Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 18
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
All components for the first Turkish new generation tank Altay, including engines, will be produced domestically, Haber7 TV channel reported March 18.
Turkey will start mass production of Altay tanks in late 2016, the newspaper reported.
Türk Motor Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi (TUMOSAN) company will produce engines for Altay tanks.
Earlier, it was reported that Turkey intends to import engines for domestic tanks from abroad.
TUMOSAN was founded in 1975. It specializes in the engine production for tractors. At the first sage, the company intends to produce 40 engines for Altay tanks.
Earlier, it was reported that the production of tanks would be established in the northwestern province of Sakarya.
The first domestic Altay tank was tested in Turkey in July 2013. As a result of successful testing, it was concluded that, the tank completely meets the specified requirements and is ready for mass production.
The agreement on creation of Altay tank was signed in March 2007 between the Secretariat of Defense Industry (SSM) of Turkey's Defense Ministry and Turkish company Otokar.
The first batch is expected to hit 250 tanks, while the price of one tank - $5.5 million.
Turkey's defense industry has managed to reach the self-sufficiency level of 54 percent.
Edited by CN
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