Kazakhstan plans to start production of a Tulpar light tank in 2026, expanding its defense industry beyond wheeled armored vehicles.
The announcement was made by the company Besqaru following President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit to industrial facilities in Astana, where the company’s short-term plans were presented.
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The project envisages the use of the chassis of the Tulpar infantry fighting vehicle, developed by Turkey’s Otokar, combined with the 120 mm HITFACT MkII turret, from Italy’s Leonardo. The configuration was designed to offer direct fire capability against armored and fortified targets, meeting the requirements normally associated with the light tank concept and allowing different armament integration options.
Currently, Besqaru focuses its production on amphibious platforms on wheels, such as the Taimas 8×8 and Aibar 4×4 models, with a forecast of up to 200 units. The adoption of a tracked system would represent a leap in the country’s industrial capacity, in line with the Kazakh government’s strategy of strengthening local production through licensing agreements and the assembly of foreign projects.
Source: Defence Blog | Photo: @OtokarAS | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
🔵🇹🇷OTOKAR vehicles to be manufactured in 🇰🇿Kazakhstan
🔸Kazakh President Tokayev visited the Besqaru facilities, where the TULPAR IFV and the ALPAR UGV will be produced.
📎 @OtokarAS
🔗 pic.twitter.com/vhidL05Bmb— Defence Turk English (@Defence_Turk_EN) December 30, 2025
