Altay MBT

Main Battle Tank - Turkey

Altay MBT Main Battle Tank BMC Turkey 925 003

Description

The development of the Altay MBT was initiated in 2007 when Turkey's Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) signed a contract with the Turkish company Otokar to design and develop a national main battle tank. The project aimed to reduce Turkey's reliance on foreign sources for its military equipment and promote self-sufficiency in the defense sector. The tank's design was influenced by the experiences and technical expertise of both Otokar and the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem, which has developed the K2 Black Panther MBT. The first prototype of the Altay MBT was unveiled in 2012, followed by extensive testing and evaluation. Held with the participation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN, the “ALTAY FIRST PROTOTYPE” ceremony was hosted by Mustafa V. Koc, Chairman of Koc Holding. General Necdet OZEL, Chief of General Staff; Ismet YILMAZ, Minister of Defence; General Hayri KIVRIKOGLU, Commander of the Turkish Land Forces; Murad BAYAR, Defence Industry Undersecretary; Kudret ONEN, Head of Koc Holding Defence Industry Group and Chairman of the Board of OTOKAR; Halil UNVER, Vice Chairman of OTOKAR and Serdar GORGUC, OTOKAR General Manager attended the ceremony. The first ALTAY prototype has already covered more than 2.000 kilometers during tests up to now. Two prototypes exhibited a special show to the guests of the ceremony at the tank test track of OTOKAR. Including mobility performance like acceleration, maximum speed, side slope, suspension, stabilization track, and off-road drive, this show made the impression that, when finished, ALTAY would be the most modern tank in the world. The Turkish Company Aselsan was assigned to design and manufacture the prototypes of electronic sub-systems like the Tank Fire Control System and Tank C3I System.  In December 2014, Otokar made an announcement to the stock exchange after various media reports claimed that the ALTAY tank could be exported to Oman. In April 2018, it was announced that the Turkish Company BMC, a manufacturer of wheeled armored and tactical vehicles, has won the contract to continue the development and production of the indigenous MBT Main Battle Tank dubbed Altay. In November 2018, Turkish Company BMC has officially received the contract to produce the locally-made Altay Main Battle Tank (MBT) for the Turkish army. On Friday, November 2018, the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) inked a contract with BMC to start the mass production of Altay MBT which will include a total of 250 tanks. Starting off with 250 vehicles, the number is expected to be gradually raised to 1,000 tanks. Many Turkish defense companies are involved in the manufacturing of Altay MBT including Roketsan, Aselsan, Havelsan, and the Machinery and Chemical Industry Institute (MKEK). According to a picture released in November 2018 by the Turkish Newspaper Gazete Vatan website, the Altay will be produced in three configurations with the same armament. The first batch of 40 units designated T1 will be equipped with APS (Active Protection System) and Add-on-armor produced by the Turkish Company Roketsan, the second batch of 210 units will be the T2 version, which will include many improvements, such as new armor, isolated munitions configuration, Laser guided firing capability, Crew training mode, and mobile net camouflage. The T3 variant will be fitted with an unmanned turret and automatic loading system. In January 2020, SSB has announced the production of a locally-made Batu engine for the Altay MBT. In January 2021, the company BMC has unveiled a new design of the Altay tank during a live demonstration in the BMC facility. On March 23, 2023, the Turkish company BMC delivered two "New Altay" tanks to the Turkish armed forces. The upgraded Altay tank, now in mass production, is set to be delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces for testing on 23rd April 2023. The first two Turkish-made Altay tanks have been officially handed over to the Turkish army on April 23, 2023. 

Altay MBT variants:

- According to a news published in November 2018, to the website of the Turkish Newspaper Gazete Vatan, the Turkish-made Main Battle Tank (MBT) Altay will be delivered in three configurations designated T1, T2, and T3. The latest variant scheduled for qualification in 2024, the T3 will be fitted with an unmanned turret and an automatic loading system.


Technical Data

Armament
The main armament of ALTAY MBT consists of one 120 mm 55 caliber smoothbore gun suitable for various kinds of rounds. The Turkish Company MKE was assigned to manufacture the 120 mm 55 caliber main armament by technology transfer from Hyundai Rotem of South Korea. ALTAY is also able to shoot moving targets with a very high first-round hit probability. A 7.62 mm caliber machine gun is mounted coaxially to the left of the main armament. A remote-controlled weapon station is mounted on the top of the turret which can be armed with a 7.62mm or 12.7mm caliber machine gun. A range of eight smoke grenade dischargers is mounted to each rear top side of the turret.
Design and protection
The design of ALTAY MBT 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 modern tanks. With its superior firepower 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. ALTAY’s crew consists of four personnel as a tank commander, gunner, driver, and loader. The driver is seated at the center front of the hull and is provided with a single-piece hatch cover that opens to the right. The turret is in the center of the vehicle with the commander and gunner on the right and the loader on the left. The power pack is mounted at the rear of the hull. ALTAY tank is equipped with modular composite armor in order to protect the tank against all kinds of threats. The Turkish Company Roketsan was assigned to develop the Modular Armour Package by technology transfer also through Hyundai Rotem. Roketsan has the responsibility for the design and development of ALTAY Turkish main battle tank Armor System. Roketsan has established a completely new ballistic protection infrastructure that has up-to-date design, production, and test technologies brought together for a light and heavily armored vehicle protection solutions. The tank's survivability is further improved by additional features such as a spall liner, which helps reduce the risk of injury to the crew from shrapnel in the event of a hit, and an active protection system that can detect and intercept incoming threats.
Mobility
The first prototypes of the Altay MBTs were equipped with a 1,500 horsepower high-tech engine from Germany's MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH and Renk transmission. The latest version of the Altay MBT is powered by a locally-made BMC Power BATU V12 12-cylinder V type engine developing 1,500 hp coupled to an automatic transmission with 5 forward and 3 reverse gears. The suspension consists on each side of seven dual rubber-tired roadwheels with the idler at the front and the drive sprocket at the rear. It can reach a top road speed of 65 km/h and 45 km/h off-road, with a 30% reverse speed. The tank is capable of handling a 60% gradient and can ford up to 4 meters underwater or 1.2 m in unprepared conditions.
Combat Equipment
A new generation fire control system has been specially designed for ALTAY MBT  in order to control the main and secondary armaments. The fire control system features a 360° panoramic stabilized commander's periscope, hunter-killer capability, precise optical stabilization, automatic target tracking, and TV/thermal sights with a laser rangefinder. The Altay is equipped CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear) protection system. The standard equipment on the Altay includes C3I (Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence) system, battlefield target identification system, life support system, auxiliary power unit, fire-extinguishing and explosion suppression system, and 360 degrees situational awareness system at the rear.

Specifications

Armament Armor
One 120mm 55 caliber, on remote weapon station with 7.62mm or 12.7 mm machine gun, one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun Modular composite armor
Country users Weight
Russia 65,000 kg
Designer Country Speed
Russia 70 km/h
Combat Equipment Range
A fire control system, C3I system, laser warning system, battlefield target identification system, CBRN protection, fire-extinguishing and explosion suppression system, 360 degrees situational awareness system 500 km
Crew Dimensions
4 Length: 7.3 m; Width: 3.9 m; Height: 2.6 m

Details View

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