The Turkish Armed Forces have received the first six new generation Firtina (Storm) 155mm self-propelled howitzers.
A ceremony was held to mark the delivery milestone, which was attended by President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other officials.
President Erdogan said: “We will increase this number to 140 in total, with new deliveries in the coming period.
“The new generation Storm howitzers have many advantages compared to the models currently in the inventory. As a result of the studies carried out, both the survivability and firepower of our howitzers have been increased.”
The howitzers will enhance the Turkish Armed Forces’ deterrence and mobility. The weapon system provides a ‘great fire advantage’ and will be deployed for counter-terrorism operations.
Erdogan added: “Additional capabilities include new generation fire control, automatic ammunition loading, driver vision, [and] automatic fire extinguishing.
“There are many critical elements such as air conditioning, remote-controlled weapons, renewed track suspension equipment, and a new generation auxiliary power group. With all these systems that add strength to the power of our storm howitzers, we also reduce our foreign dependency. We will complete it within the year.”
The president also noted that the howitzers will use the engine and transmission developed by BMC Power.
In May, the Turkish forces are set to receive two new Altay main battle tanks, which will enter mass production in 2025 following the completion of tests.
