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2020-02-02

Otokar Vehicles Charm Kuwait

The Turkish land defence systems company Otokar displayed ARMA 6x6 with BOZOK turret and COBRA II with KESKIN turret at the Gulf Defense & Aerospace (GDA) in Kuwait.

Otokar’s General Manager Serdar Görgüç was quoted saying: "Different types of Otokar military vehicles are successfully serving the requirements in the Gulf Region with different users since early 2000s. GCC countries are particularly important for the company. With the establishment of Otokar Land Systems in 2016, we became much closer to our present and potential users in this region. In the following period, Otokar Land Systems' joint venture company Al Jasoor signed a significant 8x8 armoured vehicle contract for the UAE Armed Forces. We aim at extending collaborations and also look for new opportunities."

ARMA 6x6: Superior Mobility

The company presented ARMA 6x6 at GDA with Otokar designed BOZOK turret. It's multi-wheeled modular armoured vehicle ARMA 6x6 offers superior mobility, high mine and ballistic protection, as well as medium and high-calibre weapon system integration options.

Offering high tactical and technical features, ARMA comes with an optional amphibious version. ARMA 6x6 stands out thanks to its high payload capacity and large internal volume. The vehicle can be equipped with different weapons and turret according to needs.

The BOZOK turret comes in two versions – BOZOK 12.7 MKT, and BOZOK 25 MKT. BOZOK 12.7 is a manually operated closed turret, which can be equipped with 12.7 mm/7.62 mm machine gun or 40 mm automatic grenade launcher. The turret has digital gunner sight system with thermal camera and CCD camera and a multi-function gunner display unit. Gun functions are controlled by a digital gun control unit. It is equipped with fire rate selector, last round fire inhibit/override, turret and gun lock in every angle. While the BOZOK 25 one man electrically driven stabilised turret is designed to operate with 25 mm dual feed automatic gun. The turret is operated with gunner’s digital day and night (thermal) periscope system. The turret is equipped with cooled thermal camera, CCD day camera, laser range finder and automatic target tracking system. BOZOK 25 mm MKT standard configuration includes meteorological sensor, built-in GPS, electrical gun and turret drive and stabilisation system and automatic ballistic correction capabilities.

The ARMA family can be used for different missions as an armoured personnel carrier, armoured combat vehicle, command control, CBRN reconnaissance vehicle while different weapon systems can be integrated into the vehicle. The ARMA 6x6 also forms an ideal multipurpose platform for peacekeeping operations in the most demanding terrain and climate conditions. The vehicle family has been actively used in the Gulf Region since 2010.

COBRA II: Protection and Payload

On the other hand, the COBRA II was displayed with KESKIN turret system at GDA. KESKIN Remote Control Weapon Station (RCWS) is a combat proven, lightweight and modular RCWS, which can be operated with 14.5 mm/12.7 mm/7.62 mm machine gun or 40 mm automatic grenade launcher. KESKIN RCWS is fitted with an optical suite composed of thermal sight, day sight and laser range finder. The gunner can monitor and control the sight system inside of the vehicle. The system can be operated both in day and night. It also provides 360 degrees of situational awareness and gunner sight's facility. The system has an optical suite composed of thermal sight, day sight and laser range finder.

COBRA II has been developed with the experiences gained from the COBRA platform and offers high level of protection and payload capacity and large internal volume. In addition to superior mobility, it also comes with the capacity to accommodate nine personnel including the driver and commander, offering high protection against ballistic, mine and IED threats.

Delivering high performance in tough terrain and climate conditions, COBRA II is optionally available with an amphibious version, adapting perfectly to different missions as needed. The vehicle has been subjected to rigorous climatic and cross-country tests in different parts of the world, travelled thousands of miles and also successfully performed better than the testing requirements.

Preferred especially for offering a wide range of weapons integration and mission equipment options, COBRA II is used in border protection as well as internal security and peacekeeping missions. The modular structure of COBRA II also makes it possible to be used as a personnel carrier, weapons platform, ground surveillance radar, CBRN reconnaissance vehicle, command control vehicle and ambulance. It is already in service with Turkish Armed and Security forces and with various export customers.

"While developing our land systems products, our first priority is to meet the needs and expectations of our users considering present and future threats. In the last decade, we have allocated 8.5 per cent of our revenues for our R&D activities. Our combat-proven vehicles are actively used in conflict zones in very different geographies and extreme climatic conditions. Currently, more than 32,000 Otokar vehicles are operated in over 35 countries. We believe that our vehicles serving worldwide are the most important reference for our potential users," Görgüç concluded.

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