions of the original LAZAR vehicle. These modifications are carried on with the purpose to further harmonize the basic characteristics of the vehicle with contemporary international defence trends in the development of multi-role armoured wheel-type vehicles. The concept of the first Lazar vehicle represented a combination of the characteristics of a Mine Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) and MRAV (Multirole Armoured Vehicle) type vehicles, while the LAZAR II is a derivative of the MRAV concept, courtesy of an independent suspension, which allows the platform to be customized for different roles. The concept provides for installation of different types of weapons of varying calibers on the turret depending on the purpose of the vehicle and the mission.
The LAZAR II is equipped with a rear ramp for easier entrance and exit, similar to the American Bradley AFV and has two doors within that ramp for emergency situations. It also features a separate door for the driver and commander, located on the driver side. It features five bullet proof windows and firing ports on each side of the vehicle, as well as two on the rear of the vehicle. This allows the troops inside the vehicle to have high situational awareness and to engage targets from inside the safety of the vehicle. The driver has five cameras, which provide a near 360° field of visibility. Two are located in front of the driver’s hatch while two are covering the sides of the vehicle, and one is installed in the rear of the vehicle to aid with reverse driving. In the Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) configuration, it seats three crew members and nine troops. The AFV is powered by a 500 horsepower engine which is an advancement over the one used by the army’s current mainline APC, the M113.
The armour of the LAZAR II is also sturdier than that of the M113 and BTR series presently in use with the Pakistan army and can stand hits of calibers upto 14.5mm heavy machines guns and in some cases from rocket propelled- grenades.
