FNSS's tracked armored vehicle expertise: from ZMA to the hybrid KAPLAN

Canada will take Türkiye's SSB model as an example as it pursues localization in its defense industry. One counterpart of that model in the field is FNSS, Türkiye's leading company in tracked armored vehicles.

A changing battlefield

Tracked armored vehicles spread their weight over a wide surface, offering high maneuverability on any terrain from swamp to desert sand. Unmanned aerial vehicles, loitering munitions and precision-guided weapons demand more agile designs and rapid adaptation to new mission equipment. Demand for protection levels that add heavy weight is declining, while the shift toward easily transported, quickly produced systems grows.

FNSS's history and exports

With more than 35 years of experience, FNSS has met the Turkish Armed Forces' needs since 1989. Its range includes the ZMA-15, KUNDUZ, the world's first and only amphibious armored tracked construction machine, air defense platforms, ZAHA designed for naval infantry, KAPLAN-10, KAPLAN MT and KAPLAN ZPT. Its vehicles have entered the inventories of 6 friendly and allied countries, led by the Turkish Armed Forces.

ZMA and GZPT vehicles are also used by the armies of the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the Philippines. The 1997 ZMA export to the United Arab Emirates was the Turkish defense industry's first complete defense system export. KAPLAN MT, implemented in Indonesia, was recorded as Türkiye's first medium and light class tank export. A framework agreement signed with CSG in June 2026 paved the way for producing the KARPAT medium tank, derived from the KAPLAN platform, in Europe.

Modernization and new projects

Mid-life extension work lengthens the service lives of existing vehicles, weapon systems gain autonomous capabilities and vehicles are fitted with new-generation subsystems. Developed entirely with FNSS's own resources, Gölge Süvari stands out as Türkiye's first heavy-class unmanned ground vehicle. The KAPLAN tracked hybrid vehicle, developed at the FNSS R&D Center, offers silent drive, extended silent watch and improved fuel economy through its hybrid diesel-electric drive system.

The hybrid power group can be applied up to 20 tons of vehicle weight, and a 30-40 ton version is under development. The solution is said to remove the need for a conventional transmission and shorten serial production delivery schedules by at least 12 months.