On August 28, 2025, Turkey officially began deliveries of its first Altay T1 main battle tanks to the land forces. It is the country’s most ambitious armored program since World War II, designed to replace aging Leopard 2A4, M60TM and M48 models and to reduce reliance on foreign technology, reports The WP Times, citing Army Recognition.
The Altay T1 weighs 65 tons and is classified as a third-generation main battle tank. It features a 120 mm smoothbore gun produced by MKE, composite modular armor from Roketsan and the Aselsan AKKOR active protection system capable of intercepting modern anti-tank missiles. The tank is powered by a 1,500 hp Hyundai Doosan Infracore diesel engine paired with an EST15K transmission from SNT Dynamics, enabling speeds of up to 65 km/h and an operational range of 450 km. It is built to function in extreme conditions between –32 °C and +52 °C.
Development of the Altay began in 2008 but was repeatedly delayed after Germany imposed export restrictions on MTU engines and RENK transmissions. Ankara turned to South Korea, and the tank shows strong similarities with the K2 Black Panther while being adapted to Turkish military needs. The four-man crew configuration, retained instead of a fully automated loading system, highlights Ankara’s focus on reliability and ease of maintenance.
Series production started in 2024. The first three tanks will enter service in 2025, followed by 11 units in 2026, 41 in 2027 and 30 more in 2028. In total, at least 85 Altay T1s are scheduled by 2028. A second phase envisions 250 tanks overall, including 165 Altay T2 models with the indigenous “BATU” 1,500 hp engine. Each unit is estimated to cost around 13 to 14 million US dollars, putting it in the same financial bracket as Western models like the Leopard 2 or M1 Abrams.
For NATO, the Altay T1 strengthens Turkey’s southern flank. Politically, the program signals Ankara’s ambition to move from being a consumer of Western defense systems to becoming a producer with export ambitions, particularly in the Middle East. Military analysts highlight that the Altay does not bring revolutionary new concepts but combines modern systems at competitive cost, while lessons from the Ukraine war – survivability against drones, precision strikes and mobility – shaped its design.
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