Türkiye Begins Mass Production of Altay Main Battle Tank

Türkiye has begun mass production of its new Altay main battle tank at BMC’s Ankara plant. Powered by the locally developed BATU engine, the tank is undergoing final performance tests before deployment. Alongside the Altay, the facility will also produce the Altug armored combat vehicle. Defense officials said President Erdogan has closely monitored the project, and the tanks tested last year successfully proved their capabilities.

Türkiye has officially launched the mass production of its new main battle tank, the “Altay,” at the Ankara plant of domestic automaker BMC, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s defense ambitions.

On Friday, Fuat Tosyali, chairman of BMC, described the project as the fulfillment of a century-long aspiration for Türkiye. He stated, “Our factory has now entered the mass-production phase after being established only last year. We anticipate that it will not only meet the operational requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces but also serve the needs of allied nations in the defense industry.”

The Altay is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies and is powered by the BATU engine, developed domestically by BMC Power, a subsidiary of BMC. The Ankara production facility is designed with advanced manufacturing capabilities, utilizing industrial robots and modern techniques that cover every stage of production, from hull fabrication to final assembly.

Tosyali explained that the BATU power group, with outputs ranging from 400 to 1,500 horsepower, must complete comprehensive testing before deployment. He said, “The power group needs to successfully ‘run’ for 10,000 kilometers and pass all required performance evaluations. Up to this point, we have not encountered any setbacks. All systems, including the air components and defense mechanisms, are being tested simultaneously alongside the tank itself.”

In addition to the Altay, the facility will also produce the Altug, BMC’s next-generation eight-by-eight armored combat vehicle, further strengthening Türkiye’s defense production capacity.

Haluk Gorgun, President of the Defense Industry Agency (SSB), commended the joint effort behind the project and emphasized that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has personally followed its progress closely. Gorgun said, “The tanks that were delivered last year for testing successfully demonstrated their full range of capabilities. With our production facility now fully operational, we are prepared to manufacture and deliver these tanks directly to our armed forces.”