OTOKAR Unveils ALPAR – a New Heavy Unmanned Ground Vehicle
On the 60th anniversary of the founding of Otokar, Turkey’s global ground systems manufacturer, a press conference was held at the company’s Sakarya factory. Information regarding OTOKAR’s active projects and deliveries was presented at the event, and the AKREP II R Reconnaissance-Surveillance Vehicle and the ALPAR Heavy Class Tracked Unmanned Ground Vehicle was also unveiled for the first time.
Serdar Görgüç, General Manager of Otokar, told members of the press at Arifiye facilities, “We are implementing new technologies in land systems and are assuming a leading role in the sector. Our products, our global knowledge, engineering success, R&D, and technology capabilities have made us a global player in the defense industry. Thanks to our superior design, testing, and production capabilities, we have the ability to respond quickly to the ever-changing requirements and needs of our users.” General Manager Görgüç also stated about ALPAR, which is a first for the Turkish defense industry: “As Otokar, we are proud to offer an innovative solution for our Turkish defense industry by following technological innovations with ALPAR.”
Otokar developed the ALPAR Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) as an unmanned platform capable of performing tasks with manned and unmanned elements on the battlefield in order to meet the Turkish Armed Forces’ robotic and unmanned ground vehicle needs. According to the company, the vehicle with a maximum load of 15 tons, with its autonomous systems and artificial intelligence systems, aims to find solutions to issues such as “reducing personnel risk on the battlefield, reducing the number of personnel in the field through the use of artificial intelligence and data analytics, increasing the success of tasks, particularly routine tasks, and increasing battlefield efficiency by communicating with unmanned aerial vehicles and other elements on the battlefield”.
The vehicle, which has a modular design and is suitable for tasks such as advanced reconnaissance and surveillance, as well as different tasks such as fire support, logistics support, air defense, and anti-tank, can operate autonomously and be operated remotely. The vehicle, which has a serial hybrid electric drive infrastructure and can operate completely silently, has a range of 500 km with hybrid drive and 50 km with electric drive. ALPAR also attracts attention due to its low thermal footprint, ability to be carried on aircraft, and quickly replaceable battery infrastructure. Currently, the vehicle is equipped with a 30mm gun integrated into the Mızrak turret system and 2 OMTAS medium-range anti-tank missiles developed by ROKETSAN.
According to the company, swarm behaviors will be included in the future, and ALPAR will be able to operate autonomously in a multi-dimensional battlefield by communicating with other unmanned elements (UGV, UAV, UCAV, and USV) and manned elements. OTOKAR aims to complete the development work on ALPAR by 2027. During this time, the company plans to further improve the performance and technical characteristics of the vehicle.