Prototype of Turkey's first indigenous main battle tank due end-2012

SAKARYA (A.A) - February 15, 2012 - Turkey's first indigenous main battle tank will see its prototype being tested end of 2012, the tank's manufacturer said Wednesday. "We will be test running the first prototypes by the end of this year. The project is going smoothly in line with the schedule," said Serdar Gorguc, director general at Otokar, the prime contractor in the 500-million USD Altay Tank Project. The Altay project is Turkey's first main battle tank development program that includes electronic command and control systems, a 120 mm gun and armor all of which will be manufactured by Turkish defense companies. "This is a very prestigious project that could transform the infrastructure of Turkey's defense industry. There are very few countries that makes their own tanks," Gorguc said. Altay's mock up was introduced to public in a defense show in 2011 in Istanbul.   Otokar is one of Turkey's major automotive manufacturers and it is owned by Istanbul-based Koc Holding.