From:
Janes - 22 August 2018
Tulpar light tank completes initial trials, awaits first contract
This system mates the Otokar Tulpar tracked armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) with the Belgian CMI Defence Cockerill 3105 turret already in quantity production for Saudi Arabia (with more than 130 turrets delivered).
The Cockerill 3105 turret is armed with a 105 mm high-pressure rifled gun fitted with a thermal sleeve and fume extractor. The 105 mm gun is fed by a bustle-mounted automatic loader that enables the turret to be crewed by just a commander and gunner.
It also has a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun (MG) and a bank of electrically operated smoke grenade launchers on either side.
In addition to firing conventional rounds of 105 mm ammunition – including armour piercing fin stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS), high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT), and high-explosive squash head (HESH) – it can also fire a Falarick gun-launched anti-tank guided missile (GATGM) developed in Ukraine. This is laser guided and fitted with a tandem HEAT warhead to neutralise targets fitted with explosive reactive armour (ERA), and has a maximum range of 5,000 m.
The weapon has a computerised fire-control system and stabilised sighting systems, including stabilised sights for commander and gunner consisting of day/thermal channels and a laser rangefinder.
A side view of the latest Tulpar light tank fitted with a CMI Defence Cockerill 3105 two-person turret, showing its bustle-mounted automatic loader, commanders panoramic sighting system, and applique armour. (IHS Markit/Patrick Allen)
