Turkey is to procure 1o,ooo 12omm Kinetic Energy [KE] and HEAT Multi-Purpose [MP] tank munitions through the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency [NAMSA] to meet a Turkish Land Forces [TLF] requirement. Turkey applied to NAMSA for the procurement early in ‘o7, and sources reveal to TD&A Update that under the US$2o Million project an Italian company will procure the 12omm rounds from IMI of Israel and will then deliver them to Turkey.
The 12omm rounds are expected to be used to arm both the Leopard 2A4 and M60T MBTs of the Turkish Land Forces [TLF]. A total of 298 Leopard 2A4s have been procured from German Army surplus and are armed with Rheinmetall’s smooth-bore L44 barrel; while the M60Ts are equipped with IMI’s MG253 barrel [shortened version of L44].
In an earlier deal in December ‘o5, Turkey ordered 13,ooo [including practice ammunition] 12omm DM 63 tungsten-based KE rounds from Rheinmetall Defence for the Leopard 2A4s under a Euro46 Million contract, and deliveries were completed in September ‘o7. The TLF is also procuring approximately 1,2oo DM 38 practice rounds from German Army surplus. Under the M60A1 Modernisation Project, the TLF is procuring IMI’s KE rounds, which are to be produced at MKEK’s facilities under IMI license, for the modernised MBTs, which are now dubbed as M60T.