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Slovakia's defense ministry has narrowed its light tank acquisition to two contenders, with Turkish manufacturer Otokar's Tulpar competing against BAE Systems Hagglunds' CV90120, eliminating German and Korean options from consideration.
Slovakia's Defense Minister, Robert Kalinak, confirmed that the two platforms are under evaluation for the country's medium tank requirement, with both offerings providing 40%-50% cost savings compared to the main battle tanks previously considered, according to the Slovakia-based news reports.
The Leopard 2A8 from Germany and the K2PL Black Panther, a Korean-Polish joint production, have been removed from consideration despite earlier evaluations.
The decision was driven by the significant maintenance and operational cost advantages offered by medium tanks, as well as greater opportunities for domestic production.
Kalinak indicated no final purchase decision has been made, noting both platforms remain in development stages and could enter Slovak service in three to four years at the earliest.
The Turkish Otokar's Tulpar platform offers significant flexibility in its configuration options, marking its second international light tank competition after Brazil's tracked fighting vehicle tender.
Tulpar offers two engine options—700 horsepower (hp) or 1,100 hp—tailored to customer requirements, with the vehicle capable of accommodating a gross weight range of 28 to 45 tons. Protection levels can be enhanced up to STANAG 4569 Level 5, providing resistance against 25mm APDS ammunition through the use of add-on armor.
For armament, Tulpar is available with either the Belgian Cockerill 3105 105mm turret or the Italian HITFACT MK-II 120mm L45 turret. Otokar demonstrated a prototype with Leonardo's 120mm gun last year, meeting NATO standard caliber requirements for Slovakia's needs.
Minister Kalinak stated that Otokar has proposed local production of both the turret and platform components, enhancing Slovakia's domestic defense manufacturing capabilities.
The CV90120, built on the CV90 MkIV armored fighting vehicle chassis, features a 120mm gun with an automatic loader being developed by Slovakia-based Koval Systems in cooperation with BAE Systems and Rheinmetall.
This option would provide training and logistics advantages through compatibility with CV9035 armored fighting vehicles already planned for Slovak service.
Slovakia aims to partially manufacture the newly ordered CV9035 infantry fighting vehicles domestically, with Koval Systems developing the automatic loader system for the CV90120.
This existing production infrastructure could influence the final selection.
Otokar has demonstrated flexibility in turret integration through previous projects, including the TAIMAS 8x8 IFV for Kazakhstan, fitted with a Chinese turret, and the RABDAN 8x8 IFV for the UAE, which utilizes a BMP-3 turret scheduled for replacement with the Spanish EM&E Guardian 30 turret.
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