ISTANBUL / ROME — Turkish land defense manufacturer Otokar and Italian defense prime Leonardo have successfully completed integration and live-firing trials of the TULPAR medium tank platform fitted with Leonardo’s HITFACT MkII 120 mm turret. The firing campaign, which evaluated both static and moving engagement scenarios, validates the delivery of main battle tank (MBT) class lethality on a lighter, highly mobile tracked chassis.
The integrated configuration bridges the tactical gap between heavy 60+ ton main battle tanks and light infantry fighting vehicles. By pairing a low-recoil 120 mm smoothbore cannon with TULPAR’s modular tracked chassis, the joint initiative provides a strategically deployable armored platform tailored for expeditionary missions, contested littoral zones, and mountainous terrain where heavy MBTs face strategic transport and logistical constraints.
MODULAR FIREPOWER & C-UAS DEFENSE INTEGRATION
* MBT-Class Lethality: The HITFACT MkII turret houses a 120 mm / 45-caliber low-recoil smoothbore gun capable of firing all standard NATO 120 mm ammunition, including armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) rounds and Vulcano 120 mm precision-guided munitions for extended-range engagements.
* Counter-UAS Options: The turret architecture supports integration with secondary defense systems, including Leonardo’s HITROLE Remote Weapon Station (RWS) armed with the 30×113 mm Blaze cannon to counter uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS) and loitering munitions.
* Optronics & Fire Control: Features fully digital fire-control architecture, hunter-killer capabilities, electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sights for both commander and gunner, and integration with digital battlefield management systems (BMS).
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: OTOKAR TULPAR 120 MM MEDIUM TANK
* Base Chassis: Otokar TULPAR Tracked Armored Vehicle
* Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW): Modular weight architecture scalable from 28 tons to 45 tons depending on armor package and tactical requirements
* Turret System: Leonardo HITFACT MkII 120 mm smoothbore turret (lightweight alloy construction with add-on modular armor)
* Main Armament: 120 mm / 45-caliber smoothbore gun (interchangeable with 105 mm options)
* Ammunition Compatibility: Standard NATO 120 mm smoothbore rounds + Vulcano 120 mm precision-guided munitions
* Secondary Armament: Coaxial machine gun + optional HITROLE RWS (30×113 mm or 12.7 mm)
* Mobility & Powerpack: High-output turbo-diesel engine (700 hp to 1,100 hp class) with automatic transmission, delivering speeds in excess of 70 km/h and an operational range over 500 km
* Protection & Survivability: Modular composite and reactive armor packages up to STANAG 4569 Level 5 ballistic protection, mine/IED blast protection, and optional Active Protection System (APS) suite
The successful completion of live-fire tests positions the TULPAR-HITFACT MkII as a competitive tracked solution for international military forces seeking modern armor capability without the deployment friction of traditional heavy MBTs.
