THE SOUTH ASIAN MILITARY HANDBOOK

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85T00875R001100030004-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 23
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 18, 1999
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: August 1, 1973
• Content Type: CH

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T-54/55/59 MEDIUM TANK
India, Pakistan
Main armament . . . . . . . . . 100 mm, tank gun
Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 tons
Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 mph
Cruising range . . . . . . . . . . 250 (T-54) miles
310 (T-55) miles
Crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Both India and Pakistan have received enough of these
medium tanks to make them the mainstay of their
armored forces. New Delhi has purchased T-54/55s from
the USSR, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Pakistan has re-
ceived the T-59, the Chinese version of the tank, and a
few Soviet models.
Glos - 5
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M-4 SHERMAN TANK
Characteristics
Main armament . . . . . . . . . 75- or 76-mm. gun
Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 tons
Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 mph
Cruising range . . . . . . . . . . . .175-200 miles
Crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
This US tank is of World War II vintage, but Pakistan still
has several hundred in its inventory.
Glos-6
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`JE C1.U T
M-47/48 PATTON TANK
Main armament . . . . . . . . . . . 90-mm. gun
Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 tons
Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 mph
Cruising range . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 miles
Crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
US medium tank comparable to the Soviet T-54/55. They
are gradually beinq replaced in the Pakistan inventory by
Chinese T-59s.
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HAWKER HUNTER
Fighter
Engines 1, turbojet
Span . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 ft
Length 46 ft
Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 nm
Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 kts
Combat ceiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45,000 It
Armament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,000 lbs
(cannon, bombs, rockets)
The Hawker Hunters performed well during the 1971
war, and India is attempting to retain them in service as
long as possible. They were supplied by the British in the
late 1950s.
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GNAT
Fighter
Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, turbojet
Span . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 ft
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 f t
Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370 rim
Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590 kts
Combat ceiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40,000 ft
Armament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,000 lbs
(cannon, bombs, rockets)
The Gnat, although a subsonic aircraft, performed well in
the 1971 war. India has decided to continue production
of the aircraft under British license, and is working on an
improved version.
Glos - 9
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MIG-19 (FARMER)
Fighter
Engines
2, afterburning jet
Span . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . .
. 29 ft
Length
34 ft
Radius
550 nm
Speed
785 kts
Combat ceiling
.55,600 ft
Maximum payload . . . .1,100 pounds (guns, bombs,
rockets,missiles)
Pakistan has received well over 100 MIG-19s from China
since 1965. It performs well at low altitudes and in a
ground-support role, and is replacing older F-86s in oper-
ational units.
Glos - 10
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MIRAGE III-C,-E
Fighter
Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, turbojet
Span . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 ft
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 ft
Radius . . . . . . . . . . 260 nm (C); 790 nm (E)
Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .600-1,050 kts
Combat altitude . . . . . . . . . 50,000-60,000 it
Armament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,000 lbs
(cannon, bombs, air-to-air and
air-to-surface rockets and missiles)
The Mirage III and the Mirage 5 are the best supersonic
fighters in the Pakistan Air Force, and Islamabad plans to
purchase additional aircraft from France.
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F-86 SABRE
Fighter
Pakistan, Bangladesh
Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, jet
Span . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 ft
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 ft
Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 rim
Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 kts
Combat ceiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49,600 ft
Armament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,000 lbs
(guns, bombs, rockets)
The US F-86 fighter has long been the mainstay of the
Pakistan Air Force, and in spite of its subsonic perform-
ance, Islamabad is still seeking more. They were heavily
committed during the 1971 war. Bangladesh captured
about eight F-86s at the end of the war, but needs spare
parts and technical assistance to keep them operational.
Glos - 12
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MIRAGE 5
Fighter/bomber
Characteristics
Engines . . . . . . . . . . 1, turbojet
Span . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 ft
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 ft
Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475 nm
Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 , 1 5 0 k t s
Combat altitude . . . . . . . . . . . . .57,550 ft
Armament . . . . . . . . . . (cannon, bombs, air-to-air and
air-to-surface rockets and missiles)
Pakistan purchased 30 Mirage 5s from France in 1970,
but delivery did not begin until late 1972.
Glos - 13
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SU-7 (FITTER)
Fighter/Bomber
Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . .1, utter-burning jet
Span . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 ft
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 f t
Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325 nm
Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,205 kts
Combat ceiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59,000 ft
Armament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,400 I bs
(guns, bombs, rockets, 2 infrared horning missiles)
The Indians purchased SU-7s from the Sovic*L Union prior
to the 1971 war, but were dissatisfied with their combat
performance. New Delhi now 2ks a fighter/bomber with
increased range, speed, and payload comparable to the
Mirage 5s in the Pakistani inventory.
Glos - 14
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HF-24 MARUT
Fighter/Bomber
Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, turbojet
Span . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 ft
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 f t
Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490 nm
Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 k is
Combat ceiling .55,000 It
Armament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,000 lbs
(cannon, bombs, rockets)
Glos- 15
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The HF-24 is the only combat aircraft produced in India
that is not under a foreign license agreement. The aircraft
was designed and built with foreign technical assistance,
and the Indians continue to work on an improved ver-
sion.
