Turkey Sends First Batch Of Tanks Developed With Indonesia, Its Turrret From Belgium

Tiger tank prototype. (Wikimedia Commons/PT Pindad)

JAKARTA - The delivery of the first batch of medium tanks product of a joint project carried out in Turkey by Ankara-based defense company FNSS, with PT Pindad, to Indonesia was held last Tuesday.

This export marks the first foreign sale of the Turkish defense industry in the tank sector. In Turkey, this tank is called Kaplan MT. While in Indonesia, this tank is called the Tiger.

Ismail Demir, Head of the Turkish Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) said in his speech at the ceremony, the project was carried out under the business model of cooperation between Turkish and Indonesian companies, which is also an example of cooperation between the two countries.

Demir said that some of the vehicles were produced in Turkey and some will be developed in Indonesia, so the project also includes technology transfer.

Saying mass production has started and will continue, Demir noted that defense industry exports are not only business-oriented, but also reflect cooperation and technology transfer.

Tiger tank prototype during the defile at TNI Anniversary 2017. (Wikimedia Commons/PT Pindad under the Government of Indonesia)

"In particular, the models we send to friendly and allied countries are an example," Demir said, as reported by the Daily Sabah on March 15.

"If needed, we can design and develop models from scratch to meet the various needs of the buyer's country and that production does not always have to be in Turkey," he continued.

Demir further stated, Turkey is in a very good place when it comes to armored vehicles.

"These exports will encourage sales and similar projects to grow," he said, noting they were open to projects based on a win-win model as was the case with Indonesia.

Meanwhile, General Manager of FNSS Nail Kurt on the same occasion said, this project marks an important milestone in defense industry cooperation. Shows how beneficial win-win projects between countries are.

He said maintaining such cooperation was even more important than building it, adding they had confidence in the two governments for continued cooperation.

Tiger tank prototype. (Wikimedia Commons/Directorate General of Defense Potential, Indonesian Ministry of Defence)

Kurt also emphasized that the turret integrated on the tank was not developed in Turkey or in Indonesia but was purchased from Belgium. However, they are ready to develop it domestically with support from both sides.

It is known, the Kaplan MT or Harimau project started after an intergovernmental agreement was signed between SSB and the Indonesian Ministry of Defense. After prototype development, FNSS successfully completed robust endurance and fire tests in Indonesia.

For the Kaplan MT, the world's first medium tank tested and approved by the army, FNSS signed a co-production contract for a total of 18 vehicles by the end of 2019. The design perfection study carried out with end-user participation in 2020 has ended.

Meanwhile, the production and supply of spare parts and systems to be provided by PT Pindad for vehicles to be produced in Indonesia in 2021 has been completed and the spare parts and subsystems were sent to PT Pindad as a tool kit.

To note, in early 2022, FNSS successfully completed its project activities in Turkey and made vehicles manufactured in Turkey ready to be presented to customers. The rest will be produced in Indonesia by PT Pindad, with the technology transfer model successfully implemented by FNSS.