First public appearance for Kaplan MT Medium Tank Indonesia.

First public appearance for the Kaplan MT Medium Tank during a military parade in Indonesia for the National Armed Forces Day. Turkey and Indonesia initiated the project to develop Medium tank in 2014. The conceptual design of the Kaplan MT has been completed and reveals during Indo Defense 2016, International Tri-Service Defence Expo & Forum which was held in Indonesia from the 2 to 5 November 2016.

Kaplan MT Medium Tank during the military parade in Indonesia, October 5, 2017 (Source picture Daily Sabah)

The first prototype of the KAPLAN MT Medium Tank, designed and developed in Turkey by leading Indonesian armored vehicle manufacturer PT Pindad and the Turkish Company FNSS, was exported to Indonesia in September. The Kaplan MT was developed to response a request from the Indonesian armed forces for new medium tank.

The first prototype of the Kaplan MT Medium Tank was unveiled during IDEF, the Turkish defense exhibition in May 2017. The vehicle is under development by the Company FNSS from Turkey and Indonesian company PT Pindad.

The Kaplan MT is fitted with a Belgian CMI Cockerill® 3105 two-man turret armed with an high-pressure 105 mm Cockerill gun and an advanced autoloader. Thanks to this turret, the KAPLAN MT has high firepower power despite its relatively low weight.

The vehicle’s power pack is equipped with capacity cooling pack and fuel tanks. The cooling pack is cooled by an intelligent software driven hydraulic fan for optimum torque extraction and fuel economy, and two separate fuel tanks provide a minimum operating range of 45 0km. An auxiliary power unit enables turret operation when vehicle engine is not running by charging battery system. Advanced battery monitoring system is also equipped for optimum power management and silent watch capabilities.

The Kaplan MT provides ballistic and mine protection Level 4 (STANAG 4569) firing of small arms 14.5 mm AP caliber on 360°, 155mm shell splinter at 30 m and mine explosion of 10 kg TNT under the track and the floor. It can be fitted with add-on armour to increase protection to Level 5 (STANAG 4569) protection against 25mm APDS-T (Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot - Tracer) ammunition.

The Kaplan MT Medium Tank was unveiled at IDEF Turkish Defense Exhibition in May 2017.