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MIG-21 (FISHBED)
Fighter/Interceptor
India, Bangladesh
Engines .1, after-burning jet
Span 23 ft
Length 44 ft
Radius 400 nni
Speed .1,260 kts
Combat ceiling .62,600 it
3,300 lbs . . . . . . . . . . (guns, bombs, rockets,
two infrared homing missiles)
The Indians have two versions of the Soviet MIG-21 in
their inventory, the earlier MIG-21-FL(D) and the MIG--
21M(J). The later version has improved range and an
internal gun, and is more effective in a ground-support
role. The MIG-21M will soon replace the MIG-21FL in
series production under Soviet license. Bangladesh is re-
ceiving a squadron of MIG-21s from Moscow.
Glos- 16
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B-57 CANBERRA
Light Bomber
India, Pakistan
Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2, jet
Span . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
64 ft
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
66 f t
Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,100 nrn
Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 k is
Combat ceiling . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .A8,400 ft
Armament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . 6,000 lbs
(guns, bombs, rockets)
The US B-57 Canberra is the main bomber in the Pakistan
Air Force, but it is vulnerable to Indian air defenses
because of its subsonic speed. The British Canberra is the
main bomber in the Indian Air Force.
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TU-16 (BADGER)
Bomber
Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, jet
Span . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 8 1 1
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 ft
Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,650 nrn
Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 kts
Cruise speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445 k Ls
Combat ceiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44,800 ft
Crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Bomb Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000 lbs
Normal bomb load . . . . . . . . . . . .6,600 lbs
Remarks
China reportedly will make a squ. dron of TU-16s avail-
able to Pakistan in time of crisis, with the aircraft to
remain in China until then.
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SA-2 GUIDELINE
Surface-to-Air Missile
Maximum Operational Range . . . . . . . 19-27 rim
Altitude Range . . . . . . . . . . 1,500 to 80,000 It
Warhead Type/Weight . . . . . . . . . . HE/420 lbs
Guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Command
ACCU racy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 to 100 ft
Missile Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,450 lbs
Missile Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35.6 ft
Missile Diameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.7 in
India acquired about 19 SA-2 launch batteries in the
1960s. The British Tigercat missile system is being ac-
quired for low-altitude air defense.
Glos- 19
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MAJESTIC-CLASS
Aircraft Carrier
Characteristics (INS Vikrant)
Complement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,343
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 630 f t
Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 ft
Draft . . 24 ft
Displacement 16,000 tons
Maximum speed . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.5 knots
Aircraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 capacity
(Seahawks or Alines)
India purchased the "Vikrant" from the UK in the late
1950s.
Glos - 20
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LEANDER-CLASS
Frigate
Complement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360 (t
Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 ft
Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 ft
Displacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,450 tons
Maximum speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 kts
Armament . . . . . . . . . . . 2 twin 1 15-mm. main guns;
2 quadruple Seacat AA missile launchers;
1 ASW-configured Alouette I I I
India is building six Leander-class frigates under British
license, all of which should be completed by the late
1970s. The Indian Navy also has a urge number of
former British warships: two light cruisers of 1930s vin-
tage; two destroyers of 1940s vintage; and seven de-
stroyer escorts of 1950s vintage. The older units are used
as training ships or are scheduled for replacement.
Glos-21
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BATTLE-CLASS
Destroyer
Characteristics (PNS Badr)
Complement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355 ft
Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 f t
Displacemen t . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,325 tons
Maximum speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 kts
Armament . . . . . . . . . .. 4 115-mm. main guns
The "Badr" is one of the major surface warships in the
Pakistan Navy, it is one of seven former British warships
in the navy, the c,thers being one light cruiser, three more
destroyers, and two destroyer escorts. All are of the
1 940s vintage.
Glos - 22
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PETYA-CLASS
Destroyer Escort
Complement . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 I t
Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 f t
Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 ft
Displacement . . . . . . . . . . . 1,100 tons
Maximum speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 kts
Guns . . . . . . . . . . . 2 twin 76.2-mm. mounts
Torpedoes . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 16-in. tubes
ASW . . . . . . . . . 4 MBU-2500 rocket launchers
Depth charges . . . . . . . . . . number unknown
Mines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 mine rails
India has received eight Petyas from the Soviet Union and
two more are scheduled for delivery by 1975.
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Complement . . . . . . . . . . . . . not available
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 ft
Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 ft
Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ft
Displacement . . . . . . . 205-215 tons (full load)
Endurance
at economical speed . . . . . . 1,500 nm at 14 kts
at maximum speed . . . . . . . . .550 nm at 34 kt
Missiles . . . . . . . 4 single SS-N-2 SSM launchers;
4 missiles
Guns . . . . 2 twin 30-mm. AA machine-gun mounts
India :-,eived eight Osas from the Soviet Union prior to
the 19'%1 war, and they played a decisive role in the
conflict. New Delhi has since ordered eight more of these
coastal patrol boats.
Glos-24
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OSA-1 CLASS
Guided-Missile Patrol Boat
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F-C LASS
Torpedo Attack Submarine
Complement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 f t
Beam 25 ft
Displacement
su rtaced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,775 tons
submerged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,470 tons
f rropulsion . . . . . . . . . . . . . diesel, 3 screws
Torpedoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
India received four F-class submarines from the Soviet
Union before the 1971 war, and four more are on order.
Glos - 25
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DAPHNE-CLASS
Submarine
Complement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 ft
Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 ft
Displacement
surfaced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 869 tons
submerged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,053 tons
Propulsion . . . . . . . . . . . . . Diesel, 2 screws
Torpedoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 launchers
Pakistan purchased three of these submarines from
France in the late 1960s.
Glos - 26
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