Türkiye to triple Altay tank deliveries in 2026 as Armed Forces modernization accelerates.

Türkiye plans to deliver a minimum of 10 Altay main battle tanks to the Turkish Land Forces in 2026, up from three serial production units delivered in 2025, marking a more than threefold increase in annual handovers.

As reported by the Anadolu Agency on February 1, 2026, Türkiye’s Defense Industries President Haluk Görgün confirmed that at least 10 Altay main battle tanks will be delivered to the Turkish Land Forces in 2026, representing a more than threefold increase compared to 2025 deliveries. The announcement was made during a public defense and security briefing in Antaly, and the 2026 agenda also includes several important deliveries and contract milestones across air, naval, missile, and electronic warfare programs.
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The production line is currently configured for a stated capacity of up to eight Altay tanks per month, which equates to an annualized rate of up to 96 tanks if output is sustained at that level throughout a calendar year. (Picture source: BMC)

The Altay main battle tank production program is based on a contract signed in 2018 between Türkiye’s Defense Industry Presidency and BMC, under which 250 tanks are to be produced for the Turkish Land Forces. This contract is structured in two main phases, with an initial 85 tanks built in the T1 configuration between 2025 and 2028 and a subsequent 165 tanks in the T2 configuration beginning from 2028 onward, bringing the total to 250 tanks. For now, the Altay T1 sequence foresees three tanks in 2025, 10 in 2026, 41 in 2027, and 30 in 2028, for a total of 85 T1 tanks delivered over four years.

In addition to the Altay, Türkiye’s 2026 defense agenda includes the first deliveries of the Kizilelma drone to the Turkish Armed Forces alongside the signing of a serial-production contract for the Kaan fighter jet and the induction of ship-capable TB3 unmanned aerial vehicles. The Hurkus trainer aircraft is planned to begin deliveries, with a total of 22 units in the year, while the TB2T-AI variant with artificial intelligence-assisted payload management was set to enter service. For the Turkish Navy, 2026 will see the entry of the TCG Muratreis submarine into active service, the delivery of the sixth Milgem-class corvette TCG Izmir, and the handover of four landing craft tanks (LCTs), as well as 70 rigid-hull inflatable boats. Air defense and missile system targets encompass the start of serial production for the Akya heavyweight torpedo and the integration of the Atmaca missile on submarines, while electronic warfare goals included activation of the Bulut cloud infrastructure, induction of the Koral 200 electronic warfare system, and completion of Ilgar-2 deliveries.

The Altay main battle tank program was launched in 2007 under the Turkish National Tank Production Project to develop a domestically designed and produced tank to replace older M-60A3, M-60T, and Leopard 2A4 tanks in service with the Turkish Land Forces. Design work was carried out by Otokar with technology transfer and design assistance from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem, and the tank name refers to General Fahrettin Altay, commander of the 5th Cavalry Corps during the Turkish War of Independence. Four prototypes were built and tested between 2012 and 2017 for firing, mobility, endurance, and climatic trials in varied conditions, leading to refinement of hull design, suspension systems, and fire control integration. Delays in propulsion and other subsystems later prompted restructuring of industrial responsibilities, with BMC selected in 2018 to conduct serial production of the ALTAY in two main configurations, T1 for the initial batch and T2 for subsequent units.

Serial production of the Altay is conducted at BMC’s armored vehicle manufacturing facilities, which include a 63,000 m2 enclosed serial production area within a broader industrial site exceeding 800,000 m2. The production line is currently configured for a stated capacity of up to eight Altay tanks per month, which equates to an annualized rate of up to 96 tanks if output is sustained at that level throughout a calendar year. The site also includes a test and trial area of roughly 290,000 m2 and is designed to support multiple military programs simultaneously, such as the Altuğ 8x8 armored vehicle. Workforce levels are expected to exceed 1,500 personnel, depending on production load and parallel contracts.

In the T1 configuration, the Altay is crewed by four personnel consisting of a commander, a gunner, a loader, and a driver, and measures 7.3 m in hull length, 3.9 m in width, and 2.6 m in height with the main gun forward, which is consistent with contemporary heavy MBTs. It is armed with one 120 mm L/55 smoothbore main gun built under license by Türkiye’s MKE facilities and compatible with NATO standard kinetic and programmable munitions, supported by an ammunition load of 40 rounds with storage in a turret bustle compartment. Secondary armament includes a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun and a roof-mounted remote weapon station that can be fitted with either a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun or mission-specific weapons, with all weapon systems integrated into an electronic fire control and targeting suite. The integrated fire control system features 360-degree panoramic stabilized sights for commander and gunner roles, automatic target tracking, thermal imaging units for night operation, and a laser rangefinder to support engagement accuracy.

Protection of the Altay combines a modular composite armor package and an Akkor active protection system (APS) designed to address kinetic energy penetrators and shaped charge threats, with armor modules that can be adapted to varying threat environments and modular placement across hull and turret surfaces. The active protection suite includes hard-kill interceptors and soft-kill countermeasures to disrupt or defeat incoming anti-tank guided missiles and rocket projectiles, supported by laser warning receivers and countermeasure systems. Internal survivability measures include automatic fire and explosion suppression, compartment isolation where ammunition is stored in a bustle with blow-off panels for controlled venting, and overpressure systems for protection against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear hazards. Sensors placed around the vehicle’s exterior feed situational awareness systems and are linked to automated threat alerts, while integrated communications hardware supports command and control network connectivity.

The Altay T1 weighs about 65 tonnes, and its 1,500 hp diesel engine coupled with an automatic transmission gives it a power-to-weight ratio of approximately 23 hp per tonne. Early production batches use a South Korean-supplied Doosan DV27K V12 diesel engine producing 1,500 hp paired with an SNT Dynamics EST15K transmission offering six forward and three reverse gears, with later batches planned to transition to a domestically developed BMC Power Batu V12 diesel engine also rated at 1,500 hp. Maximum road speed is projected near 65 km/h with cross-country speed around 45 km/h, and operational range is estimated to be around 450 km without auxiliary fuel. Like the K2 Black Panther, the hydropneumatic suspension system supports cross-country mobility on slopes up to about 60 percent and side slopes up to roughly 30 percent, while the fording capacity allows water crossings of approximately 1.2 m without preparation, extendable to deeper crossings with additional equipment.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.