IDEF 2017: Otokar's Altay tank goes asymmetric
A new variant of the Turkish
Altay Main Battle Tank has been displayed at IDEF 2017 for the first time.
It is an asymmetric version developed by Turkish vehicle manufacturer
Otokar – called Altay AHT – to meet a changing mission requirement and which includes more protection and surveillance systems.
A spokesperson from the company told
Shephard that the tank is 'the brother' of the standard Altay MBT that completed qualification in February 2017 and is awaiting a production contract from the Turkish procurement organisation, the SSM.
But he said there are some main differences on the AHT to allow the tank to conduct more high pressure urban operations. In particular he highlighted the explosive reactive armour added to the sides and the bar armour at the rear, and you can't miss the large dozer blade fitted to the front.
'This gives the AHT tank 360° armour protection,' the spokesperson said and also indicated the larger number of sensors on the turret that give the operators more situational awareness.
He said that the remote weapon station is installed further forward on the turret to give a better field of view at the front of the tank and that this also allows for an additional eight soft-kill Smart Smoke Curtain multispectral smoke grenade launchers on the turret itself.
Crews are able to respond faster to threats using several systems including: a gunshot acoustic shot detection system; a laser warning system to detect anti-tank missiles; laser range finders; mast-mounted Telescopic Elevated Observation System (EOS); and the YAMGÖZ 360° awareness system that contains a day TV and thermal camera.
The response time to employ a lethal weapon system is also increased with these systems as the guns can slew onto the location of the attacker automatically. It is also fitted with a jammer system for electronic protection.
Otokar made its
'best and final offer' (BAFO) to the SSM in August 2016 and the Turkish Army is expected to make an order for the first 250 Altay MBTs in the standard variant, but spokesperson said: 'The Turkish Army needs an asymmetric tank.' He added that Otokar has examined recent operations in the field and has developed the AHT model because the company sees a requirement for this kind of variant.
He said the fire control system, auxiliary systems and IFF are all the same, but the suspension is not. Altay has an in-arm suspension unit (ISU) whilst the AHT has a torsion bar suspension system which is easier to maintain but either system can be put on either version of the tank.
The company stated that: 'With asymmetric engagements that mostly transpire in residential areas increasing, Otokar has predicted that the modern armies 'need for suitably equipped battle tanks would also increase, and designed Altay-AHT Urban Operations Tank with a special team of 20 in as little as five months.'
https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/landwarfareintl/idef-2017-otokars-altay-tank-goes-asymmetric/