Contract for mass production of Turkish Altay tank MBT will be inked soon.

During a meeting in Ankara on Thursday, May 17, 2018, the Turkish undersecretary of Defense Industries İsmail Demir announced that the contract for the mass production of the indigenous Main Battle Tank (MBT) Altay will be inked soon.

Altay MBT Main Battle Tank at IDEF 2017, defense exhibition in Istanbul, Turkey. (Picture source Army Recognition)

In April 2018, it was announced that the Turkish Company BMC, a manufacturer of wheeled armoured and tactical vehicles, has won the contract to continue the development and production of the indigenous MBT Main Battle Tank dubbed Altay.

According to Turkish defense industry sources, the mass production of the Altay MBT could started in late 2019 or early 2020. Previously, in the 2017-2021 Strategic Plan published by the SSM (Undersecretariat for Defence Industries), the primary date for the first Altay Main Battle Tank entering service was set for 2020. According to the plan, the first 15 tanks will be put into service in 2020, while 20 tanks will be delivered in 2021.

The Turkish National Main Battle Tank Project began in 2005. In September 2010, the conceptual design phase of Altay was completed. The first prototype was presented in 2015.

Turkey could order a first batch of 250 MITÜP Altay MBTs but a total of 1,000 new tanks will be produced in four separate lots of 250 units.

The Altay MBT is the future third generation main battle tank (MBT) for the Turkish army. The first prototypes of Turkey’s main battle tank ALTAY designed and developed by OTOKAR, the biggest privately owned company of the Turkish Defence Industry was unveiled at OTOKAR facilities in Sakarya on November 15th, 2012.

The design of ALTAY has been realized in order to fulfill all kinds of operational requirements derived from the technical and tactical demands of the Turkish Armed Forces. In this scope, ALTAY has been equipped with the latest technologies that are used in the modern tanks. With its superior fire power and hit rate, high mobility and survivability features, it’s anticipated that ALTAY will be one of the fundamental and deterrent assets of the Turkish Armed Forces.

Read more technical details about the Altay MBT