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Turkish defense contractor BMC has announced the imminent delivery of the first Altay T1 main battle tanks, marking a significant milestone in Türkiye's indigenous defense capabilities after years of development delays.
The company told defense publication Shephard Media that "we hope to announce the delivery of the New Altay MBT very soon," referring to the improved version designated as Altay T1 that will feature a South Korean engine configuration.
Under the current production roadmap, the first 85 units of a 250-tank order will be delivered as Altay T1 variants, equipped with South Korean power systems.
The remaining 165 tanks will be manufactured as Altay T2 variants featuring the locally developed BMC BATU engine.
Turkish Defense Industry President Haluk Gorgun announced in February 2025 that three Altay tanks will enter the inventory during 2025.
The delivery schedule breakdown is as follows:
Altay T1 timeline:
Altay T2 timeline:
The T1 configuration incorporates a 1,500-horsepower DV27K diesel engine manufactured by Hyundai Doosan Infracore and an EST15K transmission designed by SNT Dynamics. This solution addresses calendar challenges experienced during indigenous engine development processes.
Deliveries are expected to begin this year in accordance with previously shared schedules and be completed gradually by 2028.
BMC continues designing and manufacturing an indigenous engine for the Turkish Land Forces Command's third iteration tank designated Altay T2. This configuration will be equipped with the 1,500-horsepower indigenous BATU engine developed by BMC Power, which is currently undergoing final testing phases.
This development represents the most concrete step toward Türkiye's goal of completely eliminating foreign dependency in armored platform technologies.
Historical delays in the project stemmed from embargoes on German MTU engines and RENK transmissions, leading the program toward cooperation with South Korea.
The 65-ton third-generation main battle tank, named after General Fahrettin Altay, is equipped with superior capabilities to compete with counterparts like the M1 Abrams and Leopard 2.
Key technical features of Altay tank:
The Altay features a 120mm L/55 smoothbore cannon manufactured by MKE as its main weapon system. Survivability is enhanced through a modular composite armor package developed by Roketsan and the Aselsan AKKOR Active Protection System (APS), providing 360-degree protection against anti-tank threats.
Advanced fire control systems and network-centric warfare capabilities increase the tank's effectiveness in different combat environments.
The Turkish Armed Forces currently operates various numbers of Leopard 2A4, Leopard 1, M60TM, M60A3 and M48A5T2 type main battle tanks in its inventory. All are produced by the United States and Germany, with the most modern being the Leopard 2A4 and M60TM variants.
The New Altay T1, prepared to enter the Turkish Armed Forces inventory later this month and will add strength to Turkish armored units, while the program's future will be shaped by the indigenous engine-powered Altay T2.
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