Türkiye is extending the life of its GZPT advanced armored personnel carriers, the tracked ACV-15 AAPC that FNSS delivered to the Land Forces in the early 2000s, with a fast-paced FNSS-led upgrade. SSB information from September 2026 says all 52 phase-one vehicles were delivered by March 2025 and that an option has been exercised to upgrade 80 more.
At a glance
| Prime contractor | FNSS Defence Systems |
|---|---|
| User | Turkish Land Forces Command |
| Program | SSB GZPT Modernization Project |
| Deliveries | Phase I: 52 delivered (March 2025); 80 more on contract |
| Contract | 26 May 2023 |
What is the GZPT Upgrade?
GZPT stands for Geliştirilmiş Zırhlı Personel Taşıyıcı, meaning advanced armored personnel carrier. It is the APC member of the ACV-15 family that FNSS developed from the US AIFV lineage, and it retains full amphibious capability. Janes has reported that the Turkish Land Forces received 551 ACV-15 APCs in the early 2000s.
SSB defines the upgrade goals as greater survivability and firepower, better situational awareness, positioning and direction finding, and improved crew comfort.
Key features and specs
The upgraded vehicle is a tracked amphibious APC with a 305 hp engine, a combat weight of 15,500 kg and a top speed of 60 km/h. Range is 550 km, trench crossing 1.83 m and vertical obstacle 0.736 m. Its weapon is the ASELSAN SARP dual-gun remote weapon station, which keeps the gunner under armor.
Added systems include close-range surveillance, an auxiliary power unit, air conditioning, automatic fire suppression, spall liners, improved driver vision, navigation and gunshot detection integration. Mobility and weight figures come from SSB's fact sheet. FNSS says the program also includes a complete overhaul of each vehicle, including engine and transmission, while preserving amphibious capability.
Program, service and exports
SSB awarded FNSS the prime contract on 26 May 2023, at the ceremony where FNSS delivered ZAHA amphibious vehicles to the Turkish Navy. FNSS committed to upgrade the first 52 vehicles within 24 months, and DefenceTurk reports that ASELSAN's SARP system is being integrated. FNSS met that timeline: SSB says phase-one deliveries were completed in March 2025. Citing user demand, SSB then exercised the option in the phase-one contract and signed an amendment for 80 more vehicles, bringing the program to 132 vehicles in about three years.
The 52 upgraded GZPTs are back in Land Forces service, and the delivery schedule for the additional 80 has not been published. The main operational change is the remote weapon station, along with air conditioning and an auxiliary power unit for long missions.
The ACV-15 family serves in the UAE, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the Philippines, but there is no public export contract for the GZPT upgrade package. FNSS also markets an M113-family capability and sustainment program, for which the GZPT work offers a fielded reference. No trade show display of the upgraded vehicle has been verified, and no official local content figure exists, though the weapon station and electronics are Turkish.
Comparable programs include Australia's M113AS4, Israeli M113 upgrades and the US M113A3 standard. The Turkish effort keeps amphibious capability while adding a domestic remote weapon station and modern life support, delivered in about two years.
Source: Envanter Medya