Türkiye marks a historic milestone in its defense industry as the ALTAY Main Battle Tank officially joins the Turkish Armed Forces inventory. The first delivery will take place today during the inauguration ceremony of the BMC Ankara Tank and Next-Generation Armored Vehicle Production Facility in Kahramankazan. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will attend the event, which symbolizes one of the most significant advancements in Türkiye’s armored ground platforms.

The ALTAY program initially begins serial production with an imported powerpack but will transition fully to the indigenous BATU Power Group in the next phase. Under the project, the Turkish Land Forces will receive a total of 250 tanks—85 in the T1 configuration and 165 in the advanced T2 configuration. The “New ALTAY” model emerged following the localization of key components that were previously restricted by export-license barriers. This version incorporates major upgrades including a new armor system, enhanced protection suites, a renewed fire control system, upgraded vehicle control architecture, and a wide range of indigenized subsystems such as reduction gears, secondary sighting systems, turret ring gears, tracks, pumps, periscopes, and more.

Designed according to modern battlefield lessons and future requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces, the ALTAY T1 introduces a new protection concept combining passive, reactive, and active systems. Its layered armor structure provides 360-degree coverage against a wide spectrum of threats. In addition to robust passive armor, the tank features next-generation explosive reactive armor (ERA), cage armor for RPG threats, and the AKKOR Active Protection System—which offers full-spectrum protection against guided anti-tank missiles. Reinforced ammunition compartments and delayed-explosion safety measures further enhance crew survivability.

ALTAY’s combat performance is elevated by its advanced fire control system, enabling high-accuracy engagements even while on the move. High-tech weapon systems and modern situational awareness solutions provide strong firepower and precision. The hybrid protection architecture and upgraded mobility elements significantly improve agility, survivability, and overall operational effectiveness on the battlefield.

The initial prototypes of ALTAY were delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces in 2023 for serial production testing. With today’s official handover, ALTAY becomes a key element in Türkiye’s armored modernization strategy. The upcoming T2 configuration will introduce additional capabilities, ensuring the platform remains competitive against global main battle tank designs.

This achievement strengthens Türkiye’s position as a nation capable of designing, producing, and modernizing advanced armored vehicles independently—an important leap in its long-term defense capabilities.