KAPLAN STA: FNSS’s Tracked Anti-Tank Vehicle — Specs, Turkish Service and Exports Explained
FNSS’s KAPLAN STA is a tracked tank destroyer built on the KAPLAN-10, the smallest member of the company’s new-generation KAPLAN family, and forms the tracked half of Türkiye’s Weapon Carrier Vehicles (STA) program. According to project information released by Türkiye’s Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) in September 2026, 368 STA vehicles have been delivered; 184 of the 260 vehicles in the original contract were tracked KAPLAN-10s.
| Builder | FNSS Defence Systems |
| User | Turkish Land Forces Command |
| Program status | SSB program – Weapon Carrier Vehicles (STA/ATV) |
| Deliveries | 184 KAPLAN-10 in original contract; 368 STA vehicles delivered in total |
| Local content | No official figure; engine, turret, missile and sight domestic |
| Program start | Contract 27 June 2016; first delivery 25 Dec 2019 |
What Is the KAPLAN STA?
The KAPLAN STA is a tracked anti-tank guided missile carrier designed to keep pace with main battle tanks and engage armor from a remotely operated turret. The SSB frames the STA program as developing, with domestic means, the vehicles needed to employ the OMTAS medium-range anti-tank missile from a platform.
The program deliberately pairs two hulls: the tracked KAPLAN-10 STA for cross-country work with armored units and the wheeled PARS 4×4 STA for rapid road moves. It covers 64 KORNET-E and 196 OMTAS turrets, and the first KAPLANs delivered were reported with KORNET-E turrets.
Technical Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Tracked anti-tank weapon carrier (KAPLAN-10 based) |
| Weapon system | FNSS remote anti-tank turret; twin-tube launcher (KORNET-E or OMTAS) |
| Secondary armament | 7.62 mm machine gun |
| Sight | ASELSAN SAGER electro-optical sight |
| Powertrain | TÜMOSAN engine, fully automatic transmission |
| Running gear | Tracked, five road wheels |
| Road speed | 65 km/h (Army Recognition) |
| Amphibious | Two rear water propulsion units; no preparation required |
| Protection | Ballistic and mine protection, laser-protected periscopes |
The KAPLAN-10 completed a 10,000 km durability test plus mobility, environmental, EMI/EMC, mine, ballistic and amphibious trials, and fired both KORNET and OMTAS from its FNSS-designed turret. The 110 km/h and 12.5-tonne figures in the SSB fact sheet refer to the wheeled PARS 4×4 and are not used here.
Who Builds It and Program History
FNSS is prime contractor. The contract was signed on 27 June 2016 and entered into force on 14 October 2016, covering 260 vehicles and 260 turrets. Qualification began on 3 December 2018 and the first two KAPLAN STAs were delivered at FNSS’s Gölbaşı plant on 25 December 2019. ROKETSAN handled OMTAS integration, ASELSAN supplied mission equipment and the SAGER sight, SDT platform electronics and TÜMOSAN the engine.
The contract was raised to 344 vehicles on 30 April 2021; the first 260 were completed in February 2022 and the 300th anti-tank platform was delivered on 10 November 2023. The SSB now reports 368 deliveries, with vehicles added under amendments 7 and 8 in acceptance – roughly a decade of program activity.
Turkish Service and Deliveries
The KAPLAN STA serves with Turkish Land Forces anti-tank units, with fielding reports appearing in early 2024. The SSB has not disclosed the tracked/wheeled split of the 368 vehicles delivered, so the current KAPLAN STA total beyond the original 184 is not public.
Exports
No export contract has been announced for the KAPLAN STA. The wider family, however, has an Indonesian footprint: FNSS and PT Pindad co-developed the Kaplan MT medium tank, known in Indonesia as Harimau, which the Indonesian Army has ordered, and FNSS has shown a conceptual KAPLAN APC under a joint development and production program with PT Pindad. That industrial base could support any future anti-tank variant sale.
Trade Show Appearances
The KAPLAN-10 anti-tank vehicle made its public debut at IDEF 2019 in Istanbul, shown as a prototype at the end of qualification alongside the Kaplan MT, the ZAHA/MAV and FNSS’s remote anti-tank turret. Later international appearances could not be verified by year.
Local Content and Key Subsystems
No official local-content figure exists. The hull and turret are FNSS designs, OMTAS is a ROKETSAN missile, the SAGER sight comes from ASELSAN and the engine from TÜMOSAN; KORNET-E turrets let the army use its Russian-origin missiles from a Turkish platform.
Global Counterparts
Tracked tank destroyers include the US M901 ITV on the M113, Russia’s BMP-3-based Kornet-T and Germany’s Wiesel 1 TOW. Most rely on older hulls with bolt-on launchers; the KAPLAN STA combines a purpose-designed new-generation hull with mine protection, amphibious mobility and a remote turret that keeps the crew under armor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the KAPLAN STA have a 30 mm cannon?
No. Its main weapon is a twin-tube anti-tank missile launcher (KORNET-E or OMTAS), backed by a 7.62 mm machine gun.
How is it different from the PARS 4×4 STA?
Both are part of the STA program; the KAPLAN STA is tracked, the PARS 4×4 STA wheeled.
Has Indonesia bought the KAPLAN STA?
No public KAPLAN STA export exists; Indonesia operates the related Kaplan MT/Harimau medium tank.
How many are in service?
184 were in the original contract; the SSB reports 368 STA vehicles delivered without a per-platform breakdown.
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Featured photo: Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB)
Sources
- SSB Land Vehicles Department project fact sheet, September 2026
- Defence Turkey – Tank Hunters KAPLAN & PARS 4×4 STA: First Two KAPLAN STA Delivered
- Nurol Holding – Next generation tank destroyer from FNSS: KAPLAN ANTI-TANK (MSI, 2019)
- TURDEF – FNSS Delivers the 300th Anti-Tank Platform to the TAF
- Army Recognition – Kaplan 10 STA technical data
- MilitaryLeak – Turkish Army Begins Deploying KAPLAN STA Anti-Tank Vehicle (2024)
- FNSS – KAPLAN-10
- Wikipedia – Kaplan MT / Harimau
