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Türkiye delivered its first indigenous Altay main battle tanks (MBT) to the armed forces on Tuesday, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announcing the tanks completed 35,000 kilometers (21,748 miles) of testing and 3,700 live-fire exercises before deployment.
Speaking at the opening of BMC's Ankara Tank and New Generation Armored Vehicles Production Facility, Erdogan said the new production line spanning 63,000 square meters will manufacture eight Altay tanks and 10 Altug armored vehicles monthly.
"We continue to write a legend with our state-of-the-art air, land, and sea vehicles," Erdogan said, adding, "We are no longer just a state that follows; we are a state that is followed."
"We are experiencing great excitement and at the same time great pride for the Turkish defense industry together," he said, adding: "We see once again, both with this facility and our delivered Altay tank, that our trust in our country's defense industry and our engineers and technicians was not in vain."
The 840,000-square-meter facility in Kahramankazan will employ over 1,500 skilled personnel, featuring robotic welding systems, advanced sensor technologies, simulation infrastructure, and data analytics capabilities, according to the president.
"From robotic welding systems to advanced sensor technologies, from simulation infrastructure to data analytics, a comprehensive technology base will be integrated into our defense ecosystem," Erdogan said.
"In our serial production line with 63,000 square meters of closed area, 8 Altay tanks and 10 Altug units, described as the fortress of the battlefield, will be manufactured every month," he added.
"Our goal with Altay tanks, as with our other defense products, is not to depend on anyone, especially for critical materials," Erdogan stated, adding, "Despite embargoes, just as we reached today's stage, we will successfully continue the process from now on."
He emphasized resilience: "I always say it. Look, I'm repeating it once again today. Obstacles that appear and are placed in our path to our goals only slow us down. Maybe delay us a bit, but they can never prevent us from reaching our destination. We either find a way or open a way and eventually reach where we aim."
Türkiye's defense industry has reduced its foreign dependency from over 80% to below 20% over the past two decades, Erdogan said, with the country now among the world's top three nations in unmanned aerial vehicle production.
The president revealed that Türkiye currently has more than 1,400 defense projects underway, with 3,500 defense companies and over 100,000 qualified personnel.
In 2024, Türkiye captured 65% of the global UAV export market, supplying products to 180 countries.
"In the global market, 65 out of every 100 unmanned aerial vehicles sold were supplied by us," Erdogan said, projecting that this number would increase in 2025.
"Two months ago, we had delivered the Steel Dome, a system of systems consisting of 47 vehicles, to our heroic army," Erdogan revealed, noting, "Similarly, we had opened 14 production facilities at our Aselsan and laid the foundations of Ogulbey Technology Base with an investment value of $1.5 billion."
Erdogan outlined the changing international system, stating: "We can see very clearly that a new geopolitical equation is being established. The international system is changing not only its shell but also its course. Serious fractures are occurring in the order dominated by powers that do not exceed the five fingers of one hand."
"If you want to live honorably today, you must be strong and deterrent in every field," he said. "You must strengthen your economy, reduce your foreign dependency, and increase your capacity—in other words, cut your own umbilical cord. Otherwise, I'm sorry to say, in this new world that has turned into a wolves' table, no one pities anyone, doesn't look at their tears."
The president referenced conflicts in Bosnia in the 1990s, Syria for 14 years, and Gaza, where "70,000 innocents lost their lives," arguing that neither international law nor institutions could prevent these tragedies.
"Türkiye was one of the first countries to realize this period in which risks and threats increased asymmetrically," Erdogan said.
"From the first day, we made our assessments, took our measures, and, to use the expression, studied our lesson very well. In the last 23 years, with the steps we took, especially in the defense industry, diplomacy and security, we made Türkiye a country that cannot be ignored," he added.
"We mobilized all our diplomatic, military, political, commercial, and economic resources for a just world where the oppressed do not bow to the oppressor, where the strong do not crush the weak," he added.
"This year, we started deliveries that we will realize with increasing numbers in the coming years. In the following batches, we will add Altay tanks with the BATU power unit we developed with domestic and national capabilities to our army's inventory," Erdogan stated.
"Along with Altay, we will also deliver our Leopard 2A4 modernization project next year," he added.
The president noted international interest in the Altay tank: "With the intense interest of friendly and allied countries, Altay will make an important contribution to the impact and visibility of the Turkish defense industry in foreign markets."
"With 1.5 million engineering hours, a test process covering 35,000 kilometers, and 3,700 actual firings, we are proud to deliver the first of our Altay tanks, which have passed all stages, to our heroic army today," Erdogan said.
"Our Altay tank, equipped with new systems to adapt to the current combat environment at the highest level, was developed to suit the most challenging environmental conditions. It successfully completed tests for firing power, continuity and mobility capabilities," he noted.
"I want to especially state this: With Altay, we are opening wide the doors of a new era in tank technology," Erdogan said.
"With the experience we gained in Altay's production and development process, we gained great competence from digital control systems to artificial intelligence-supported decision-making structures, from autonomous movement capabilities to advanced protection systems," he added.
Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Sheikh Saud Bin Abdurrahman Bin Hasan Bin Ali Al Thani, attended the ceremony, with Erdogan expressing "heartfelt thanks to project partners Qatar" for their contribution to the project.
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