In a major step toward defense independence, Turkey has delivered its first locally built BMC Altay main battle tanks to the Turkish Armed Forces. The official handover event took place in Kahramankazan, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, where three Altay units were presented. Each tank features modern composite armor, advanced fire-control systems, and a 360-degree active protection suite, providing robust defense against missiles and direct kinetic threats.
The Altay represents a significant achievement in Turkey’s domestic defense industry, with many key components—including optics, sensors, and electronic systems—developed by local firms. Although the first-generation models are powered by South Korean-made engines, future Altay variants will use the BATU indigenous engine, currently undergoing performance and endurance trials.
After years of development challenges and export limitations since the program’s start in 2007, Turkey has reached a new phase in mass production. Alongside the tank delivery, Ankara inaugurated the Tank and Next-Generation Armored Vehicles Production Facility, a massive 840,000-square-meter manufacturing and R&D center.
The facility will manufacture up to eight Altay tanks monthly and 10 Altuğ 8×8 vehicles, employing about 1,500 workers to support assembly, testing, and innovation. According to the production roadmap, Turkey plans to deliver 11 Altay tanks in 2026, 41 in 2027, and 30 in 2028, followed by the launch of the Altay T2 variant featuring the BATU engine, marking a new chapter in Turkey’s armored vehicle production capacity.
