After 17 years of development and delays, Türkiye's first Altay main battle tanks are expected to soon enter service with the country's armed forces. This would make the long-promised 2025 delivery schedule a reality despite skepticism.
According to BMC, the first 85 of 250 tanks will be produced in the T1 variant powered by a South Korean engine, Shepard Media reports. Later batches will shift to the T2 variant equipped with Türkiye's indigenous BATU powerplant. Once fielded, Altay would become the second serially produced main battle tank in NATO, alongside the German Leopard 2.
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However, expectations should be tempered. Current plans foresee just three Altay tanks being delivered in 2025. Production will then ramp up: 11 units in 2026, 41 in 2027, and 30 in 2028. The lower figure in 2028 reflects the transition to the T2 version with the Turkish-built engine.
This means Türkiye will remain dependent on the South Korean engine until at least 2028, which, given the project's history, could prove challenging. Moreover, South Korea will also supply other critical components, such as ceramic armor derived from the K2 Black Panther, until domestic equivalents are developed.
Leveraging proven foreign technologies is seen as a way to finally push Altay into production after years of delays. A similar approach was taken in the KAAN fifth-generation fighter program.
Development of the Altay began in 2008, making this Türkiye's first national tank project since 1943. The Turkish army currently operates Leopard 2A4, M60TM, M60A3, M48A5T2, and Leopard 1A3 tanks.
The Altay itself does not introduce any revolutionary concepts. It will feature a 120mm gun, 65-ton combat weight, composite armor, an active protection system, and a four-person crew without an autoloader.
In essence, it is a conventional NATO-style tank, likely to distinguish itself by lower costs and as a symbol of Türkiye's defense-industrial ambitions.
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