NEW DELHI: At a time when modernization of the Army’s armored corp is moving at a “snail’s pace”, Pakistan has drawn up an ambitious plan to procure close to 600 battle tanks including T-90 tanks from Russia, primarily to bolster its combat prowess along the border with India, military and intelligence sources said Sunday.

Most of the tanks Pakistan was procuring will be able to hit targets at a range of 3 to 4 km and they are set to deploy some of the tanks along the Line of Control.

Apart from battle tanks, Pakistan Army is also procuring 245 150mm SP Mike-10 guns from Italy out of which it has already received 120 guns.

The sources said Pakistan was eyeing to buy from Russia a batch of T-90 battle tanks- the mainstays of the armored regiments of the Indian Army, and that the move reflects Islamabad’s intent to forge a deeper defense engagement with Moscow which has been India’s largest and most trusted defense supplier post Independence.

Pakistan has been holding joint military drills with Russia in the last couple of years besides going for defense purchases from it, triggering some concerns in New Delhi.

The sources said as part of the mega plan to significantly revamp its armored fleet by 2025, Pakistan has decided to procure at least 360 battle tanks globally besides producing 220 tanks indigenously with help from China.