Türkiye has begun serial production of the Altay main battle tank and has delivered the first two units to the Turkish Armed Forces. BMC's new production facility in Ankara is designed to manufacture eight Altay tanks per month. This is a significant step in the modernisation of the Turkish armoured forces.
Having begun the mass production of the Altay main battle tank, Türkiye has thus gained an extraordinary achievement in its defence strategy. The first two series produced at BMC's new production facility, specially designed for the production of modern tanks and armoured vehicles in Ankara, have been delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces.
The production capacity of the facility is massive: It can produce eight Altay tanks and approximately 10 units of 8x8 Altuğ vehicles per month. As confirmed by the Secretariat of Defence Industries, this allows for the production of 96 Altay tanks per year. Supported by a wide industrial network, the facility employs over 1,500 engineers and technicians.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has emphasised that deliveries of Altay tanks will begin later this year and increase in the coming years. Meanwhile, the modernisation of the Leopard 2A4 tanks belonging to the Turkish Land Forces is ongoing. The 65-tonne Altay tank can reach speeds of 65 km/h on roads and 45 km/h on terrain.
The Altay tank, whose development began in the late 2000s, has undergone extensive testing phases. To ensure that the tank meets requirements, 1.5 million engineering work hours were expended, and investments were made for more than 35,000 kilometres of mobility testing. The Altay is equipped with a 120 mm smoothbore gun, a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, and a remotely controllable weapon station.
The initial 85 tanks produced prior to the transition to a domestic system in 2026 will be equipped with South Korean engines and transmissions. The integration of domestic infrastructure systems, such as ASELSAN's AKKOR active protection system, also underscores efforts to further localise production.
The Altay tank will gradually replace the ageing Leopard 1 and M60 tanks in the Turkish army and will form the backbone of the country's armoured forces until the 2030s. This development is a significant step in strengthening Türkiye's national defence capabilities.