“We Support Local Production Regardless of Country or Region and Believe It Is a Necessary Approach!”
With more than 33,000 military vehicles actively in service across nearly 50 countries and over 80 end users, OTOKAR, Türkiye’s export leader in the land vehicles product group, also signed Türkiye’s largest-ever single-batch armored vehicle export contract in the recent period, with an order of 1,059 units from Romania.
At WDS 2026, six armored military vehicles and turret systems configured for different operational roles were exhibited at the OTOKAR booth. Among the platforms on display were the ARMA 8x8 Wheeled Armored Vehicle equipped with a 30mm MIZRAK Turret, the COBRA II Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (COBRA II MRAP) equipped with a 25mm MIZRAK-L Turret, the COBRA II Reconnaissance and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Vehicle, the TULPAR Tracked Armored Combat Vehicle equipped with the 120mm HITFACT MkII Leonardo Turret, as well as the URAL II and the ARMA II 8x8 Mobile Maintenance and Recovery Vehicle.
We also conducted a brief interview with OTOKAR Military Vehicles Business Development Director Tamer Sırcalı, discussing OTOKAR’s participation in WDS 2026 and its expectations, the vehicles displayed at its booth, its approach to localization demands, and feedback received from users in the Gulf region, particularly in Saudi Arabia.
Defence Turkey: Shall we begin by talking about OTOKAR’s participation in WDS 2026 and the vehicles displayed at your booth?
Tamer SIRCALI: At WDS 2026, we are showcasing highly capable products that we believe will add value to users in this region. To briefly touch upon the platforms on display; our COBRA II vehicle is presented at our booth in its standard configuration. COBRA II, which is a product that attracts strong interest in the Gulf region, stands out as a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle with its nine-person capacity and high level of protection. At the exhibition, the vehicle is displayed in its standard configuration together with a weapon turret.
We are also introducing a new product at our booth: URAL II. Previously, we had the first version of the URAL platform. With URAL II, we offer higher ballistic and mine protection, increased payload capacity, and enhanced mobility. The vehicle has been designed with Gulf region conditions in mind, providing high mobility in off-road, rough terrain, and desert environments. URAL II features a more powerful engine compared to its predecessor. While URAL was equipped with a 168-horsepower engine, URAL II is powered by a 250-horsepower engine. Although it belongs to a lower weight class compared to COBRA II and can be categorized as a “light” platform, it offers a protection level close to COBRA II while delivering very high mobility. The vehicle has a personnel capacity of four or five and includes a cargo area at the rear. We believe it will be a highly useful solution, particularly for regional users with requirements for light-class vehicles.
At the exhibition, we are also displaying our ARMA 8x8 Wheeled Armored Vehicle. The vehicle is equipped with our in-house developed 30mm MIZRAK Turret. This platform is currently in service in multiple countries, including Türkiye. Although the version displayed at the exhibition is configured as an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), its 30mm cannon and 7.62mm coaxial weapon provide a configuration that can both defend itself and deliver significant firepower to the user in the concept of an Armored Combat Vehicle (ACV). We did not bring the ARMA 6x6 to the exhibition, as it has a configuration very similar to the 8x8 version. There is a high level of commonality between the two platforms; in general, we define the 6x6 version as a more compact derivative of the 8x8.
In addition, we have another 8x8 platform displayed at our booth. Compared to the ARMA 8x8, this vehicle features a more powerful engine and a higher payload capacity and has been designed as a mobile maintenance and recovery vehicle. We previously exhibited it at IDEX in the United Arab Emirates and at IDEF in Türkiye. The platform has been developed particularly with the needs of users in the Gulf region in mind, with the requirements of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates playing a decisive role in this process. This platform, which has a carrying capacity of up to 40 tons, is defined as ARMA II.
The ARMA II 8x8 Mobile Maintenance and Recovery Vehicle has been designed to carry out recovery and maintenance operations in the field. The vehicle can operate in desert and challenging off-road conditions and provides protection at the level of the ARMA 8x8. It can rescue immobilized vehicles in the field thanks to its various recovery systems, allowing maintenance activities to be carried out to restore mobility.
The vehicle is equipped with a large crane system. This crane has a lifting capacity of approximately 5-6 tons at various angles, and in some cases up to 7 tons. In addition, the stabilizing legs located on all four sides of the vehicle allow it to be stabilized, and, when necessary, lifted, during recovery operations, particularly on soft sand terrain or in difficult environmental conditions.
At the rear of the ARMA II, there is a large towing winch with a capacity of approximately 70 tons. This enables the recovery of vehicles of various weights, including tanks, in desert conditions. The vehicle is also equipped with a highly capable dozer blade at the front. This blade can move left and right as well as up and down. Thanks to this feature, the vehicle can partially conceal itself by creating a sand berm in front of it on soft terrain, or it can level the road for vehicles following behind in degraded road conditions. In addition, the vehicle is equipped with a Remote-Controlled Weapon System, enabling the platform to provide its own self-protection.
