- Kazakhstan’s Besqaru plant announced plans to begin production next year of a light tank based on Otokar’s Tulpar platform following a visit by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
- The proposed vehicle would use a Tulpar chassis fitted with a Leonardo HITFACT MkII turret, expanding Kazakhstan’s domestic armored vehicle manufacturing beyond wheeled systems.
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 announcement 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 turret system developed by Leonardo and designed for installation on tracked and wheeled armored platforms. The system is intended to provide direct-fire capability against armored and fortified targets, aligning with the requirements typically associated with light tank concepts.
Besqaru’s current armored vehicle lineup focuses on wheeled systems, including amphibious platforms for regional terrain requirements. The planned introduction of a tracked light tank would mark an expansion of Kazakhstan’s domestic armored vehicle manufacturing scope.
President Tokayev’s visit comes as Kazakhstan continues to emphasize domestic industrial capability across multiple sectors, including defense manufacturing, with a focus on licensed production and localized assembly of foreign-designed platforms.