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Otokar Tulpar

2018 MODERN

The Story of Otokar Tulpar

In 2015, the Turkish army is expected to deploy its first domestic main battle tank (MBT) through the "Altai" series. This would officially free the country from its reliance on foreign goods for its main battle tanks, mostly from Europe and the United States, dating back to the Cold War era. In addition, Turkish Aerospace Industries put the first Turkish drone into production as "Anka" and laid the foundation for a fully self-sufficient Turkish military-industrial complex.

With this in mind, Turkish engineers developed an Indigenous Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) to support the operations of the Altay Line, capable of transporting battle-ready infantry to hotspots, landing them under cover, and providing fire support to the enemy through Automatic cannons, machine guns and anti-tank missiles. The car was named "Tulpar", design work began in 2011, and manufacturing was taken over by Otokar.

Two cars have been completed so far (2013). Otokar is also involved in the development and production of the Altay, which will enter service in 2015.

The design of the Tulpar follows the well-established IFV configuration with a low profile, near-horizontal forward sloping plate and mid-mounted power turret. The power pack is on the right side of the fuselage, placing the rider on the front left. The turret is located in the center of the top of the fuselage, above the passenger compartment. The standard operator consists of three drivers, commander and gunner.

The latter two are in the tower. The cabin accommodates nine combat-ready infantry and is accessed through a hinged rectangular door in the rear of the hull. Extended rear fenders protect the sides of the doors. The infantry seat has nine folding units, five on the left and nine on the right. The driver's position is fully accessible from the passenger cabin, as are the positions of the commander and gunner.

Armor protection consists of composite armor. The design takes into account modern threats, including rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank missiles and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), as well as anti-tank and mines.

NBC systems (nuclear, biological, chemical) are standard, as is night vision equipment for the crew.

The running gear consists of seven rubber tire wheels on one side of the track. The drive sprocket is in the front and the chain idler is in the back. Power is provided by a Swedish Scania DSI 14 (or 16) liquid-cooled V8 diesel engine producing over 810 hp. The road speed reaches 70 km/h and the cruising range is up to 600 km. The engine is connected to the SAPA SG-850 series automatic transmission system.

The torsion bar suspension provides the necessary suspension for off-road travel. The car weighs 32 tons, has a barrel length of 7.2 meters, a width of 3.4 meters, and a height of 2.7 meters to the top of the tower.

The Tulpar is designed as an armored fighting vehicle, suitable for arming IFVs. This includes the primary armament of a 30mm Oerlikon Duel Feed autocannon on the MIZRAK turret. Also built-in 7.62mm coaxial machine. The completed Tulpar will reportedly provide the ability to fire the Umtas family of anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), a requirement of today's IFV.

Along the sides of the rear turret are smoke grenade launchers, arranged in two rows of four. They serve the vehicle by facilitating automatic smoke screens to cover offensive maneuvers or defensive retreats.

Tulpar was first introduced to the public at IDEF 2013 in Istanbul. Tulpar is expected to be used for export sales. Although the Turkish Army did not have a formal request at the start of the project, the Army will ask for 400 vehicles to go with their new MBT.

For now, Azerbaijan is the only serious contender to be the first export customer of the new Tulpar IFV, although no deal has yet been confirmed.