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Korean defense company Samyang Chemtec has secured a contract to supply special composite armor for Türkiye's ALTAY main battle tanks, marking the company's first direct export deal to an overseas military program.
The Korean company will provide fourth-generation composite armor technology for the Turkish-developed ALTAY tank program, representing a significant breakthrough for Korean small and medium-sized defense enterprises in international markets.
According to comprehensive reporting by Seoul Economic Daily, reported by the South Korea-based News Naver on the 23rd, Korea's Defense Procurement Agency recently approved Samyang Chemtec's export of special bulletproof armor to Türkiye.
Samyang Chemtec has been the exclusive supplier of bulletproof armor to Hyundai Rotem for K2 tank production since 2009, establishing itself as a leading Korean defense SME over 17 years.
While Samyang Chemtec previously exported bulletproof armor overseas, when Hyundai Rotem secured a contract for 1,000 K2 tanks to Poland in 2022, this marked the first time the company had signed a direct supply contract for a tank developed independently by a foreign country.
The ALTAY tank was developed by Türkiye utilizing Korean K2 tank technology. The Turkish Army plans to begin full-scale production of ALTAY tanks from the end of this year, with the first phase involving 250 tanks entering service.
Türkiye has announced basic plans to gradually acquire 1,000 tanks in total. The ALTAY Main Battle Tank Production Program was initiated on Nov. 9, 2018, with a mass production agreement signed between the Defense Industry Presidency and BMC.
As the main contractor, BMC will produce 250 ALTAY Main Battle Tanks and deliver them to the Turkish Armed Forces, with nearly 200 subcontractors, mostly local companies, involved in the project.
Turkish officials reportedly highly evaluated Samyang Chemtec's technological capabilities, particularly noting the company's possession of the world's largest special bulletproof ceramic mass production facilities.
Industry experts assess that the bulletproof ceramic technology produced by Samyang Chemtec's research team after seven years of research, utilizing perfect mixing ratios of silicon carbide and various compounds, is not inferior to armor used on American Abrams or German Leopard tanks.
Kim Jong-il, CEO of Samyang Chemtec, said, "We operate our own materials research institute and technology research institute and possess the world's largest special bulletproof ceramic mass production facilities and bulletproof material structure manufacturing facilities. We have established a one-stop bulletproof solution system covering all processes from design to production and test evaluation."
As the global defense market experiences rapid growth, there is an increasing trend of small and medium enterprises moving away from indirect forms of supplying weapon system components to large companies toward producing finished products for direct export.
Korean defense SME RFHIC signed a contract worth approximately 3 billion won to supply radar power amplifier components to the Italian defense company Leonardo on May 7.
Due to unstable global security conditions, Korean defense SMEs' sales growth is expected to accelerate sharply.
Expectations for Korean defense companies' orders in the Middle East region, which represents a significant market accounting for 10% of global defense spending, are rising daily.
According to Eugene Investment & Securities, Korean defense overseas orders are expected to jump from $9.4 billion last year to $24 billion this year.
Lee Jae-gwang, a researcher at NH Investment & Securities, said, "As uncertainty about U.S. security commitments increases and competition for hegemony among powers in the Middle East region intensifies, defense spending in that region will continue to increase.
Particularly, Korean weapons have less political burden and possess excellent performance relative to price, so the Middle East is expected to become a second Poland."
The Korean company Samyang Chemtec will supply special composite armor of the fourth generation for the Turkish ALTAY tank.
The technology was developed by the Samyang Chemtec team after seven years of research into the ideal mixing ratio of silicon carbide and various compounds.
It is claimed that the composite armor of the fourth generation of the K2 Black Panther tank is not inferior to the most modern armor used on American M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tanks or German Leopard 2 tanks.
The success reflects the broader growth trajectory of Korean defense exports, with small and medium enterprises increasingly capable of competing directly in international markets rather than relying solely on partnerships with large defense contractors.
This direct export approach by Korean defense SMEs represents a significant shift in the country's defense industry structure and capabilities.
The contract demonstrates growing international recognition of Korean defense technology quality and competitiveness in specialized defense components and systems.
The Altay tank is designed as a next-generation main battle tank, featuring enhanced armor protection, advanced firepower, and high mobility to meet modern combat requirements.
While the initial T1 configuration optimizes existing systems, the upcoming T2 configuration will introduce improvements such as
The production schedule is as follows:
Total: 85 tanks
Once fully operational, the facility is expected to produce up to eight Altay tanks and 10 Altug 8x8 armored vehicles per month. At full capacity, the facility will employ over 1,500 personnel, including engineers and production staff.
The BMC factory will also serve as a key testing and qualification site, with dedicated facilities to evaluate the durability and performance of both tracked and wheeled armored vehicles.
A 290,000-square-meter test track will be complemented by workshops for maintenance and testing equipment calibration.
The Turkish Armed Forces currently possess a variety of main battle tanks, including Leopard 2A4, Leopard 1, M60TM, M60A3 and M48A5T2 models.
The most advanced of these are the Leopard 2A4 and M60TM, built in the U.S. and Germany, respectively, and are being modernized by Türkiye's indigenous efforts to keep the tanks up to date on new, changing battlefields.
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