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Türkiye’s Indigenous BATU Engine Passes Factory Acceptance Test for Altay Main Battle Tank.
Türkiye has completed factory acceptance activities for the BATU engine, the indigenous powerplant developed for the Altay main battle tank. The milestone strengthens Ankara’s push for defense self-sufficiency and clears a critical hurdle toward serial production of the Altay.
Türkiye has reached a significant milestone in its main battle tank program with the completion of factory acceptance activities for the BATU engine, the domestically developed powerplant intended for the Altay tank. The milestone was announced on December 31, 2025, by Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, President of the Presidency of Defence Industries, confirming that the engine has successfully passed a critical phase of validation following several years of development and testing.
Türkiye announced that its domestically developed BATU engine has passed factory acceptance testing, a key validation milestone confirmed by the Presidency of Defence Industries for the Altay main battle tank program (Picture Source: BMC Power / BMC)
Developed by BMC Power, the BATU is a 12-cylinder, 1,500-horsepower diesel engine designed to meet the demanding mobility, endurance, and reliability requirements of a modern main battle tank. According to official information, the factory acceptance process covered a comprehensive series of performance and durability tests, verifying the engine’s ability to operate under sustained high loads and across a wide range of environmental conditions. The completion of these tests confirms that the engine has reached a level of technical maturity suitable for the next stages of vehicle integration.
The BATU engine is intended to replace foreign-sourced power units previously used on Altay prototypes and early production vehicles, a dependency that had contributed to delays in the program due to export licensing restrictions and political constraints. By validating a domestically designed and manufactured engine, Türkiye takes an important step toward reducing its reliance on external suppliers for one of the most sensitive subsystems of a heavy armored platform. However, official statements also underline that this milestone applies specifically to the engine itself, rather than the complete powerpack.
In parallel with the engine program, the domestically developed automatic transmission designed to operate with BATU is continuing its qualification process. While transmission development has progressed alongside the engine, it has not yet completed all certification stages required for final acceptance as part of a fully indigenous engine-transmission package. As a result, the Altay program has not yet reached the point of serial production with a completely national powerpack, even though the successful acceptance of the BATU engine substantially reduces the remaining technical risk.
Manufacturing and final testing of the BATU engine are being conducted at BMC Power’s production facilities in Ankara, which were established to support large-scale development and manufacturing of advanced powertrain systems. These facilities form a central element of Türkiye’s broader industrial strategy to acquire sovereign capabilities in heavy engine technologies for land platforms, including tanks, armored vehicles, and other military applications.
From an operational perspective, the acceptance of the BATU engine is a prerequisite for the transition toward Altay tanks powered by domestic systems. While vehicle integration, further qualification, and field testing remain ahead, the completion of factory acceptance allows the program to move forward toward these phases. Turkish defense authorities have indicated that future planning for the Altay includes the incorporation of the indigenous engine once the remaining elements of the powerpack complete their validation processes.
Beyond its technical implications, the BATU milestone also carries strategic and industrial significance. Propulsion systems are among the most export-sensitive components of main battle tanks, and restrictions on foreign engines and transmissions have historically limited Türkiye’s flexibility in promoting the Altay on international markets. A nationally developed engine strengthens Ankara’s position in this regard, even if full export autonomy will ultimately depend on the successful completion and operational validation of the entire indigenous powerpack.
The completion of factory acceptance activities for the BATU engine therefore represents a decisive, though not final, step in the Altay program. It demonstrates concrete progress in Türkiye’s long-term effort to secure sovereign control over critical land warfare technologies, while clearly indicating that additional qualification work remains before the Altay can be fielded and marketed in a fully indigenous configuration.