Kazakhstan to Produce Light Tank Based on Turkish Tulpar Platform

Kazakhstan has revealed plans to launch domestic production of a light tank based on the Tulpar infantry fighting vehicle after President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited defense manufacturing facilities in astana, including the Besqaru plant.

During the visit, Tokayev toured production workshops at Besqaru, a company engaged in the production and technical maintenance of wheeled and tracked armored vehicles. As part of the visit, company officials briefed the president on current manufacturing processes and near-term production plans.

According to the company, Besqaru plans to manufacture up to 200 amphibious wheeled armored vehicles, including the Taimas 8×8 and the Aibar 4×4.The vehicles are localized variants derived from armored platforms developed by Otokar, a Turkish defense manufacturer with an established export portfolio.

The proclamation that drew the most attention during the visit, however, was Besqaru’s statement that it plans to begin production of a light tank variant next year. The vehicle would be based on Otokar’s Tulpar tracked infantry fighting vehicle platform and fitted with an Italian-made Leonardo 120mm HITFACT MkII turret.

Company representatives said the planned light tank would use the Tulpar chassis as its base platform. The Tulpar is designed as a multi-purpose tracked vehicle intended to support a range of mission profiles,including armored combat roles,and is marketed by Otokar as adaptable to different turret and weapon configurations.

The HITFACT MkII turret is a modern medium-caliber gun turret developed by Leonardo. It is indeed equipped with a 120mm smoothbore gun and is designed for a variety of armored vehicles.