Tulpar in light tank configuration with 120 mm turret and KAPLAN MT medium tank with 105 mm turret are on the table for the Brazilian Marines’ future tanks.
Brazil-based Tecnologia & Defesa Editor Paulo Roberto Bastos Jr. reported that multiple light/medium tank manufacturers have proposed their designs during LAAD 2025, two of them being Turkiye, as Otokar with Tulpar armoured vehicle’s updated light tank configuration and FNSS with KAPLAN MT medium tank.
Other competitors include BAE Systems with CV90120, which is a derivative of the CV90 IFV fitted with a 120 mm L50 smoothbore gun, and Leonardo with Centauro II 8x8 fire support vehicle using HITFACT MK II turret armed with a 120 mm L45 smoothbore gun.
Brazilian Marines currently use the SK-105A2S Kürassier 8x8 fire support vehicle, which is under-armoured and out-of-date by today’s standards despite the acceptable amount of firepower. The new light/medium tanks will replace these vehicles. One can safely assume protection and fire control systems will be among the main criteria considering the shortcomings of the SK-105A2S.
Otokar Tulpar Light Tank
Tulpar’s light tank configuration was initially offered with the Belgian Cockerill 3105 105 mm turret, also used on the FNSS’s offer. The new iteration of the light tank is a cooperation between Otokar and Leonardo, being fitted with the same HITFACT MKII turret of Centauro II for greater firepower.
Tulpar can be fitted with a 700 hp or 1100 hp engine, depending on customer preferences, and reach a speed of 70 km/h. Depending on the configuration, the vehicle can weigh up to 45 tonnes.
FNSS KAPLAN MT Medium Tank
KAPLAN MT was developed in cooperation with FNSS and Indonesian PT Pindad as a platform meant to be a medium tank from the ground up, unlike the other contenders.
Like Tulpar’s light tank configuration, KAPLAN MT, armed with a Cockerill 3105 105 mm turret, has received some new changes and provisions to its design, such as enhanced driver visibility and capability to use the PULAT active protection system.
KAPLAN MT, with a 660 hp engine, can reach a speed of 70 km/h and weigh up to 30+ tonnes.
Article originally published on the Tecnologia & Defesa portal with the title in Portuguese “PROADSUMUS – Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais estuda um substituto para os SK-105” (PROADSUMUS – Marine Corps studies a replacement for the SK-105) on 06/05/2025, and translated and adapted by Paulo Roberto Bastos Jr.
(*) Tecnologia & Defesa (Technology & Defence) was founded in 1983 as a magazine specialising in aerospace defence and public security. Tecnologia & Defesa is the largest and oldest printed magazine in the sector. It is published in Brazil and has a national circulation and in South American countries. Since 2025, it has been a partner of TurDef in exchanging information to keep readers updated on the important news occurring between the two countries.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor: Özgür Ekşi
