As a subsystem supplier for many armoured vehicle users across the globe, Menatek stands out with the subsystems it produces for both wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles, including suspension and track equipment, torsion bars, gearboxes and hydromechanical pumps. Generating a significant proportion of its turnover from exports, the company has grown a reliable supplier of both foreign users and the Turkish Land Forces.

Broad Product Range to Meet All Needs
Menatek draws upon a quarter of a century of experience within the sector for the production of numerous mechanical and hydromechanical subsystems deployed aboard wheeled and tracked military land vehicles. These subsystems and parts can be listed under the following main categories:

• Suspension
• Running Gear
• Powertrain
• Break Systems
• Heating and Cooling
• Lubrication
• Chassis
• Periscope

Emphasising their broad product range, Naz Ünal, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Menatek, said: “We are capable of producing all mechanical systems, except weapon systems, that are found on wheeled or tracked military land vehicles. We are even able to produce difficult-to-manufacture parts for the engines and gearboxes of such vehicles, including pistons, connecting rods and high-speed gears.”

The company has recently made new additions to its broad family of products and capabilities with the addition of the MeVu periscope and the in-company designed NAZ bearing, while also acquiring complete design, analysis and testing capabilities for the manufacture of torsion bars.

Torsion Bars: An Indispensable Component on Tracked Armoured Vehicles
Menatek is already producing torsion bars for 12 different tracked armoured vehicles of different classes, including main battle tanks (MBTs), infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), armoured combat vehicles (ACVs), armoured personnel carriers (APCs), amphibious assault vehicles and self-propelled howitzers. Among the vehicles currently being supplied are M1 Abrams and M60 MBTs, M109 self-propelled howitzers and M2 Bradleys, and the M113 and AAV7 armoured vehicles.

Through its investments in this field, the company has gained capabilities that will allow it to produce torsion bars from scratch in accordance with customer requirements. The company’s self-designed testing units furnish it with the ability to carry out lifespan tests on its torsion bars, and the company has now started offering this service to its customers.

At Menatek, the development of torsion bars from scratch – including all engineering, production, testing and qualification processes – takes between 8 and 12 weeks, resulting in a product that is ready for serial production.

From Design to Procurement; from Production to Qualification
The company maintains a list of approved suppliers for its raw material needs, but now possesses also the infrastructure to test and approve materials to be procured for the first time in the event of new products to be designed from scratch requiring different inputs.

Aside from torsion bars, Menatek also produces road arm assemblies, track tensioners, road wheels, idler wheels, track shoe assemblies, pins and centre guides, offering its customers a full range of suspension and running gear for tracked armoured vehicles as a complete solution.

MeVu Periscope: The New Eye of Tracked Armoured Vehicles
The MeVu periscope has been developed as a variant of the M27-type driver’s periscope used aboard M113 armoured personnel carriers and M48 and M60 tanks. Manufactured as a single piece (monobloc) of glass, this periscope ensures a view of excellent clarity when compared to other products produced from multiple pieces of glass. Furthermore, its delamination eliminates problems such as condensation/clouding, thereby removing the need for maintenance throughout the lifespan of the vehicle. Company officials claim that once the product is mounted on a vehicle, there is no need to replace unless it is damaged or hit. The periscope, indigenised by the company, does not mist over, even in cold weather, thanks to the electric heaters at its upper and lower ends, providing a clear view to the driver.

Offering the user level 3 ballistic protection according to STANAG 4569, the glass used in the periscope is produced with a special film coating to provide protection against lasers, the use of which in combat has become more prominent. This protects the driver’s eyes against lasers at certain wavelengths. The durability of the periscope allows to be cleaned very easily with high pressure water jets.

NAZ Bearing: The Peak in Long-Lasting Products
The company’s NAZ bearing has been developed for use aboard wheeled armoured vehicles at the point of connection between the wishbone and shock absorber and between the shock absorber and the chassis. The composite-featured liner cloth used on the product and its self-lubrication feature require no maintenance, as long as no outside damage is incurred. Made of high-quality armour steel, and having been subjected to heat treatment, the product can withstand an instantaneous dynamic load of 450kN 200,000 times in a smooth manner. Commenting on their bearing solutions, Naz Ünal, Marketing and Business Development Director at Menatek, said: “We have become one of the two companies in the world that is capable of producing such bearings. I would like also to underline that another advantage offered by our bearing solution, which embodies a much more innovative and robust technology than that of our competitor, is its reasonable price.”