After Improvement Of Ability, Turkey's Main Altay Battle Tank Will Undergo Next Week's Final Testing

Turkey's Altay main fighter tank. (Source: BMC)

JAKARTA - Turkey's Main Battle Tank (MBT) Altay is ready to undergo testing next weekend by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), after developing and increasing capabilities by the BMC Defense.

Test of the Altay tank by TSK is expected to be completed in 2024. By 2025, mass production of the tank will begin with a Korean-made engine. And, it is planned to resume mass production of the Altay tank with domestic engines in the second half of 2026.

Member of the Executive Council and Manager of BMC Murat Yal Maritime Affairs said BMF Defense is 100 percent of Turkish companies, with the intellectual property rights of tanks and Altay machines made at the plant being owned by the Presidency of the Defense Industry (SSB).

The tank has undergone significant changes since its first design in the 2000s, with many parts now localized and repaired based on lessons from fighting in the last two decades, reported by the Daily Sabah on April 10.

As a result, although there have been several delays due to the localization of certain systems, including the power group, the tank is now complete and approved for mass production.

He further said that the expected time frame for testing and implementation is 1.5-2 years, with the intention of delivering a new Altay tank with local power to TSK by 2026.

There is interest from several friendly and allied countries to acquire the Altay tank, said Yal firelanta totaling, revealing openness to export tanks pending approval from the Ministry of National Defense.

Meanwhile, BMC Defense General Manager Mehmet Karaaslan said the new Altay tank with many superior capabilities emerged after localization and additional capabilities were carried out on the Altay tank prototype produced in 2014, due to German export license constraints.

Among the new capabilities added to the new Altay tank are active protection systems, upgraded armored systems, updated firing control systems, updated vehicle control systems, concentrated power groups, and local systems (speed reduction, two-tier vision systems shooters, tracks, towers). ring gear), fuel and hydraulic pumps, mobile harassment net, periscope, and rotor.