The Altay tank was developed in Turkey and is a third-generation main battle tank (MBT). It's based on an original design. This is the first indigenous tank program in the country since the end of World War II. There are two phases to the project: The first covers the initial 250 units and the second phase focuses more on the enhanced tank.
Turkey's Ministry of Defense has provided $1 billion to develop the Altay tanks. It intends to manufacture 1,000 Altay Tanks locally. There are reports that other Gulf countries may be interested in purchasing them. But, the first serial production contract has not yet been signed.
Turkey's manufacturers are working together with a variety of foreign partners to create the Altay Tank. MKEK, a Turkish manufacturer, will license the main armament of the Altay tank: the Rheinmetall Rh120 gun. Advanced computerized Volkan-III modular fire suppression system will be used to control the vehicle. ROKESTAN, an Ankara-based armor manufacturer, will produce the system and Aselsan, a Turkish defense firm Aselsan will manufacture control systems.
Altay's design was originally intended to be powered initially by a German 1,500hp MTU engine. Turkish engine manufacturers are unable produce the required engine. The Turkish government announced a $1 billion competition for an engine for the tank. Two Korean companies are expected to supply engines for Altay. Caterpillar Europe division in the UK has been in discussions with Ankara regarding providing engines for the tank.
At the 2011 Defense Exhibition, Istanbul, the first prototype of Altay was revealed. The tank's turret and sideskirts are a mock-up. The tank comes with a smoothbore gun 120mm L/55. Otokar constructed four prototypes for a government contract. They passed testing. These prototypes can now be used for mobility testing. A second prototype is expected to be ready for firing tests. All tests of endurance and survivability have been passed. 2013 will see the construction of the third prototype.
Turkey's defense market has experienced rapid growth in the last decade. The country has more companies than Japan or Sweden, and seven companies make the list of the Top 100 Global Defense Companies. The Turkish government has leased a military-owned tank factory to BMC, which began operations in 2010. BMC and the Turkish government have also signed agreements for mass production. BMC anticipates that construction will start in two years and the contract will allow for the establishment of a plant to produce Altay tanks in Turkey.
Altay has two phases. One phase covers the initial 250 tanks. The second phase consists of a modified tank with improved armour. The new tank is expected to be in service by 2020. Its main weapon is the Rheinmetall Rh120 Gun, which will have a Turkish licence. The control system will also be manufactured by Aselsan, a Turkish defense company.
In 2008, Altay tank construction began. The Turkish government allocated $1 billion to this project. The first prototype of the Altay was built by Otokar and passed testing. Nearly 100 companies work on the project. Some foreign companies are being considered for complex systems integration design.