Altay tanks cannot rescue Leopard 2A4 due to lack of engine
Although Türkiye has considered the possibility of sending Altay tanks to Afrin to rescue Leopard-2A4, this tank line has not been able to deploy due to unexpected reasons.
According to Army Recognition, the Turkish-developed Altay tank is about to receive the engine designed for this heavy tank. Final testing is currently underway. The new generation of Altay's engine system will have a capacity of up to 1,500 horsepower.
This source said that Türkiye had to struggle to develop its own engine for the Altay tank because Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries announced it would stop cooperating with Ankara to develop tank engines. The reason for stopping cooperation was the ban on military exports in effect in Japan.
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| Turkish Altay Tank. |
According to the head of the Turkish Defense Industry Secretariat (SSM) Murad Bayar, this has been stopped, but the two sides have agreed on military technical cooperation in other areas.
Mr. Bayar also said that Japan does not like Türkiye's intention to sell Altay tanks to third countries. Currently, the Turkish Defense Ministry plans to find a new foreign partner who wants to participate in their tank engine development program.
In phase 1, the Turkish Ministry of Defense plans to purchase 250 new main battle tanks to equip the country's Army. The order will then be increased. It is not yet clear how many tanks Türkiye plans to export and to which countries.
Turkey and Japan have been negotiating tank engine cooperation since late 2013. It was expected that the project would be approved in mid-2014 and would involve Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Turkey's TUSAS Engine Industries.
The talks took place against the backdrop of weakening Japanese military export bans, although that did not undermine the licensing of Japanese technology for re-export.
In mid-November 2013, the Turkish company Tumosan offered SSM to develop a new engine for the Altay tank. The basis for the proposed new engine is a V-shaped diesel tractor engine. SSM accepted the company's proposal and agreed.
The Altay tank is being developed by the Turkish company Otokar, named after Turkish army general Fahrettin Altay, commander of the 5th Cavalry Corps during the Turkish War of Independence in 1919-1923.
The tank weighs 60 tons, is expected to be equipped with a 1,500 horsepower engine with hydropneumatic suspension, and a 120 mm stabilized gun. Currently, prototypes of the Altay are being tested. According to the initial production plan, the Altay will be produced from 2015.
However, due to the lack of a standard engine, mass production has not yet been carried out. Therefore, the plan to bring this domestic tank to Afrin to support the Leopard 2A4 tank cannot be implemented in the near future.
