Turkey's defense industry has begun mass production of the Altay battle tank, a new generation vehicle designed to meet the needs of modern warfare. This statement was made by Turkish Defense Industries President Haluk Gorgun on May 29, 2024.
Turkish Defense Industries President Haluk Gorgun announced on May 29, 2024 the start of serial production of the Altay tank.
“We launched serial production of our national tank”, – said Gorgun. "Several countries are interested in working with us on this project and we are actively negotiating with them.
Made by BMC Defense under the auspices of the Defense Industry Presidency, the Altay tank has undergone significant upgrades to meet modern combat requirements.
"Many subsystems have been localized, and the latest technologies and innovations have been incorporated to increase its combat capabilities", — explained Gorgun.
Based on the latest operational experience of the Turkish Armed Forces, the Altay tank is equipped with additional functions.
«Digital technologies are increasingly are more integrated into "Altai", which makes it possible to more accurately and quickly identify enemy elements, direct them to the target and hit them", — added Gorgun.
Highlighting Turkey's experience in the field of land vehicles, Gorgun said:
«Our country is the best in the field of land vehicle production, thanks to numerous companies that export their products to border. Their products offer competitive advantages on the world stage.
About the tank
“Altai” — a modern battle tank equipped with a powerful armament that includes a 120 mm 55-caliber main gun, a remote battle station with a 7.62 or 12.7 mm machine gun and a paired 7.62 mm machine gun. Its protection is based on modular composite armor, which allows it to effectively resist threats on the battlefield.
Altay weighs 65,000 kg. It can reach a maximum speed of 70 km/h and has a range of 500 km thanks to:
- fire control system;
- C3I (command, control, communication and intelligence) system );
- a laser warning system;
- a target identification system on the battlefield;
- a CBRN system of (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) protection;
- fire extinguishing and explosive extinguishing.< /li>
- a 360-degree situational awareness system that provides a comprehensive and detailed overview of the environment.
Altay is operated by a crew of four and measures 7.3 meters in length, 3.9 meters in width and 2.6 meters in height. These characteristics make it a well-armed, well-protected battle tank capable of moving quickly through various terrains.
History of the Altai tank. began in 1996, when the need for a new main battle tank for the Turkish Ground Forces led to the decision to develop and produce such a tank in the country. In 1999, this decision was concretized into a specific project.
In 2000, by order of the General Staff of Turkey, a tender was announced for the domestic production of a foreign-made tank. Competing companies imported the tanks to Turkey for extensive testing for two years. In 2004, in response to the request of the Defense Industry Presidency, three Turkish companies established BOF A.Ş. to conduct a feasibility study for the production of the original main battle tank in Turkey.
This project took a significant step in 2007, when the Presidency of the Defense Industry announced the first stage of the tender for the design and production of Altay tank prototypes. Ten years later, in 2017, prototypes of the “Altai” tanks completed the tests and were delivered to the Presidency of the Defense Industry.
In 2018, the II phase of the tender for the serial production project of the “Altai” tank was announced, which was won by the BMC company. In 2023, BMC delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces for mass trials the main battle tank “NEW ALTAI”, an improved version with modernized and localized systems, including a new power group.