The Turkish Army is close to incorporating the first units of the Altay T1 main battle tank (MBT), a locally produced program that has faced years of delays and is part of the national defense industry’s development plans.
The company BMC, the program’s main contractor, confirmed that they expect to “announce the delivery of the New Altay MBT very soon,” referring to the improved Altay T1 version. This model will feature a South Korean–made engine and transmission, a solution adopted after restrictions affected the availability of German MTU engines and RENK transmissions.
According to the official schedule, out of a total of 250 tanks, the first 85 units will be delivered in the Altay T1 variant, equipped with the 1,500-horsepower DV27K diesel engine manufactured by Hyundai Doosan Infracore and the EST15K transmission developed by SNT Dynamics. The remaining 165 tanks will correspond to the Altay T2 version, which will incorporate the domestically developed BATU engine.
The president of the Turkish Defense Industries Agency (SSB), Haluk Görgün, announced in February 2025 that three units will enter the Army’s inventory this year. The delivery schedule calls for 3 tanks in 2025, 11 in 2026, 41 in 2027, and 30 in 2028, totaling 85 Altay T1. Starting in 2028, deliveries of the Altay T2 with the national engine will begin.
Technical specifications
The 65-ton Altay, classified as a third-generation tank, was named after General Fahrettin Altay. It is designed to compete with models such as the M1 Abrams and the Leopard 2. Among its capabilities, it can reach a maximum road speed of 65 km/h and maintain 45 km/h over rough terrain, with a range of 450 kilometers. It is powered by a 12-cylinder electronically controlled diesel engine producing 1,500 horsepower and features an automatic transmission with six forward and three reverse gears, enabling operation in extreme temperatures ranging from -32 °C to +52 °C.
The crew consists of four members: commander, gunner, loader, and driver. Its main armament is a 120-millimeter smoothbore cannon produced by MKE, complemented by modular composite armor developed by Roketsan and the AKKOR active protection system by Aselsan, which provides full coverage against anti-tank threats.
Development and background
The Altay program emerged in cooperation with South Korean companies, based on the design of the K2 Black Panther manufactured by Hyundai Rotem. In March 2023, BMC Defense officially presented the “Yeni Altay” or “New Altay” at an event overseen by Army authorities. On that occasion, the company’s general manager, Murat Yalçıntaş, stated that the first pre-series units would be destined for operational testing.
Later, in June 2024, the Turkish Defense Industries Agency announced the start of serial production. At that time, Haluk Görgün noted: “We are moving into serial production of the Altay tank. There are countries that want to work with us on this internationally, and we continue our negotiations with them.”
Current situation and conclusion
The Turkish Army currently operates Leopard 2A4, Leopard 1, M60TM, M60A3, and M48A5T2 tanks of U.S. and German origin. With the entry into service of the Altay T1, expected this year, Turkey’s armored forces will add a domestically manufactured vehicle that, in its evolution toward the T2 version, aims to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers for critical systems.
Images for illustrative purposes only.
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