Turkish Company Upgrades Leopard 2, Plans New Tanks

Aselsan has modernized a Leopard 2A4, a German-manufactured tank. Aselsan is Turkey's largest defense company. The modernized Leopard 2 will serve partly as a testbed for Turkey's planned local tank design program. This program is the Altay. Aselsan calls the modernized tank the Leopard 2 Next Generation. Aselsan has replaced the tank's electronic, electro-optical, electro-mechanical, and electro-hydraulic systems.

Previously, Aselsan upgraded 171 Leopard 1 tanks for the Turkish Army. This contract was worth $160 million.

Otokar has a $500 million contract from the Turkish military to design and develop the Altay. The production of four Altay prototypes will take place by the end of 2015.

Many of the subsystems Aselsan used to modernize the Leopard 2A4 will be included in the Altay.