Armored vehicles developed by Türkiye’s defense industry made headlines in the global defense media. According to the news of the US-based The Defense Post, Nurol Makina signed an agreement to produce 800 Gidran 4×4 armored tactical armored fighting vehicles in Hungary. In the same period, the analysis published in the Military Leak publication showed that ZAHA in the inventory of the Turkish Navy was used in the Baltic Sea-oriented amphibious operation in NATO’s STEADFAST DART 26 exercise. In the analysis article, it was commented that ZAHA was the most prominent armored amphibious vehicle in the exercise. Analyzes once again revealed that Türkiye has turned into a defense manufacturer that not only exports, but also establishes production capacity in Europe and develops platforms used in the NATO field.
GIDRAN AGREEMENT WITH HUNGARY
According to the analysis of the US-based global defense publication The Defense Post, Turkish defense company Nurol Makina made an agreement to produce 800 Gidran 4×4 armored tactical combat vehicles in Hungary. According to analysis The agreement also includes the expansion of the current fleet of 106 vehicles delivered to the Hungarian army since 2020 and a long-term maintenance-support package. Gidran was developed as the configured version of Nurol Makina’s Ejder Yalçın platform for Hungary. In addition to the Raba partnership with Nurol Makina Hungary, Rheinmetall Hungary also stands out as one of the important partners of the program. The Gidran vehicle has a length of 6 meters, a weight of 14 tons, armor protection at NATO standard and the capacity to carry 8 to 12 personnel. The platform can be equipped with the ASELSAN-produced SARP remote-controlled weapon system; It can be used with light and heavy machine guns or automatic grenade launchers. Using a 375 horsepower 6-cylinder turbo Cummins diesel engine, the vehicle can reach a top speed of 120 kilometers and a range of 700 kilometers. It can be adapted to different configurations for border surveillance, mine hunting, mortar, communication, sensor and medical evacuation missions.
ZAHA SHINED IN NATO EXERCISE
In the analysis published by Military Leak, another US-based international defense media organization, Türkiye’s ZAHA amphibious armored combat vehicle was focused on. In the analysis article, it was pointed out that ZAHA was used in amphibious landing missions together with the Turkish Naval Forces Marine Infantry Battalion in NATO’s STEADFAST DART 26 exercise. After the exercise, while the task group reached the Port of Kiel, the interoperability of Turkish naval elements with NATO allies was demonstrated together with TCG Anadolu, TCG Oruçreis, TCG Istanbul and TCG Derya. NATO’s SHAPE command also announced the Putlos-based amphibious demonstration as one of the highlights of STEADFAST DART 26. In the analysis article, it was commented that ZAHA is the most prominent armored vehicle in the naval exercise section with its capability and maneuverability. The armored amphibious assault vehicle, known as MAV in the international defense market and as ZAHA in Türkiye, is a tracked platform. The vehicle can operate both on land and in water. ZAHA, with a maximum land speed of 70 kilometers and a maximum water speed of 7 knots, has a torsion bar suspension system, fully automatic transmission, 60 percent steep slope climbing ability, 40 percent side slope retention, 0.9-meter vertical obstacle and 2-meter ditch crossing capabilities. The platform also has the ability to recover itself after tipping over in difficult sea conditions.
PART OF THE COMMAND SPINE
ZAHA’s personnel carrier variant, FNSS-produced ÇAKA, is also equipped with a remote-controlled tower. According to Military Leak analysis, the tower can carry a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher. The command-control variant serves the purpose of communication between vehicles and coordination with TCG Anadolu. Like this ZAHA can be used not only as a landing vehicle, but also as a part of the command backbone of network-centric amphibious operations. In the analyzes of US-based defense publications, Türkiye is not only a supplier in the defense industry; It is often emphasized that it is a manufacturer with the capacity to develop joint production, long-term support and multi-role platforms.
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