Türkiye will formally deliver the first mass-produced Altay main battle tanks to the Turkish Armed Forces on Tuesday, marking a milestone in the nation’s drive toward a fully indigenous defence industry.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to attend and address the Altay Tank Delivery Ceremony in Ankara’s Kahramankazan district, where the event will also mark the official opening of the BMC Armoured Vehicle Production Facility — one of Türkiye’s largest defence manufacturing sites.
Named after Fahrettin Altay Pasha, the legendary commander whose 5th Cavalry Corps entered Izmir during the Turkish War of Independence, the Altay is positioned as the backbone of Türkiye’s next-generation armoured fleet.
Developed entirely by Turkish engineers, the project has now entered its mass production phase, with the new BMC production campus covering 840,000 square meters in the nation’s specialised aviation and defence industrial zone.
The Altay program represents one of Türkiye’s most ambitious indigenous military projects.
250 tanks in five years
According to the Turkish Defence Ministry, 11 Altay tanks in the T1 configuration will be delivered in 2026, followed by 41 in 2027 and 30 in 2028, totalling 85 units.
From 2028 onward, production will shift to the advanced T2 variant, equipped with the domestically developed “Batu” engine, with 165 additional tanks scheduled — bringing the total to 250 tanks within five years.
The Altay programme represents one of Türkiye’s most ambitious indigenous military projects, aimed at reducing foreign dependence and enhancing national defence capabilities amid a rapidly changing regional security landscape.
