Today, on the opening day of the IDEB exhibition in Bratislava, the Turkish company FNSS unveiled the CFL-120 KARPAT "medium tank" (in reality a light tank) and announced the signing of a strategic agreement with the Czech group CSG.

The CFL-120 KARPAT is based on the proven KAPLAN MT "medium tank" (specifically the variant fitted with the John Cockerill turret armed with a 105 mm gun), which FNSS has already developed and supplied to Indonesia. The CFL-120 KARPAT takes this platform a step further by integrating the HITFACT Mk-II turret from Leonardo: a turret armed with a 120/45 mm smoothbore gun (compatible with all NATO-standard 120 mm ammunition, and naturally also compatible with the less powerful 105/52 mm rifled gun, likewise a NATO standard).

The CFL-120 KARPAT is therefore fitted with a decidedly more capable weapon than that of the KAPLAN MT, allowing it to engage and destroy enemy MBTs at considerable ranges.

The vehicle, with a combat-ready weight of around 34 tonnes, can reach a top speed of 70 km/h and has a range of approximately 450 km. It is powered by a turbodiesel engine located in the rear of the hull, as on most MBTs (it is therefore not an "adapted IFV"). The tank, which can be fitted with modular add-on armour (and with active protection systems, APS), is equipped with day/night, all-weather observation and targeting systems, as well as fire-on-the-move capability against moving targets (along with hunter-killer and killer-killer capabilities). In addition, the vehicle can be integrated with various types of BMS (Battle Management System), laser warning systems, navigation and communication systems. The platform is therefore designed to operate in a fully networked modern operational environment. The turret design and the positioning of the ammunition outside the crew compartment enhance overall vehicle survivability. The turret, which can be fitted with an autoloader, features a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun as secondary armament and can optionally be equipped with additional 7.62 mm/12.7 mm machine guns or a 40 mm grenade launcher (in either manually operated or remote-controlled configurations).

In addition, as mentioned, during IDEB 2026 representatives of the CSG Group and the Turkish company FNSS Savunma Sistemleri announced the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement for the joint development and production of a number of tracked/armoured vehicles intended for European and international markets. The cooperation between CSG and FNSS will cover the production, sale and further development of selected armoured platforms and their associated systems. In the initial phase, the collaboration will focus primarily on the CFL-120 KARPAT, with the possibility — at a later stage — of expanding the scope of the partnership. The project aims to leverage CSG's industrial expertise in Slovakia, fostering technology transfer processes, encouraging the involvement of the local supply chain and contributing to the development of industrial know-how. The cooperation also aims to strengthen both partners' ability to meet the growing demand for modern armoured/tracked vehicles.

It is worth recalling that the CSG group has, over time, acquired a number of "historic" players in the land and defence sector, such as Tatra in the truck segment and the Italian Fiocchi in the ammunition sector.

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