Kaplan Hybrid Turkish Tracked Armored Fighting Vehicle

The Kaplan Hybrid Turkish Tracked Armored Fighting Vehicle offers the extreme off-road performance of a tracked vehicle, combined with silent drive, extended silent watch, enhanced fuel economy, and increased exportable power. This enables it to be used in combat and reconnaissance scenarios, thanks to its new hybrid diesel-electric tracked vehicle powertrain system. The hybrid powertrain integrated platform impressively demonstrates the company’s know-how in the fields of hybrid drive technology, software development, and electronic control. These features include, but are not limited to, high mobility, silent operation, fuel efficiency, high electric power supply to the field, operation flexibility, ease of maintenance, and design flexibility for mobility sub-systems. Thanks to the high torque output of the electric motors at low speeds, the new hybrid powertrain provides superior acceleration compared to the KAPLAN Hybrid Vehicle in other tracked platforms. This brings a critical advantage on the battlefield by enabling a quick response to threats and evacuation from the field. Another advantage of the hybrid powertrain is its silent operation. A serial hybrid configuration, in electric-only mode, powered entirely by batteries, enables almost silent driving or operation of onboard systems for reconnaissance and communication, with no internal combustion engine operation. This silent operation feature will drastically reduce the vehicle's acoustic and thermal signature, making it harder to detect. The electric traction system of the new hybrid powertrain has an efficiency value of more than 95%. This feature reduces heat and noise emissions to the environment, and, together with the fuel-efficient diesel generator set and battery pack, it provides an extended cruising range for the vehicle. The energy recuperation feature of the electric motors, while braking, recovers the kinetic energy of the vehicle. On other platforms, energy is lost as heat through the brakes to the environment, whereas the KAPLAN Hybrid Vehicle recharges its battery pack using the recovered energy. As a result of these features, the burden of liquid fuel logistics in the field can be reduced. The generator of the new hybrid tracked vehicle powertrain enables the platform to operate using only diesel fuel, without requiring a charging infrastructure. The generator supplies electric power to the traction motors while the vehicle is cruising. When the vehicle is stationary, this time, the generator can export power to a command post or other units on the field. The high energy generation capability of the generator also enables onboard integration of focused energy weapons, anti-drone systems, and other high-power mission equipment. The energy generation, energy storage, and silent operation features of the hybrid powertrain provide operational flexibility to the Kaplan Hybrid Vehicle in the field. Integration of new high-power mission systems and high-tech weapon systems enables an increase in lethality. Longer stationary operations and scouting without detection are possible due to energy storage and silent operation features. Hybrid vehicle design architecture also provides flexibility in internal layout, enabling a better response to mission profile requirements. Shafts and other mechanical powertrain and steering parts are replaced with cables, which enables different layout options and enhances maintainability. The use of a complex cross-drive transmission is avoided; instead, the vehicle is driven by electric motors and simplified e-drive gearboxes. The new hybrid tracked vehicle powertrain system is applicable to vehicles up to 20 tonnes GVW. Depending on customer requirements, it can be adapted to new tracked vehicle production programs as well as modernisation programs. 40 40-tonne version of the hybrid powertrain is under development. The hybrid KAPLAN vehicle, equipped with a new hybrid powertrain, marks a new era for military vehicles, meeting the future requirements of military operations worldwide.