Turkish main battle tank Altay's engine BATU passes critical milestone

ISTANBUL

Türkiye's main battle tank Altay's engine BATU reached a critical milestone, as its factory acceptance procedures have been completed, the Turkish defense industries secretary said Wednesday.

"The factory acceptance tests for the 1,500 horsepower BATU engine, developed for our modern main battle tank ALTAY, have been successfully completed," Haluk Gorgun wrote on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

"Developed by BMC POWER using national resources, the BATU engine clearly demonstrates the level Türkiye has reached in land vehicle engine technologies with its performance, durability, and operational capabilities," Gorgun said.

Testing and qualification activities for the transmission of the BATU engine are also continuing as planned.

The BATU engine development process, which began in 2018, started with significant gaps in engineering infrastructure, testing facilities, supply chain, and human resources. However, simulation, production, and testing capabilities have been acquired, and the engines have been successfully developed and tested.

Designed to meet the high mobility requirements of the Altay Tank, the BATU engine demonstrates superior performance in criteria such as low fuel consumption, long lifespan, suitability for high altitudes and challenging climatic conditions.

The BATU Power Group, which provides the tank's mobility, consists of engine, transmission, and cooling package components. With the BATU engine now ready, the qualification of the domestically produced transmission has become a priority, and work in this direction is continuing at full speed.

Haluk Gorgun stated that the BATU engine is the embodiment of the engineering maturity and strategic vision that Türkiye has achieved in the defense industry.

He added that this engine has been developed with domestic and national resources and is capable of ending Türkiye's dependence on foreign sources in this field.