With the 8×8 wheeled IFV programme ongoing, the Turkish Land Forces still have to replace their tracked infantry fighting vehicles, their current inventory being based on around 650 ACV-15 fitted with 25 mm turrets, 20% of them upgraded to the T1 standard. The advent of the new Altay MBT will certainly require the adoption of a more modern tracked vehicle for mechanised infantry, and after showing it with several different turrets, Otokar showcased its Tulpar IFV fitted with the Aselsan Korhan 35 mm turret
In the past years the Tulpar tracked platform unveiled by Otokar in 2013, and since the vehicle has been actively promoted, awaiting an order from Turkey that has not materialised yet, priorities having shifted to different areas following the evolution of the battlefield. In the past years the Tulpar has been exhibited with several turrets of different calibres, up to the Leonardo HITFACT 120 mm one, and has been offered to various countries including Brazil and Poland.
Otokar proposes its Tulpar as a flexible tracked platform with a combat mass ranging from 28 to 45 tonnes; the powerpack can be adapted to the mass, the company considering an output between 720 and 1,100 hp, and engines of different providers such as Caterpillar, Cummins or Scania, a national option being the Utku V8 from BMC Power which provides 1,000 hp.
The appearance of the Tulpar fitted with Aselsan’s Korhan 35 unmanned turret shows a renewed interest for the Turkish market, that turret having been selected as the system of choice for the 8×8 Next Generation wheeled IFV of the Turkish Land Forces. It is therefore highly probable that the same turret will equip the new tracked IFV when this will be selected, allowing commonality in terms of logistics and training.
The Korhan 35 was already integrated onto Otokar’s Arma 8×8 and according to information gathered at the Istanbul exhibition it was successfully test fired on that platform. While often the appearance of a turret on a platform is just for exhibition demo, in the case of the Tulpar and the Korhan 35 EDR On-Line understood it was a full integration. The turret was equipped with Aselsan Akkor active protection system, which twin-launcher could be seen on top of the turret while radars were visible on the turret corners. According to Otokar sources the company do not plan to test fire the Korhan on the Tulpar, as the turret is already well known; full tests will be conducted only when the Turkish programme will start.
Otokar has built one Tulpar prototype and three pre-series vehicles.
Photos by P. Valpolini
