DEFENCE Blog - Turkish army gets first wheeled Panter howitzer NewsArmy - By Dylan Malyasov - Nov 6, 2025 Modified date: Nov 6, 2025

 DEFENCE - Blog

Turkish army gets first wheeled Panter howitzer

NewsArmy

By  Dylan Malyasov

Nov 6, 2025

Modified date: Nov 6, 2025

T-155 TTA “Panter” wheeled self-propelled howitzer. (Image credit: SavunmaSanayiST)

Key Points

Türkiye has delivered the first T-155 TTA Panter wheeled self-propelled howitzer to the Turkish Land Forces, marking the transition to serial production.

The system completed a multiyear qualification program that included over 20,000 kilometers of mobility testing and approximately 350 live-fire trials.

The Turkish defense industry has handed the first production T-155 TTA “Panter” wheeled self-propelled howitzer to the country’s land forces, marking the transition from prototype testing to serial production and entry into service on November 5, 2025, SavunmaSanayiST reported.

The delivery follows a multiyear qualification campaign and completes a program led by ASFAT under the administrative responsibility of the General Directorate of Military Factories (AFGM), with ASELSAN, BMC and MKE as subcontractors.

The prototype vehicle drove more than 20,000 kilometres across varied terrain and fired roughly 350 rounds in diverse firing scenarios during trials. According to the program record, “Prototip ile ilk atışlı testler 2022 yılının Aralıkayında gerçekleştirilmişti.” After completing environmental and performance trials, the vehicle entered the inventory of the Land Forces Command and serial production has begun.

The T-155 TTA design integrates a 155mm artillery turret onto an 8×8 tactical wheeled chassis, creating a mobile, long-range fire system intended for modern manoeuvre operations. Company texts describe the platform’s mission set and performance in operational terms: “Panterler, geliştirilmiş mobilize yeteneği sayesinde muharebe unsurlarında etkili, doğru ve zamanında ateş desteği sağlıyor; düşman unsurlarını baskı altına alma, etkisiz hâle getirme görevlerini başarı ile ifa edebiliyor.” In other words, the system is intended to deliver timely, accurate fire support and to suppress or neutralize enemy forces while remaining highly mobile.

Program documents trace the project timeline to a 2020 contract between AFGM and ASFAT, with prototype integration completed in November 2022 and prototype qualification continuing through 2025. The official account says the integration and acceptance processes were successfully closed, and that the T-155 TTA has cleared its most demanding tests. The statement on delivery described the T-155 as an artillery class weapon system designed and produced for the land forces with a focus on rapid emplacement, long-range accuracy and mobility.

Technical and operational features highlighted by the program include an advanced fire-control suite, an 8×8 wheel drive that allows rapid repositioning, and the ability to operate across difficult terrain and water obstacles. The combination of mobility and automated fire control is presented as a core capability: rapid movement into and out of firing positions and precise long-range engagement are central to the vehicle’s design.

Wheeled 155mm systems such as the Panter represent a doctrinal shift toward highly mobile artillery that can support fast manoeuvre forces without the logistical footprint and infrastructure demands of tracked heavy artillery. Second, the program underscores the maturing capability of Turkey’s domestic defense supply chain — from prime contractor ASFAT to electronics from ASELSAN and steelwork from MKE — to take a complex artillery integration from concept to serial production.