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Main battle tank Turkey flagTurkey

BMC Defense

Altay

Turkey's first indigenously developed main battle tank, initially designed with South Korean partner Hyundai Rotem before BMC took over serial production. Early production batches use a South Korean-derived diesel powerpack, with a domestic engine planned for later series.

In service since 2023 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-01

70

km/h

450

km range

24

hp/t

120

mm gun

65,000

kg

Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

Türkiye export-licensed

SSB-administered; growing export programme, some Western sub-component dependencies.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 2023. Status: active · ~30 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

120 mm NATO smoothbore

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed

Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.

70 km/h
Stronger than 73% of main battle tanks
Range

Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.

450 km
Stronger than 32% of main battle tanks
Power-to-weight

Engine power per tonne of vehicle weight. Higher means better acceleration and cross-country mobility.

24 hp/t
Stronger than 68% of main battle tanks

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament

Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.

120 mm smoothbore (autoloaded)
Secondary armament

Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods.

12.7 mm + 7.62 mm remote weapon stations
Caliber

Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better — ammunition commonality matters.

120 mm
Ammunition

Rounds carried (main gun) or standard magazine capacity.

40
Stronger than 42% of main battle tanks

Protection

Armor, countermeasures and survivability.

Armor

Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.

Modular composite armor
Active protection

Hard-kill APS (Trophy, Arena, Afganit) intercepts incoming projectiles before impact.

Akkor (domestic APS, in integration)
Reactive armor

Explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks that disrupt shaped-charge jets.

No
Countermeasures

Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.

smoke grenade launchers
NBC protection

Sealed crew compartment with overpressure filtration for nuclear/biological/chemical environments.

Yes

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length

Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.

10.3 m
Width

Overall width — matters for rail/road transport of vehicles.

3.75 m
Height

Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.

2.27 m
Combat weight

Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.

65,000 kg
Crew

Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.

4

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine

Powerplant model and type.

Diesel powerpack (initial batches South Korean-derived)
Engine power

Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.

1,500 hp
Stronger than 85% of main battle tanks
Propulsion type

Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…

Diesel

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Sensors

IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.

Volkan-2 fire control system, panoramic commander sight
Thermal imaging

Thermal sights for night and obscured-visibility operations.

Yes

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built

Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.

30
Stronger than 16% of main battle tanks
Operator countries

Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.

1
Stronger than 23% of main battle tanks

Specifications compiled from public BMC Defense and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-01.

Compare with rivals

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Frequently asked questions

What is the top speed of the BMC Defense Altay? +

The BMC Defense Altay has a maximum speed of 70 km/h.

What is the range of the BMC Defense Altay? +

The BMC Defense Altay has a maximum range of 450 km.

How much does the BMC Defense Altay weigh? +

The BMC Defense Altay has a combat weight of 65,000 kg.

How many crew does the BMC Defense Altay require? +

The BMC Defense Altay requires a crew of 4.

What is the main armament of the BMC Defense Altay? +

The BMC Defense Altay's primary weapon is the 120 mm smoothbore (autoloaded).

What engine does the BMC Defense Altay use? +

The BMC Defense Altay is powered by the Diesel powerpack (initial batches South Korean-derived).

What is the BMC Defense Altay used for? +

The BMC Defense Altay is a main battle tank typically used for anti armor, infantry combat.

How many countries operate the BMC Defense Altay? +

The BMC Defense Altay is operated by 1 countries.

How much does the BMC Defense Altay cost? +

BMC Defense Altay: Unit cost not publicly disclosed. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.

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