Otokar unveils Alpar unmanned armoured vehicle

Otokar presented the Alpar, Turkey's second UGV, on 13 July. (Otokar)

Otokar unveiled its Alpar heavy tracked unmanned armoured vehicle in Arifiye, Sakarya, on 13 July.

The vehicle is designed to meet the robotic and unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces and be capable of operating on the battlefield with both manned and unmanned systems.

Otokar expects Alpar to reduce the number of personnel, especially those performing routine tasks, on the battlefield and the risk they face while using artificial intelligence and data analytics to increase mission success and enhance effectiveness by communicating with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other systems. Alpar's capabilities are increased by a mini UGV it can carry.

The vehicle's base weight is 12 tonnes, leaving three tonnes for various payloads, according to Otokar. The company did not disclose the vehicle's dimensions but said it can be transported by cargo aircraft.

The Alpar family of vehicles has the following versions: armoured fighting vehicle (AFV), anti-tank, counter-UAV, reconnaissance, logistics carrier, and communications relay vehicle for UAVs.

The vehicle has a hybrid electric propulsion system and can operate completely silently. The maximum speed of the Alpar is 70 km/h and it has a range of 500 km. It has a low thermal signature and its battery can be replaced quickly, according to Otokar.

The vehicle can operate autonomously or be remotely controlled up to a range of 5 km by a crew of two – the driver and the commander/gunner. All situational awareness and decision making algorithms used in Alpar were developed domestically, and the vehicle is equipped with adaptive driving assistance systems developed by Otokar.