Otokar and Leonardo successfully complete integration and live firing tests of TULPAR with HITFACT MkII 120 mm turret
Otokar and Leonardo have completed integration and live-firing trials of the Tulpar tracked medium tank fitted with Leonardo's HITFACT MkII turret and its 120 mm/45 low-recoil smoothbore gun, firing from static and moving positions at Italy's Nettuno test range. The companies say the weapon, fire control, and stabilisation met all planned objectives, though no accuracy data, round counts, or engagement times have been published. According to Brazilian outlet Tecnodefesa, senior Brazilian Army staff attended the demonstration.
The Read: This is the first publicly reported live fire of the turret on a tracked hull, after it entered service on Italy's wheeled Centauro II. That's the real product: a qualified 120 mm turret that fires standard NATO rounds and guided Vulcano 120 ammunition, fitted to whichever hull a customer can afford and move. Brazil is the near-term test, with Tulpar reportedly among four finalists to replace its Leopard 1A5s, alongside CV90, ASCOD, and Lynx.
\\ EDR Magazine
Otokar Tulpar with Leonardo HITFACT MkII turret \\ Source: Otokar
\\ Signal Watch
China’s Recent J-36 Heavy Stealth Tactical Jet Testing Offers New Insights Into Its Evolving Design \\ TWZ
China's J-36 is taking shape as something closer to a flying command post than a traditional fighter, with at least four and possibly five prototypes now flying and fresh landing footage showing a design still being refined. The three-engine, two-seat tailless jet now carries F-22-style two-dimensional thrust-vectoring nozzles, a lighter-colored radome that may house a very large radar, and multiple conformal antenna apertures across its upper fuselage, pointing to heavy investment in sensing and beyond-line-of-sight datalinks. Analyst Andreas Rupprecht argues the type could act as a node directing J-20s and uncrewed aircraft while striking high-value targets from standoff range, and the three-engine layout gives it spare electrical power for sensors and potentially directed energy. An AVIC placard this month described a laser tracking system in the hundreds of kilowatts at under 380 kg (837.7 lb), though its link to the J-36 is unconfirmed. By contrast, the US Air Force's F-47 is not expected to fly until 2028, and AFRL's commander said last week that no laser is yet ready to put on an aircraft.
J-36 prototype on landing approach \\ Source: Chinese internet via X
\\ Quick Links
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NATO military chiefs tell industry they are ready to buy \\ UKDJ
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Britain invests £7.5 billion in AI-enabled military targeting network, with secret cloud due in 2026 to link sensors and weapons \\ Defence Industry Europe
Scotiabank Prices Canada’s First Defence Bond at $750 Million \\ Canadian Defence Review
EU Boosts Ukraine Defense Support With €3.3 Billion Funding Package \\ Deftechtimes
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