Defence Turkey: You mentioned that the weight of the ARMA II 8x8 Mobile Maintenance and Recovery Vehicle has reached 42 tons. In this case, does the vehicle have a more powerful engine compared to the standard ARMA 8x8 APC configuration?
Tamer SIRCALI: That is correct; the vehicle is equipped with a more powerful engine. Our standard ARMA 8x8 platform weighs around 30 tons and is powered by a 600-horsepower engine. The ARMA II 8x8 Mobile Maintenance and Recovery Vehicle, on the other hand, has a weight that can reach up to 40 tons and even approach 42 tons. Therefore, we use a 720-horsepower engine in this vehicle.
Defence Turkey: Is this engine domestically produced?
Tamer SIRCALI: As part of the New Generation Vehicles Project carried out in Türkiye, we used Ford Otosan’s engine on the ARMA II 8x8 platform. We integrated Ford’s Ecotorq engine, used in its commercial trucks, into the platform after adapting it to meet military requirements.
Defence Turkey: Is the Ecotorq engine also used in the ARMA II 8x8 Mobile Maintenance and Recovery Vehicle?
Tamer SIRCALI: We can offer different engine options depending on user preference. The ARMA II 8x8 Mobile Maintenance and Recovery Vehicle displayed at the exhibition is equipped with a 720-horsepower engine from CAT. Thanks to this, despite the heavy equipment carried on the vehicle, there is no compromise compared to the standard ARMA 8x8 platform in terms of protection level and mobility.
Defence Turkey: Was the development of this vehicle carried out in line with the project requirements you mentioned in the United Arab Emirates?
Tamer SIRCALI: It is not limited to that project alone. Of course, at the initial stage, requirements for similar 8x8 platforms were taken into consideration. However, we went beyond that and developed the vehicle to reach a capacity capable of recovering a wide range of platforms, including heavy vehicles. In this way, an army equipped with this vehicle can carry out maintenance and recovery operations in the field for various platforms ranging from light vehicles to tanks.
Defence Turkey: What can you tell us about OTOKAR’s perspective and approach toward the growing demand for local production, which is now being expressed by many potential customers, including Saudi Arabia?
Tamer SIRCALI: We support local production and believe that it is a necessary approach depending on customer requirements. Especially in high-volume projects, regardless of the vehicle and its technical details, carrying out production in the respective country is important in terms of enabling that country to gain maintenance capability, support its vehicle fleet with its own resources in the long term, and establish a sustainable sustainment infrastructure. In line with this approach, we have submitted proposals in various countries. Romania is an important example in this regard.
Following the initial batch of 278 vehicles produced in Türkiye, approximately 781 vehicles are planned to be manufactured locally. We aim to transition to serial production this year. Our approach in Romania represents one of the best examples of this model. We plan to produce nearly four-fifths of the total fleet locally. We work with local suppliers and produce a significant portion of mission equipment locally as well. In addition, we are executing a comprehensive local project framework that includes maintenance, sustainment, and technology transfer. Our approach in Romania also applies to countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Therefore, we have a very positive attitude toward local production and believe it is the right approach.
Defence Turkey: Today is the fourth day of the exhibition. How is the interest from visitors and delegations?
Tamer SIRCALI: There is very strong interest. Delegations from Saudi Arabia, as well as representatives from other countries where we operate, have been visiting our stand.
In addition, we met with defense industry companies at the local level with which we could establish cooperation. We held discussions with both system manufacturers and subsystem suppliers to evaluate potential collaborations that could be developed in the coming period.
We also hosted various delegations not only from countries in the region but also from East Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Defence Turkey: OTOKAR is not new to this region; it has been an active player for nearly a quarter of a century. What kind of feedback do you receive from users in the region, including Saudi Arabia, regarding the vehicles and services you provide in this market?
Tamer SIRCALI: Particularly in the case of Saudi Arabia, we have made significant progress by adapting our vehicles to the hot climate and desert conditions of this challenging geography. We receive very positive feedback from our vehicles operating in the field. Our customers and users are satisfied with the performance of the vehicles.
After the vehicles are delivered to the region, we continue to work closely with our customers on location-specific requirements or areas requiring improvement that emerge during operational use, further adapting our platforms to user needs. When we evaluate specifically in the context of Saudi Arabia, we are satisfied with the performance of our vehicles in the field, and the feedback we receive from customers is highly positive. In line with this, we are continuing our preparations to undertake larger-scale projects in the coming years through a local production model. This approach also applies to the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the Gulf region.
Defence Turkey: Mr. Sırcalı, thank you for your time and we wish you continued success in your work
