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Mavi Boncuk | Initial 3D design of the Altay tank, as released by SSM

Mavi Boncuk |Turkey’s tank fleet is currently made up of American M-48s and M-60s, some of which have been modernized with Israeli cooperation into M-60 Sabra tanks, plus a large contingent of German Leopard 1s and Leopard 2s. That is hardy surprising. America and Germany are Turkey’s 2 most important geopolitical relationships, and this is reflected in Turkey’s choice of defense industry partners and due to industrial offset requirements foreign partners have a long history of local manufacturing partnerships to draw upon.

MİTÜP (Milli Tank Üretim Projesi | National Tank Production Project) nicknamed Altay by the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM), is the official name of planned Turkish national main battle tank. This will be Turkey's first MBT development program since 1943, when prototypes of a Turkish national tank were produced in the city of Kırıkkale, but never reached full-scale mass production.

Otokar, [1] a company owned by Istanbul-based Koç Holding, is authorized to select its local partners or sub-contractors, but the foreign technology suppliers will be selected by the SSM (Undersecretariat for Defense Industries.

Three local sub-contractors have already been selected: The military-owned electronics firm Aselsan will integrate the TAKS fire control system which is currently under development by Aselsan; as well as a partnership between Aselsan and STM (a software firm owned by the SSM) for the command, control and information systems; and state-owned ammunition producer MKEK for the integration of the smoothbore guns. Thanks to a $540 million agreement signed with South Korea the armor technology comes from the South Korean K2 Black Panther, . The final decision about the tank's engine is not clear. The candidates were the German MTU Friedrichshafen or the new South Korean engine which is currently under development.

A prototype of new generation tank will be produced during the next six or seven years, then its production will take a start. The first Turkish tank is expected to be delivered to TSK | Turkish Armed Forces [2] in 2012 or 2013 with target production of 1.000 modern main battle tanks.

[1] Being one of the major automotive manufacturers in Turkey, Otokar has been providing solutions to its customers both in commercial and military range since 1963Otokar is already the producer of three different COBRA weapon carrier platforms, KAYA and KALE mine resistant armoured vehicle family, the new OTOKAR ARMOURED PATROL VEHICLE, and the new LAND ROVER DEFENDER models.

[2] The TSK| TAF, with a combined troop strength of around 1,356,281 soldiers, is the second largest standing force in NATO after the United States.