The Turkish Armed Forces have taken delivery of the E-ZPT, an electric armored personnel carrier created by converting diesel-powered M113 carriers to fully electric drive. The Ministry of National Defense (MSB) has completed inspection and acceptance for the platform and added it to the inventory.
Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, announced the induction at the ministry’s weekly press briefing. Alongside the E-ZPT, he said that quantities of Bayraktar TB3 unmanned aerial vehicles, MPT-76 7.62 mm National Infantry Rifles, and weapons carrier vehicles had also cleared inspection and acceptance and entered service.
The briefing was held in the Yıldız hall of the Ay Yıldız Joint Headquarters, which is still under construction. “Work to strengthen the capabilities and capacity of the Turkish Armed Forces with our domestic and national defense industry products continues,” Aktürk said.
From diesel M113 to electric drive
The E-ZPT was developed by MKE (Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation) under the coordination of the MSB General Directorate of Military Factories. It is the first qualified vehicle produced by converting the M113 — in Turkish service for decades — to fully electric power. Three vehicles were handed to the Land Forces in this first delivery, and the program plans to field 50 in total.
During conversion, the original diesel engine and transmission are removed and replaced with a domestically developed hybrid powertrain. Keeping the existing M113 hulls holds down the cost of the modernization.
Performance and specifications
The hybrid system pairs an electric motor with a diesel range-extender generator and produces more than 600 hp. Key figures reported for the platform:
- Maximum speed: 65 km/h
- Range in hybrid mode: more than 650 km
- Range in silent mode (battery only): about 150 km
- Acceleration: 0 to 50 km/h in 5 to 6 seconds
The Ministry describes these figures as close to double the power and better agility compared with the older diesel M113.
Tactical advantages
The electric drive gives the vehicle several advantages in the field. Running on battery power, it can move without producing an acoustic signature, and its low heat output reduces the chance of detection by thermal cameras. The platform also supports remote-controlled, unmanned operation, and its lower fuel use and maintenance costs ease the logistics burden.
Those features make the E-ZPT suited to reconnaissance, forward-line logistics, and special operations. An armed variant, the E-ZMA, uses the same hybrid powertrain.
On behalf of the Air Force Command, acceptance testing for a quantity of SOM-B1T stand-off missiles will be carried out at ROKETSAN between 13 and 17 July.
