Turkey’s indigenously-developed 1500 HP Tank Engine Ignited for First Time

Turkey today turned-on it’s indigenously developed 1,500-horsepower engine, BATU, that will power various armored vehicles and tanks, Defense Industries Presidency Head Ismail Demir said Wednesday.

Demir posted the informataion on his Twitter account with a video showing the ignition of the engine developed by BMC Power.

“Our defense industry is taking firm steps towards its targets in engine technology,” Demir said.

The locally-made engine is also set to power Turkey’s domestic main battle tank (MBT), Altay. The BATU is a 12-cylinder, V-type, water-cooled turbodiesel power unit. The engine will produce 1,500 horsepower and 4600 Nm of torque.

Media reports previously claimed that Ankara had considered purchasing an engine for the tank from a South Korean firm. Reports said earlier in March that BMC, the Turkish company that undertaking the Altay project, came to an agreement with two South Korean companies, Doosan Infracore Co. and S&T Dynamics Co., for the engine and transmission.

Information about when the engine would enter mass-production was not mentioned.