The Turkish Army has received the first six serially produced Kaplan tracked anti-tank vehicles from FNSS, Turkey’s Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) announced.
The March 23 announcement follows the delivery of first Kaplan and PARS (wheeled armored vehicle) prototypes to the Turkish defense ministry in late December 2019.
Both Kaplan and PARS are part of Turkey’s anti-tank-vehicle (ATV) program that will procure a total of 260 vehicles, 76 Pars 4x4s and 184 Kaplan units. The program is being delivered by Turkish company FNSS Defense Systems.
Both models of the vehicles will be equipped with OMTAS medium-range anti-tank missile that is developed by Turkish defense company Roketsan. The missile has a fire and forget capability and a range of 8 kilometers. The vehicles will also field a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun.
A number of the Kaplan vehicles are to feature Russian-developed Kornet E anti-tank guided missile systems.
Kaplan has a stated range of over 525 kilometers and can attain a top speed of 65 km/h. The power pack cabin and the expanded driver area are located at the front of the vehicle, while the gunner and the commander areas are located in the middle. The rear section of the vehicle accommodates the assistant gunner and any additional personnel.
According to FNSS, all 260 units under the program are to be delivered by 2021.
