The first Turkish tanks of their own design "Altay" were transferred to the armed forces for testing. This was stated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
It is assumed that the testing of tanks will take about two years. "Altay" should replace the German Leopard tanks and American M60 tanks in service with the Turkish army.
Recall that the development of the Altay tank has been underway in Turkey since 2008. In November 2018, the Turkish Defense Industry Authority signed a contract with BMC for the production of the first series of Altay tanks from 250 vehicles in two stages.
The adoption of the Altay tank into service was expected before the end of 2021. However, the program stalled due to Turkey's political differences with Germany, which was initially seen as an engine supplier. Turkish developers planned to equip the Altay with an MTU engine and a RENK transmission. Negotiations with German manufacturers, which lasted for several years, eventually failed due to the introduction by the German authorities of an embargo on the supply of weapons and military equipment to Ankara. These measures followed due to the participation of the Turkish military in the fighting in Syria.
In October 2021, BMC signed agreements with South Korean manufacturers Doosan and S&T Dynamics for the supply of an engine and transmission for the Altay tank.
In total, the Turkish Ministry of Defense intends to purchase 1,000 Altay tanks, after which it will begin production of an unmanned version of the combat vehicle.
It is assumed that the testing of tanks will take about two years. "Altay" should replace the German Leopard tanks and American M60 tanks in service with the Turkish army.
Recall that the development of the Altay tank has been underway in Turkey since 2008. In November 2018, the Turkish Defense Industry Authority signed a contract with BMC for the production of the first series of Altay tanks from 250 vehicles in two stages.
The adoption of the Altay tank into service was expected before the end of 2021. However, the program stalled due to Turkey's political differences with Germany, which was initially seen as an engine supplier. Turkish developers planned to equip the Altay with an MTU engine and a RENK transmission. Negotiations with German manufacturers, which lasted for several years, eventually failed due to the introduction by the German authorities of an embargo on the supply of weapons and military equipment to Ankara. These measures followed due to the participation of the Turkish military in the fighting in Syria.
In October 2021, BMC signed agreements with South Korean manufacturers Doosan and S&T Dynamics for the supply of an engine and transmission for the Altay tank.
In total, the Turkish Ministry of Defense intends to purchase 1,000 Altay tanks, after which it will begin production of an unmanned version of the combat vehicle.