President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will attend the delivery ceremony of two New ALTAY Main Battle Tanks. BMC Savunma will deliver the tanks to the Land Forces Command with a ceremony in Sakarya Arifiye on April 23.
The Defence Industry Agency repeated that the tanks in question would be used in tests to avoid confusion regarding the delivery’s press release.
These tanks produced by BMC in Arifiye facilities do not meet some of the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) standards. For this reason, the tanks will be used in tests regarding suitability to requirements other than combat conditions. In the meantime, BMC will complete its investment in Ankara and start serial production there. BMC, which invited journalists to the facilities in Arifiye in the past weeks, gave information about the works held in the Arifiye facility.
The production process of the two tanks was also demonstrated in a video but was not allowed to be recorded. In this video, it was seen that the tank hull was not monocoque but was welded from two separate parts. Upon TurDef’s question on this subject, BMC Savunma General Manager Mehmet Karaaslan stated that the detection was correct, that these tanks would be used only in the tests, and that the tanks to be produced in Ankara would have a monocoque body and that those tanks would be delivered to the TAF.
The ALTAY tank was renewed following the conditions of the modern combat environment during the time that passed since the first prototype was produced. Many sub-systems, which had problems in procurement from abroad, were localized. Combat capability has been increased by adding updated technologies and innovations, and the tank has been redefined with the name “New ALTAY”, which has gained additional features related to the experience gained within the framework of the operations carried out by the army in recent years.
In this context, one of the most critical features of Altay is the increased use of digital technologies. This way, the tank can be used more precisely and quickly to detect enemy elements, identify their targets and fire. The new Altay fire control system includes modern technologies such as Laser Range Finder (LRF) and a more sensitive Image Stabilizer system. In this way, the tank will be able to detect targets at long distances and engage all targets that may be encountered on the battlefield with a high accuracy rate.
Survivability, which is one of the three most important capabilities of the tanks, has become a 3+ level. The tank has advanced armour modules that provide passive protection and the Active Protection System AKKOR, which provides active protection.
The new ALTAY has a flexible architecture that can adapt to the developing technology. Thanks to this feature, the tank will be modernized with different concepts that the Turkish Armed Forces may need in the future.
In the new ALTAY, 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm weapon systems, especially ammunition racks, turret ring gear, rotor, flat periscopes, sniper second-degree auxiliary sight system, slip ring, manual firing system, fuel-heating and bilge pumps, hydraulic pumps, systems such as road wheels and cooling vests were also localized. In addition, all of the New ALTAY Tanks will have a simulator system simultaneously, and the soldiers will reinforce their training under the control of their commanders in any environment, starting from a modern, practical and individual level.
In addition, more than 200 fires have been carried out so far within the scope of the ongoing tests with two preliminary prototype tanks, which were produced only for the improvement of firing performance and mobility performances, and endurance tests for thousands of kilometres in different weather and terrain conditions were carried out with the Preliminary Prototype ALTAY Tanks was executed. ALTAY 3+ Generation tanks will be included in the inventory after completing their tests in the TAF.
