Türkiye receives domestic motorised tactical wheeled armoured vehicles

Ten Kirpi IIs with Tuna engines have been delivered to Turkish Land Forces Command. (SSB)

The Turkish Armed Forces has received 100 BMC tactical wheeled armoured vehicles with domestically produced engines, the company announced in a press release on 10 January. Ninety Vuran 4×4 multi-purpose armoured vehicles and 10 Kirpi II mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles powered by the Tuna engine have been delivered.

Attending the handover ceremony at BMC's Pınarbaşı facility in İzmir, Haluk Görgün, head of the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), said 10 Kirpi II and 40 Vuran vehicles had been delivered to Turkish Land Forces Command and 40 Vurans to Gendarmerie General Command.

BMC chairman Fuat Tosyalı added, “This historic delivery is a very important step towards the goals of increasing the localisation rate in our country's defence industry and reducing external dependency.”

Designed for missions such as reconnaissance and convoy protection, the Vuran 4×4 features ballistic protection and central tyre inflation and is compatible with various weapon systems, including a multiple rocket launcher, mortar, or remote-controlled weapon system. It has been deployed in NATO peacekeeping operations in the Balkans.

The Kirpi II MRAP, a successor to the widely exported Kirpi, offers enhanced protection and features a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defence system and an advanced suspension for improved mobility.

Kirpi versions include the METİ mine and improvised explosive detection and disposal vehicle, a cargo transport vehicle, and an ambulance, as well as a 6×6 version. The vehicle is in service in Indonesia, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to Türkiye.