Türkiye signs $200m deal with South Korean firm for main battle tank Altay

A South Korean firm has announced it will supply an automatic transmission mechanism for the engine that powers Türkiye’s main battle tank Altay. 

SNT Heavy Industries will deliver BMC, the manufacturer of Altay, with a 1.500-horsepower automatic transmission for $217.9M until 2030.

The South Korean agreement is seen as a major breakthrough for Türkiye’s defence requirements after an earlier deal with German companies fell through.

According to the South Korean company, the export contract was signed following an eight-month examination of tests, including an endurance driving test last year.

The export agreement involves a supply commitment of $74.9M until 2027 and an additional sourcing option valued at $141M between 2028 and 2030.

“It is a valuable achievement through a harsh test evaluation, such as completing a night-based driving of about 200 km (124.27 miles) a day even in the local rough terrain and environment,” the company said, claiming that their transmission could fully replace the German components.

BMC previously signed an export contract with two South Korean companies, Doosan Infracore Co. and S&T Dynamics Co., for Altay’s engine and transmission mechanism. Industry sources say there wasn't much progress on that front.

In the long term, Türkiye aims to produce its own engines and transmission. However, the South Korean supplies will serve as a stop-gap solution until Türkiye’s defence industry can manufacture the parts locally.

Türkiye successfully started its first nationally developed 1,500-horsepower engine, BATU, in May, which could power various armoured vehicles and tanks, potentially including the Altay.

The domestically-developed engine is a 12-cylinder, V-type, water-cooled, turbo diesel power unit that will produce 1,500 horsepower and 4600 N-m of torque.

Türkiye launched the Altay tank project in 2005 to improve the technical capabilities of Turkish defence and increase the country’s domestic contribution in the sector.

Project delays

The Altay tank project, which was intended to incorporate technologies from multiple players, faced significant delays in getting critical components like engines and transmission.

Ankara began negotiations with German companies MTU and RENK for the production and supplies of the tank engine. However, they could not be concluded successfully due to an arms embargo by Berlin which wrongly accused Türkiye of being involved in the Syrian civil war.

Türkiye started scouting for new engines around this period and finally received the engines from the Korean manufacturer in March last year.

While many advanced nations’ defence industries, notably the US, UK, Germany, and France, are experiencing significant production deficiencies in their defence industrial bases, South Korea’s defence industry is going strong.