Turkey's first national main battle tank Altay's acceptance test and mass production plan is expected to reach completion in 2016.
Altay which is Turkey's third-generation main battle tank (MBT) developed under the Altay National Tank Project program for the Turkish Land Forces Command. The Defense Industrial Executive Committee selected Otokar as the contractor for production in March 2007. With Otokar as the main company, ASELSAN, Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKEK), ROKETSAN and ROTEM are working on the design, development and integration of Altay and the qualification of the tank through prototypes and testing.
Mass production will begin after the successful conclusion of the testing of the prototypes.
The tank's crew consists of four personnel as a tank commander, gunner, driver and loader. The power pack will be in the rear, driver's seat in the front and fighting compartment in the middle. The loader will be on the left side of the turret, while the commander will sit on the right. The gunner will sit on the same side as the commander but in a more forward and lower position.
Meanwhile, the front side of the tank will have a special modular reactive composite armor protection. The tank will be designed to resist chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) attacks. It also will use an advanced computerized Volkan-III modular (or National Cannon Fire Control System for Naval Platforms (TAKS)) fire-control system (FCS)
With its superior fire power, hit rate, high mobility acceleration, maximum speed, side slope, suspension, stabilization track and off-road drive, ALTAY is going to be the world's most modern tank.
The tank is named after army Gen. Fahrettin Altay, who commanded the V Cavalry Corps during the Turkish War of Independence
