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Press Release at IDEF 2011 |
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Tuesday,
May 3, 2011, 01:55 PM |
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| Prototype
of new main battle tank Altay for Turkish army unveiled
at defense exhibition IDEF 2011. |
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ANKARA
--- The Turkish National Tank Manufacturing Program (MITUP)
is moving forward with the prototype of Turkey's first national
tank, set to be unveiled on May 10 at [the International
Defense Exhibition and Fair, IDEF] in Istanbul.
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![The Turkish National Tank Manufacturing Program (MITUP) is moving forward with the prototype of Turkey's first national tank, set to be unveiled on May 10 at [the International Defense Exhibition and Fair, IDEF] in Istanbul.](/images/stories/europe/turkey/main_battle_tank/altay_tank/pictures/altay_project_new_main_battle_tank_Turkey_Turkish_army_001.jpg)
Altay
project of new main battle tank for the Turkish army
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National
Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul announced the unveiling on
April 30, stating the new tank would be an upgrade compared
to those tanks in the inventory of the Turkish armed forces.
Turkey currently operates Leopard 1A and 2A models, as well
as ex-U.S. Army M60s and ex-West German M48s.
The new Turkish tank - called the "Altay" -
has been designed by South Korea's Hyundai Rotem in tandem
with Turkish automobile company, Otokar. In the competition
for main foreign subcontractor on the contract, Rotem
beat out Germany's KMW by full technology transfer of
its new K-2 Black Panther main battle tank (MBT) design.
The new Altay tank will comprise about 60 percent of
the technology used in the South Korean K-2.
The cost of
the Atlay project is estimated at $500 million, with four
prototypes to be produced and delivered by 2015.
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