The modernized M60T tanks are in the inventory of the TSK

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According to the statement from the SSB, the “TİYK-M60T First Tank Delivery Ceremony,” carried out within the framework of the project initiated to meet the modernization needs of the Land Forces Command under the coordination of the Presidency, took place in Şereflikoçhisar with the participation of defence Industry President Haluk Görgün, Deputy Minister of National defence Celal Sami Tüfekçi, Land Forces Commander General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, representatives of the Turkish Armed Forces and the defence industry sector.

In his speech at the ceremony, Görgün stated that the challenges in the maintenance and sustainment of M60 tanks, which had undergone improvements through foreign companies in the past, and the problems caused by countries providing products and services had led Turkey to become a country that investigates, develops, produces, and solves problems uniquely.

Görgün conveyed that the defence Industry Executive Committee, with the approval of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, initiated the “Tank Additional Capability Project” aimed at improving the inventory of existing tanks. He mentioned:

“As part of this project, a domestic design approach was adopted for the tank’s essential components, including the fire control system. As a result, as in many fields, our challenging neighborhood has made Turkey the host of its defence industry. M60T tanks are known for their powerful propulsion systems, effective firepower, and durability. Our country has updated these tanks through modernization efforts to make them compatible with contemporary technology. The technological superiority of our fire control systems has been acknowledged by world countries through the export of these systems. The localization of design and production processes opens the way for adapting this system to tanks with different configurations worldwide. With the Tank Additional Capability Project (TİYK)-M60T, the Fire Control System, defined as the brain of main battle tanks, has been localized, bringing the modernization process to its final stage. All electronic systems on M60T tanks have been made producible with national capabilities, eliminating external dependency except for the power group. I would like to express my thanks to all subcontractor companies involved in the project, especially ASELSAN.”

“These platforms have paved the way for our defence industry”

President Görgün, in a social media post on the subject, also noted that with the project, an important step has been taken on the path to full independence in the defence industry. He emphasized that Turkish engineers have achieved a significant success with the modernization efforts resulting from entirely local and national engineering, allowing Turkey to modernize different types and models of tanks, a capability possessed by very few countries in the world. He stated:

“Our new M60T tanks equipped with local and national technologies, the unwavering stronghold of our Land Forces, have been added to the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces today. The platforms we have acquired and modernized today, under the leadership and determination of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to increase the local content rate in the defence industry and not to compromise on this matter, have paved the way for our defence industry.”

“Türkiye is the only country capable of modernizing three-country tanks”

Furthermore, the modernization of M60T tanks with domestic capabilities has highlighted the progress achieved by the Turkish defence industry. Previously, Israelis were responsible for modernizing these tanks. While the country did not openly impose an embargo during these processes, various difficulties were reflected in the public. Officials have stated that during these processes, many M60T tanks became unusable, emphasizing, ‘Currently, we are the only country capable of simultaneously modernizing American, German, and Russian tanks.