Türkiye begins mass production of indigenous 'Altay' main battle tank

Türkiye has officially started mass production of its new main battle tank, the “Altay,” at the Ankara plant of domestic automaker BMC, marking a major milestone in the country’s defence ambitions.

Fuat Tosyali, BMC’s chairman, said on Friday that the project fulfils a century-old Turkish aspiration. 

“Our factory has now begun mass production, after laying its foundations only last year — we expect it to meet the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces and allied countries in the defence industry,” he said.

Equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, the Altay is powered by the BATU engine, developed in-house by BMC Power, a subsidiary of BMC. 

The Ankara production facility employs industrial robots and advanced manufacturing techniques to handle every stage of production, from hull fabrication to final assembly.

‘No setbacks observed’