The Altay tank, which has been renewed and has reached the stage of mass production, is counting the days for delivery to the Turkish Armed Forces. Driving tests of the new Altay tank were successfully completed by integrating the Korean power group into the Altay tank in the April-December 2022 period. In April, 2 New Altay tanks will be rolled off with the Korean power group.
BMC Executive Board Member and Top Manager Murat Yalçıntaş, BMC Defense General Manager Mehmet Karaaslan and BMC Power General Manager Mustafa Kaval gave information about the projects they carried out, especially the Altay Tank Project.
Stating that BMC Defense, which will produce the Altay tank, is a 100% Turkish company, Yalçıntaş said that the intellectual property rights of the Altay tank and engines produced at the factory belong to the Presidency of Defense Industries.
Yalçıntaş stated that, unlike the previous administration of BMC, they decided that Ankara is a more suitable place for the mass production of the Altay tank, instead of Sakarya-Karasu, “Karasu was an area allocated to BMC for 49 years. Transactions for the transfer of the land in Karasu to the state. We bought land in an organized industrial zone in Ankara, we will carry out the mass production of the Altay tank there.” said.
Yalçıntaş stated that the Arifiye Facilities, whose operating rights have been transferred to BMC and are known as the “tank pallet factory” in the public, will continue their current work, and their production numbers and diversity will increase.
Yalçıntaş, who also gave information about the current situation of the Altay Tank Project, said:
There is currently another country’s power group on it. All work was done to procure this power group, permissions were obtained, bureaucratic procedures were completed. Tests were carried out with this force group, the tests were successfully passed, and the force group was accepted by the Turkish Armed Forces. At the moment, there is no obstacle for the mass production of the Altay tank. The design work on the domestic power group is finished, prototypes are produced and tested. It is estimated that the tests will take 1.5-2 years. As of 2026, we are in a position to deliver our New Altay tank to the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces with our local power group. There are currently requests from many friendly and allied countries. If the Ministry of National Defense deems it appropriate, we can export the Altay tank to friendly and allied countries.” bureaucratic procedures have been completed. Tests were carried out with this force group, the tests were successfully passed, and the force group was accepted by the Turkish Armed Forces. At the moment, there is no obstacle for the mass production of the Altay tank. The design work on the domestic power group is finished, prototypes are produced and tested. It is estimated that the tests will take 1.5-2 years. As of 2026, we are in a position to deliver our New Altay tank to the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces with our local power group. There are currently requests from many friendly and allied countries. If the Ministry of National Defense deems it appropriate, we can export the Altay tank to friendly and allied countries.” bureaucratic procedures have been completed. Tests were carried out with this force group, the tests were successfully passed, and the force group was accepted by the Turkish Armed Forces. At the moment, there is no obstacle for the mass production of the Altay tank. The design work on the domestic power group is finished, prototypes are produced and tested. It is estimated that the tests will take 1.5-2 years. As of 2026, we are in a position to deliver our New Altay tank to the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces with our local power group. There are currently requests from many friendly and allied countries. If the Ministry of National Defense deems it appropriate, we can export the Altay tank to friendly and allied countries.” The design work on the domestic power group is finished, prototypes are produced and tested. It is estimated that the tests will take 1.5-2 years. As of 2026, we are in a position to deliver our New Altay tank to the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces with our local power group. There are currently requests from many friendly and allied countries. If the Ministry of National Defense deems it appropriate, we can export the Altay tank to friendly and allied countries.” The design work on the domestic power group is finished, prototypes are produced and tested. It is estimated that the tests will take 1.5-2 years. As of 2026, we are in a position to deliver our New Altay tank to the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces with our local power group. There are currently requests from many friendly and allied countries. If the Ministry of National Defense deems it appropriate, we can export the Altay tank to friendly and allied countries.”
According to the information given by Mehmet Karaaslan, BMC Defense General Manager, the New Altay tank with much superior capabilities emerged after the localization and additional capabilities made on the Altay tank prototypes produced in 2014 due to the German export license obstacle.
Among the new capabilities added to the new Altay tank, active protection system, improved armor system, renewed fire control system, renewed vehicle control system, concentrated power group (Korea), localized systems (speed reduction, gunner’s 2nd degree sight system, track, turret ring gear) , fuel and hydraulic pumps, mobile concealment net, periscope, rotor).
Driving tests of the new Altay tank were successfully completed by integrating the Korean power group into the Altay tank in the April-December 2022 period.
In April, 2 New Altay tanks will be rolled off with the Korean power group.
The tests of the Altay tank by the Turkish Armed Forces are expected to be completed in 2024. In 2025, mass production of the New Altay tank will begin with the Korean power group and the tank will be delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces.
It is planned to continue mass production of the Altay tank with a domestic engine from the second half of 2026.
