Turkish firm Otokar unveiled the first Cobra II infantry mobility vehicle produced in Romania at a defense and aerospace convention in Bucharest.
The event marks the start of the company’s manufacturing of the 4×4 armored platform in the European state for the Romanian Army’s ongoing 1,059-vehicle procurement program.
The overall effort will assemble 781 Cobra systems at Otokar’s factory in Mediaș after delivering an initial batch manufactured in Turkey to the military.
“Our showcase constitutes a firm commitment for the country’s defense industry as well as fulfilling our obligations,” said Aykut Özüne, general manager at Otokar. “Beyond delivering NATO-standard armored vehicles, we see Romania as a strategic hub for managing our European defense contracts.”
Tulpar IFV, Ground Drone Presented
At the Bucharest event, Otokar also displayed its Tulpar tracked infantry fighting vehicle equipped with the company’s proprietary Mizrak 30-millimeter turret.
“We have a strong desire to act as Romania’s land platforms manufacturer,” Otokar Military Cluster Head Sedef Vehbi said. “In this context, we plan to continue the development of the Tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle in Romania, based on our fully qualified Tulpar platform.”
Alongside the heavy capabilities is a next-generation unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) developed by Otokar in collaboration with Romanian firm BlueSpace Technologies and Turkish partner Elektroland Defense.
“Otokar, BlueSpace Technologies and Elektroland have combined their strengths under a single consortium to address Romania’s Multirole UGV requirement,” Vehbi added.
“This project aims to strengthen Romania’s defense ecosystem and build a permanent, locally-anchored capability in unmanned systems.”
